A 33-year-man at Koforidua, Kwaku Duah is appealing for support to raise over 20 million cedis to enable him to burry his girlfriend. The amount is being demanded by the family of the dead woman and includes medical and mortuary bills as well as a fine. Margaret Odame, 35, died on May 26, 2006, from pregnancy-related complications and five children from different husbands survive her. Margaret's family is demanding Duah should marry the corpse before they would allow her interment. Her body which has been lying at the Koforidua Regional Hospital morgue has accumulated a bill of 15 million cedis and more than one million cedis from laboratory fees when she was admitted at the hospital. Margaret's family is demanding that Duah pay 10 million cedis to be used to perform marriage rites for the corpse and pay a compensation of 500,000 cedis. Howvever Duah says that unless he receives help, there is no way he can pay that amount. He said he had tried in vain to get some resources because his tailoring job generates very little to care for the surviving child who also requires special attention. Duah said upon the intervention of some persons and institutions, the family has now agreed to collect 5 million cedis to be used to perform the marriage rites but the accumulated mortuary bills have made it impossible for him to have any peace since the incident happened. He is appealing for support to enable him bury the girlfriend. Madam Agatha Serwah Okrah, Paralegal Officer in charge of the New Juaben Municipal Office of the International Federation of Female Lawyers, said she had tried to bring the parties together for an amicable settlement but that had failed. Source: GNA