The Supreme Court yesterday ordered the Registrar of the Court of Appeal to, within 14 days, transmit to it records of appeal in respect of Nana Kwasi Agyeman, also known as Gemann, a musician who is on death row at the Nsawam Medium Security Prison.

Gemann murdered Kwesi Adjei, a 35-year-old driver, on January 9, 1995 at Dome near Accra, for which he was sentenced to death.

After the sentence, he appealed against the conviction but the Court of Appeal threw it out. In December 1998, he filed another appeal at the Supreme Court seeking mitigation of his sentence.

But when the case was called yesterday, the court realised that the records on the case had not been transferred from the lower court to the Supreme Court.

She said the application was struck out because of "purely administrative " problems.

Mr Justice Twum managed to get Mr Akoto Ampaw, an Accra legal practitioner, to represent the applicant. Apparently enthused about the developments, Ms Justice Akuffo said, "It is good that you brought your case because we have asked the registrar about what happened to your appeal. We struck out your case but you did not lose in bringing it here because you have now got a lawyer".

Other members of the panel were Mr Justice Modibo Ocran, Mr Justice Julius Ansah and Mr Justice R. T. Aninakwa.

Feeling cheated, the driver left without accepting the money, only to return later to collect some sand from the footsteps in the house into a black plastic bag.

Kofi Obeng

A former colleague in prison, who claims he was a member of Gemann’s "New Life Project", an in-prison gospel music band, says that Gemann has violated the agreement he entered with the members of his New Life Project after they had released their gospel album Jesus Is Coming Soon.

Now out of prison, ex-convict Kofi Obeng told Showbiz: "We came to an agreement that after the album had been released we - the people involved with the project - were going to be given certain benefits," Joseph Obeng said. "I was to be given a keyboard".

He claimed that Gemann managed to convince them and they all agreed to put their rights collectively under him "so that through him we could get our benefits."

He said the other five people who were part of the original group comprised Kenneth Opoku, George Badger, Emmanuel Twum, Jerry Blazer and Attah "Bolomachima".

Obeng, who used to be a pupil teacher and also played the organ for several bands found himself at the Nsawam Medium Security Prison sometime in 2003 when he "took money that did not belong" to him and it was there that he met Gemann.

In prison, Obeng joined the New Life Band led by Gemann. They produced an album with the permission of the prison administration. While working in the studio they were also rehearsing dances that would go with the songs they would perform on the launching day.

"We were all eager to put in our best because we knew what we will get when the album had been launched, but all along Gemann had been stingy and he was not making us feel satisfied, he claimed."

When they had completed preliminary works on their project the master tape was sent to a studio at Tema that is owned by one of their sponsors for the completion of the album.

"Fortunately or unfortunately I was discharged before the launch date," Obeng said. Thus the album was launched in his absence and he claimed that he did not receive what was due him from the sale of the album.

Eight months after he was released, however, Joseph Obeng found himself back at the Nsawam Prison, again for stealing. He said he called on Gemann to ask for his share under the terms of their earlier agreement, but Gemann told him that the album did not do so well on the market and therefore they made a loss.

"But my other colleagues made me aware that he did make some money", the man who was released from jail less than two weeks ago lamented. "I find it difficult that Gemann who clams to have changed could not give us anything even if he could not fulfil the full terms of the contract."

He continued: "I am not concerned about his behaviour, lifestyle or whoever he is, what I am concerned with is what should be given to me for the part I played in the release of the album Jesus Is Coming Soon.