The Judicial Service on Wednesday provided an Arabic interpreter for Jihad Chaaban, the Marwako Fast Food Supervisor who is being tried for allegedly assaulting a female employee and dipping her face into blended pepper.
On May 3, this year the Abeka District Court adjourned the Marwako assault case following a request by Chaaban’s counsel for an Arabic Interpreter for his client.
According to the defence counsel, Mr Julio De Medieros Chaaban’s mother tongue was Arabic and “even though he can communicate in English little by little he was comfortable in speaking his language.”
Counsel debunked the assertion of the complainant’s relations saying that Jihad could speak fluently in Arabic.
Following the provision of the Interpreter Mr Mohammed Mubarak Hidir, a Lecturer with the Department of Modern Languages, University of Ghana, Chaaban opened his defence in the matter on Wednesday May 10 before the District Court.
The court after listening to the defence counsel’s submission said the court at the moment did not have an Arabic interpreter hence it would have to write to the Judicial Service to provide them one.
Meanwhile, Chabaan has denied dipping the face of the female employee, Evelyn Boakye, into blended pepper.
“I am Muslim and I believe in Prophet Mohammed. He has not taught us to behave that way. I did not do it and I cannot do that,” Chaaban told the Court when he opened his defence.
Led in evidence by Defence Counsel Mr Julio De Medieros, Chaaban who spoke through an Arabic Interpreter explained he only turned the Chin of Evelyn Boakye to draw her attention of what she had done.
Chaaban who had worked for two years and some months at the Restaurant said it was when Ms Boakye refused to listen to him on two occasions that he turned her chin to take a look at what she had done.
The Supervisor said on February 28, this year, he was in a private room of the Restaurants Kitchen when he heard an unusual sound of the blender and he followed up.
Identifying the blender in court, Chaaban said the said blender was bought a week after the incident.
According to him, when he reached where the fresh pepper was being blended, he switched off the machine under the blender and poured the content into a bowl.
The Restaurant Supervisor said there were two people including Ms Boakye handling the blended pepper adding the blender was loaded with chopped onions.
Chaaban said he realised that because the blender had been stuffed with onions it was unable to blend and it needed some watery vegetable like tomatoes.
”I asked Ms Boakye what you are doing,” Chaaban said
According to him, Ms Boakye in a derogatory manner responded: “Don’t you know what we are preparing? We are preparing fresh pepper.”
Chaaban said he told the victim that “that was not the way to prepare fresh pepper,” and explained to her why the blender could not blend the ingredients.
The Supervisor said when he looked into the face of the victim he realised that he was crying and enquired from her what the problem was.
Later Chaaban said he asked the victim informed him that when she was cutting the onions she felt some sensation in her eyes.
Based on that, Chaaban said he further asked Ms Boakye to go and wash her face outside the kitchen but she rather went into their changing room.
”When I followed to the room, I saw the victim fanning her face because she had not washed her face,” Chaaban told the court.
On February 28, this year, Chaaban allegedly assaulted the victim Ms Boakye for fidgeting with a blender and working slowly.
Chaaban, a brother-in-law of the owner of Marwako Restaurant, at the Abelemkpe branch allegedly grabbed the neck of the victim angrily and dipped her face into a blender full of blended pepper.
Hearing continues on May 18.
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