MTTU BOSS TO APPEAL AGAINST DRIVERS ACQUITTAL (MIRROR, PAGE 28, DEC 18, 2010)

From George Ernest Asare, Kumasi

The Commanding Officer of the Police Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU), Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Awuni Angwubutoge, has threatened to appeal against a case in which the Motor Court, presided over by Justice Mariam Sulemna Sinera, acquitted and discharged a 21-year-old driver who had pleaded guilty to committing various traffic offences.
Briefing The Mirror about the case, he said the driver, Nurudeen Gaisie, who was in charge of LT cargo truck with registration number GT 387 A, was arrested on December 2, 2010, for driving a commercial vehicle without valid licence.
He said the driver was also using a vehicle with no valid road worthy certificate and worn out tyres.
“The vehicle was also very weak, with a rusty body which had the tendency to create danger to other road users” he explained.
Explaining further, Mr Awuni said officers of the MTTU arrested the driver along the Graphic–Kaneshie road around 1.00 p.m. on December 2, 2010, and when he was asked to produce his licence, he could not do so.
He said he was also 21 years old and driving a commercial vehicle was against traffic regulations.
Mr Awuni said during inspection, the officers found out that all the tyres on the vehicle were completely worn out, exposing the inner threads, and further inspection also revealed that the road worthy certificate had expired for more than a year.
He said after investigations, the driver was charged for using an expired road worthy certificate, driving a commercial vehicle without valid licence and using a vehicle that exposed other road users to danger, among other offences.
He said when Nurudeen appeared before the Motor Court, he pleaded guilty to all the offences, but surprisingly the judge acquitted and discharged him.
Expressing his displeasure against the ruling, Mr Awuni said such actions by the courts undermined the efforts by the police to enforce road traffic regulations.
He pointed out that the MTTU needed to be encouraged to enforce road traffic regulations as a way of reducing the rate of accidents that had been claiming precious lives and destroying property all year round.
Mr Awuni pointed out that as Christmas approached, the tendency for drivers to disregard road safety regulations were high, saying MTTU personnel would be on duty to enforce road traffic regulations, but their efforts would not yield positive results if the courts continue to set drivers free when they plead guilty to offences committed.