MoFEP CONFIRMS PAYMENT TO CHOPPER VICTIM

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Friday, May 16, 2014

The Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning has said it compensated the family of a civilian who died in military helicopter crash at the Atiwa Forest in the Eastern Region in 2002.

According to Kwadwo Awua-Peasah, the ministry’s Director in charge of External Resource Mobilization (Bilateral), the family of the deceased Victor Adu Nyarko, then nurse with the Holy Family Hospital at Nkawkaw was paid GH¢15,975.20 as compensation.

It emerged that when some soldiers were critically injured in a road accident, Mr. Adu Nyarko who studied Nursing in the United Kingdom, was asked to accompany them to 37 Military Hospital, Accra by air but the plane crashed in the Atiwa Forest killing all those on board.

The families of the deceased soldiers were paid compensation but Mr. Adu Nyarko’s family was discriminated against by the military.

Last week, Alidu Fuseini, Chief Director of Ministry of Defence flanked by Group Captain Mike Kwame Appiah-Agyekum of the Ghana Air Force testified at the Commission of Enquiry investigating the payment of judgement debts and admitted that in cases where a civilian who died in helicopter crash in Atiwa Forest in the Eastern Region and his family never received compensation from the military.

Group Captain Appiah-Agyekum said documents available indicated that families of the deceased soldiers were paid compensation but said they did not have any record indicating Mr. Adu Nyarko’s family got any compensation.

He had told the commission that any civilian who uses military aircraft, vehicles and other equipment was mandated for complete what he called an indemnity form and that absolved the military from any liability should there be an accident adding “the case of the nurse lies in the legal realm.”

Yesterday, the MoFEP official told Sole-Commissioner Justice Yaw Apau of the Court of Appeal that after the family of Adu Nyarko had written to the Ministry of Defence for compensation and the ministry referred their letter to MoFEP who in turn wrote to the AG for assessment before settling on the amount.

Records at the commission indicated that the actual petition was had been filed on August 2, 2006 and request for compensation filed on July 19, 2007 but because the response delayed, the family through a lawyer sent a reminder before the final payment was made.

Justice Apau then remarked that judging from the caliber of the professional that Ghana lost, the amount paid to Mr. Adu Nyarko’s family could not be said to be adequate but once the family did not complain the matter should rest.

Mr. Awua-Peasah flanked by Samuel Aboagye-Amoa-Esa, legal counsel for MoFEP also promised to compile the list of services rendered to the ministry by companies and individuals for which payment had still not been done.

Kwesi Bentsi-Enchil, Chief Valuer at the Lands Commission also appeared and promised to submit companies and individuals for which payment had still not been done.

The commission made it clear that all other ministries departments and agencies would also be required to submit a list of companies and individuals for which payment had still not been done.

The ‘Commission of Enquiry into the payment of Judgement Debt and Akin’ under C.I. 79 to investigate the frivolous and dubious payments of huge monies to undeserving individuals and companies, was appointed by President John Dramani Mahama after public uproar over the payments in what has now come to be termed as Judgement Debts (JD).

Notable among them were payments made to CP (€94 million) and the never-ending case of GH¢51.2million parted to the self-styled National Democratic Candidate (NDC) financier, Alfred Agbesi Woyome, both of which many believed were dubious and frivolous.