THE MINISTRY of Finance and Economic Planning (MoFEP) has confirmed to the payment of GH�15, 975.20 to the family of a nursing officer, Adu Nyarko who died in a Military Helicopter at the Atiwa Forest in 2002.
Mr, Nyarko had been asked to accompany some injured military officers from the Nkawkaw Holy Family Hospital to the 37 Military Hospital in Accra when the Helicopter crashed in the Atiwa Forest, killing everybody on board.
The Director in charge of external resource mobilizations, bilateral, Kwadwo Awuah Peasah tendered in documents and correspondence to confirm the payment of such compensation to the family of the deceased.
Briefing the commission about what the ministry knows about the case, he said, �My Lord, sometime in 2002, there was this Military Helicopter crash in which Adu Nyarko was on board.
�From the records in our file, the Uncle of Adu Nyarko wrote to the ministry of defence for compensation for the family of Adu Nyarko. The Ministry of Defence then forwarded that request to the Ministry of Finance upon which our chief director also wrote to the Attorney General for advice. And to actually give the ministry the level of compensation that should be paid.�
The Attorney General he said, �accordingly advised the ministry of finance and we did payment for the family of Adu Nyarko. The total amount paid was GHc15, 975.20.�
Asked by Counsel for the Commission, who the money was paid to, Mr. Peasah, flanked by Samuel Aboagye-Amoa-Esa, legal counsel for MOFEP, said �information on our file indicates that the said amount was paid to Owusu Fodjour and Co. On the payment voucher his name was there but I did not know who collected it on behalf of the family.�
Counsel said in the records of the commission, Mr. Fodjour was the lawyer who represented the family of the deceased. �He wrote the petition to AG on behalf of the family. The petition was written on July 23, 2007.�
The Sole Commissioner, Justice Yaw Apau reminded that, it was because of the delay of payment that the lawyer came in because the request of the payment was dated January 19, 2007 and that prompted them to pay the money quickly. The actual petition he said was dated on August 2, 2006.
Justice Apau observed that in a case where the victim dies, �the family doesn�t get much money as when the person survives the injury. If the person is incapacitated as a result of an accident he gets more money than when he dies,� and described the amount paid as peanut.
Earlier, representative of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) appeared before the commission on the same issue and was asked by counsel to explain why a nursing officer Victor Adu Nyarko who was killed in a Military Helicopter accident together with some military officer in 2002 was not paid any compensation by the GAF.
Group Captain Appiah Agyekum told the commission that all the families of the deceased soldiers had been given compensation, but did not have any records on the payment of compensation to Mr. Nyarko�s family.
According to him, under the laws of the military, no civilian was entitled to any compensation if he/she died together with military personnel in a military aircraft. As a result, however, he said civilians were made to sign indemnity forms before entering a military aircraft in order to absolve the military from the payment of any compensation in case of an accident.
Also appearing before the commission were, Kwesi Bentsi Enchill, Chief Valuer in charge of compensation schedules at the lands commission, while representatives of Controller and Accountants General�s Department and AG failed to appear.
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