Lack of chinese interpreter delays trial (Saturday, March 23, 2013, pg 26)
The Financial Division of the Accra Fast Track High Court yesterday adjourned a case involving two Chinese who are charged with illegal electricity connection because there was no Chinese interpreter.
This is the second time the court, presided over by Mr Justice Bright Mensah, had to adjourn its sitting to allow the registrar of the court find a Chinese interpreter to enable communication between the court and the two accused persons — Xie De Qi, the Managing Director of a company, and Peng Peng, an engineer.
The prosecutor, Mr Paul Assibi Abariga, told the court that he had received a letter from the registrar that it was willing to provide an interpreter at the expense of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), a demand the ECG had agreed to, but the registrar had not been successful in its search for an interpreter.
Counsel for the accused persons, Mr Kwaku Osei Asare, suggested that the court contact the Department of Languages of the University of Ghana for help.
As the banter between the two lawyers continued on how to find a Chinese interpreter to clear the language barrier, the phones of the two accused persons kept ringing intermittently, much to the irritation of the judge.
Sensing danger of his clients being cited for contempt, Mr Asare quickly said, “My Lord, in any case they may not understand what you say.”
That elicited spontaneous laughter in the courtroom, with the judge smiling and shaking his head.
The court adjourned to April 19, 2013 to make room for the registrar to find an interpreter.
The facts of the case, according to the prosecution, are that the complainant, Mr Ishmael Tetteh Oku, is a coordinator with the Revenue Protection Unit of the ECG, while the accused persons are the managing director and the engineer, respectively, of Tai Heng Company Limited.
On February 13, 2013, acting on information received that the accused had been tampering with ECG gadgets and also stealing ECG power during the night, a team of technicians, led by the complainant, went to the Tai Heng factory, near Achimota Brewery Company, about 10 p.m.
The team entered the meter room and detected that part of the cables connected to the meter were naked and by-passed the meter, disenabling the meter from reading consumption.
They were arrested and a bill of GHC20,439.80, being power consumed illegally, was imposed on them, which they paid to the ECG.
They were later arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit crime, namely, stealing, contrary to sections 23(1) and 24 (1) of the Criminal Code.
They were later arraigned before the court.
Writer’s email: seth.bokpe@graphic.com.gh
This is the second time the court, presided over by Mr Justice Bright Mensah, had to adjourn its sitting to allow the registrar of the court find a Chinese interpreter to enable communication between the court and the two accused persons — Xie De Qi, the Managing Director of a company, and Peng Peng, an engineer.
The prosecutor, Mr Paul Assibi Abariga, told the court that he had received a letter from the registrar that it was willing to provide an interpreter at the expense of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), a demand the ECG had agreed to, but the registrar had not been successful in its search for an interpreter.
Counsel for the accused persons, Mr Kwaku Osei Asare, suggested that the court contact the Department of Languages of the University of Ghana for help.
As the banter between the two lawyers continued on how to find a Chinese interpreter to clear the language barrier, the phones of the two accused persons kept ringing intermittently, much to the irritation of the judge.
Sensing danger of his clients being cited for contempt, Mr Asare quickly said, “My Lord, in any case they may not understand what you say.”
That elicited spontaneous laughter in the courtroom, with the judge smiling and shaking his head.
The court adjourned to April 19, 2013 to make room for the registrar to find an interpreter.
The facts of the case, according to the prosecution, are that the complainant, Mr Ishmael Tetteh Oku, is a coordinator with the Revenue Protection Unit of the ECG, while the accused persons are the managing director and the engineer, respectively, of Tai Heng Company Limited.
On February 13, 2013, acting on information received that the accused had been tampering with ECG gadgets and also stealing ECG power during the night, a team of technicians, led by the complainant, went to the Tai Heng factory, near Achimota Brewery Company, about 10 p.m.
The team entered the meter room and detected that part of the cables connected to the meter were naked and by-passed the meter, disenabling the meter from reading consumption.
They were arrested and a bill of GHC20,439.80, being power consumed illegally, was imposed on them, which they paid to the ECG.
They were later arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit crime, namely, stealing, contrary to sections 23(1) and 24 (1) of the Criminal Code.
They were later arraigned before the court.
Writer’s email: seth.bokpe@graphic.com.gh
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