Labour Enterprise Trust awaits license to start banking
Accra (Greater Accra) 13 February 2002 - The desire of the NPP national chairman, Mr Harona Esseku, to thwart the efforts of the various power blocs in the party against his faction is arousing the anger of some members and supporters of the party.
Investigations have revealed that the party’s national youth congress scheduled to take place to elect officers in the latter part of this month will not come on contrary to the party’s constitution. Information gathered so far by the “Evening News” indicates that the proposed congress has been postponed indefinitely by the chairman who wants to adopt a different procedure to fill the vacant positions.
According to our sources, the national chairman has made it clear that he intends to appoint some people known to him very well to the youth leadership positions currently vacant in the party. Last week the national executive committee, held a marathon and inconclusive meeting at the party’s headquarters in an attempt to persuade Mr Esseku to budge. The party’s youth worried about the trend of events in the party, especially at their front, have threatened “fire and brimstone” to fight it all out and ensure that proper democratic procedures are followed.
A source close to the party said Mr Esseku has openly claimed that there is an existence of power blocs in the party. The source alleged that Mr Esseku claimed to belong to the ruling bloc and has vowed to fight perceived opponents of his bloc.
According to insiders, it is for the entrenchment of his ruling bloc that the chairman intends to appoint his favourites to the national youth positions. The source regretted that the chairman who is seen as the embodiment of unity in the party was pursuing bloc agenda.
When contacted on the allegation levelled against him, Mr Esseku could not deny or confirm it, but said that he would issue a statement on the matter later. He, however, wondered why some people were making so much noise about the matter since the leadership of the party had since 1992 appointed people to the youth leadership position.
On the issue of power blocs in the party, Mr Esseku admitted its existence, but rather described it as factions, which exist in very party. He denied that his move to appoint people to the youth leadership was to entrench his ruling bloc and described it as “the figment of someone’s imagination”.
“We have a President whom the constitution allows two terms of office and as the chairman of the party, my interest is to see to it that we ensure that the President does not lose the popularity that brought him to power”. “I don’t think I will agree with anybody who wants to challenge the President during his constitutionally allowed two term,” he said. – The Evening News
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Accra (Greater Accra) 13 February 2002 - Tsatsu Tsikata, formerly Chief Executive of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), on Monday, filed a writ at the supreme Court challenging the legality and existence of the Fast Truck Court.
He is seeking an interpretation of the court’s jurisdiction to try him, and has subsequently filed a motion to restrain the court from prosecuting him. Tsatsu Tsikata had been facing a charge of wilfully causing financial loss of ˘2.15 billion to the state at an Accra Circuit Tribunal.
But the case which was scheduled for further hearing on February 26, was withdrawn from the tribunal and transferred to the Fast-Track High Court by the Attorney-General’s office.
When the case was called at the Fast Track court on Tuesday, counsel for Tsikata, Mr E.V.O. Dankwah, raised a preliminary objection to the hearing of the case, stating that, “the Fast-Track High court does not exist.” This was before the accused person could be properly arraigned before the court. “There is nothing like a fast-track court in the constitution,” counsel stated, stressing that his client was not before the High Court at all.
According to counsel, the case was pending at the Circuit Tribunal and as far as they were concerned, they were to appear before the tribunal, adding the High Court had no jurisdiction to hear the case. He said justice and fairness would be done if the Supreme Court was allowed to determine the matter before any step was taken by the High Court.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Mr Osafo Sampong, in reaction, submitted that the preliminary objection by defence counsel was premature. He asked that the accused be properly arraigned before the court for the charges to be read and his plea taken, because by not doing that suggested that there was nothing before the court for which counsel was raising an objection.
The DPP said prosecution had not been served with any papers from the Supreme Court and maintained that the accused be properly arraigned. He said the High Court had jurisdiction in all matters and that if the Chief Justice by the constitution, designated a High Court as Fast-Track High Court, it had jurisdiction in terms of constitutionality.
He submitted that it was not anything that bothered on the constitution that should be referred to the Supreme Court, stressing that “the fast-track is just a matter of description to the High Court” and that the Fast-Track Court had powers like any high court.
The trial judge, Mr Justice Julius Ansah, an Appeal Court Judge, sitting as an additional High Court Judge, agreed with the prosecution and ordered that the accused be arraigned before the court properly. He said that the preliminary objection was premature and that after the right thing was done, the court would grant the accused every opportunity to show that the fast-track court does not exist among others.
When the accused was properly arraigned before the court, he declined to plead to the charge, stating that he was not properly summoned before the court. He told the court that he was relying on the actions taken by his lawyers at the Supreme Court. The court, however, recorded him as pleading not guilty upon the advice of the prosecution.
The court granted Tsikata a self-cognisance bail in the sum of ˘500 million and ordered counsel to serve it and prosecute with the writ and other papers to enable the court to study them properly. Mr Justice Ansah, adjourned proceedings until Monday, February 18, for hearing.
The fats of the case at the tribunal were that Tsatsu committed the GNPC to guarantee a loan of dollars of 5.5 million French Francs granted by Caise Francaise de Development, a French aid agency to Valley Farms, a private cocoa growing company.
Valley Farms collected the loan and used it to rehabilitate three cocoa farms at Assin Manso, Dadieso and Nyankomase. The company defaulted however, in the payment because it was distressed so the accused was said to have, without the approval of the GNPC Board, paid the principal loan plus interest totalling ˘6.92 million French francs (about ˘1.15 billion cedis) out of the corporation’s operational funds. – The Ghanaian Times
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The labour Enterprises Trust (LET) is awaiting a license from the Bank of Ghana (BOG) to start a commercial bank. With the bank in operation, it will bring to five the number of enterprises operated by LET since it started business four years ago.
Talking to the ‘Times’ in his office on Monday, Mr Dennis Vormawor, the Executive director of LET said they would go into other businesses as and when they have the funds. He said at the moment they are operating the Unique Insurance Company, City Carparks, Water Tanker, and Radio Taxi Services.
The Executive Director said they had four water tankers, two of 200-gallon and another two of 2,500-gallon capacities respectively. And the taxi service, he said they had a fleet of 18 saloon cabs and one bus, which is purposely for tourism. Mr Vormawor said as at now they had 99,000 workers who had contributed ˘50,000 each to start the Trust.
And apart form the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) all other Unions had contributed to the fund. “But a few individual members of the ICU have bought shares into the “Trust” he noted.
On when dividends will accrue to the shareholders, Mr Vormawor said since they only started operations fully two years ago and with all projects at the gestation stage he could not be specific on the time. “But anytime there are profits they would surely be shared among the shareholders”. – The Ghanaian Times
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Ex-District Chief Executive to die
Koforidua
(Eastern Region) 13 February 2002 - Edward Anim Densu, a former District Chief
Executive for East Akyem in the Eastern Region, is to die by hanging. This
follows a verdict of guilty imposed on him by a Koforidua High Court on
Tuesday.
Densu, who
was charged on two counts of murder, was, however, found guilty on one count.
He was found guilty for shooting dead two persons, Kofi Kutsenu and Kwadwo
Asante, at a funeral at Adasewase, near Anyinam, in the Eastern Region on April
9, 1997.
Before
passing sentence, the judge, Mr Justice K.A. Acquaye, spent about one hour
summing up the trial and directing the seven-member jury. He asked the jury to
base its verdict on its own conviction and decide whether the prosecution had
proved its case beyond all reasonable doubt against the accused or not.
Justice
Acquaye told the jury to find out whether the accused really caused the death
of the deceased persons and whether the gunshot, which caused their death was
intentional. The jury then retired for about 15 minutes and returned for a
clarification
from the
judge and went back.
When
members of the jury finally returned, they passed a verdict of guilty on the
first count while they found the convict not guilty on the second count. Mr
Justice Acquaye then passed sentence.
“Having
been found guilty by the jury, you are sentenced to death. You will be taken to
prison and when the President gives his accent, you will be hanged. God have
mercy on your soul,” he said. The judgement was greeted with a sigh of sorrows
from the public, particularly relatives and friends of Densu, as he was led to
a cell for his journey to prison.
The facts
of the case were that on April 9, 1997, Densu, who was then a District Chief
Executive, shot the two persons dead at the funeral of an assembly member at
Adawase, near Anyinam. According to the prosecution, Densu shot the two
persons, Kutsenu, 40 and Asante, 49, after Kutsenu had allegedly threatened to
kill his wife.
While Densu
was at the funeral, he had information that Kutsenu wanted to commit suicide
with a single-barrelled gun, following a misunderstanding between him and his
wife, Akosua Ntowaa. This incident attracted many people to the scene, some of
whom managed to disarm Kutsenu.
When Densu
heard of the problem, he rushed to the scene to advise Kutsenu not to do
anything to harm himself. Densu asked Kutsenu to surrender a knife he had armed
himself with after the gun had been collected from him but Kutsenu ignored the
advice. The convict, who was then armed with an AK 47 assault riffle, gave a
warning shot to coerce Kutsenu to surrender his knife but Kutsenu refused.
Densu then
fired straight at the head of Kutsenu killing him instantly. The bullet
penetrated the head of Kutsenu and hit Asante who was standing behind Kutsenu
and he also died instantly. Densu, who sensed danger because a mob had run to
his vehicle, which was parked nearby, sped off to avoid being lynched. He,
however, surrendered to the Regional CID at Koforidua. – Daily Graphic.
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 13 February 2002 The National Coalition Against Privatisation
of Water (NCAP) has reaffirmed its conviction that the proposed privatization
of water is a big threat against the public good. It said the impending
conclusion of contracts leasing out urban water supply systems to two foreign
monopolies for 10 or more years threaten “our whole society and our
constitutional right to public goods and services.”
A statement
issued by the coalition and signed by J.N.Y. Atopley, acting Secretary General
of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), said a meeting held by the reconstituted
national coordinating committee, underlined the need for government to disclose
the nature and implications of the privatization contracts currently under
consideration and expressed concern about the absence of full information for
the public about the ongoing privatization exercise.
It said the
meeting acknowledged that most Ghanaians do not know, for example, that the
business framework for water privatization does not require the private
operator to expand the pipe-borne water network or extend the existing water
supply service to poorer urban communities.
“It was
noted that this shocking fact, coupled with the way in which water services for
the rural poor have been separated from the planned privatization, proves
beyond any doubt that a principle of “excluding the poor” is central to any
pro-profit private sector control of water supply, it stated. The statement
said the meeting also registered its disapproval at the campaign of
misinformation that is being carried out by pro-privatisation interests.
It cited
the peddling of the false notion that the foreign monopolies were coming into
the water sector as investors, despite the fact that the business framework
requires only the government of Ghana to underwrite any investments from loans
guaranteed by the government and which will have to be repaid by Ghanaians.
It said the
meeting acknowledged the need for urgent restructuring of water delivery
systems and indeed the entire water sector to ensure that good drinking water
reaches the homes of people in the most equitable and least expensive manner.
“The question is, therefore, not about the urgent need for radical reforms but
whether the narrow water privatization agenda that is being falsely promoted as
the only possible path of reform can be an optimal solution for the majority of
Ghanaians,” it asked.
It said the
meeting tasked the National Coordinating Committee to take immediate steps to
re-present the views of the NCAP to the government, Parliament and the Council
of State to assist these authoritative bodies in their responsibility to
reconsider the proposed water privatization.
It noted
that water is basic to life and is without any alternative. “We request the
government not to fast-rack a deal on water that can have disastrous economic,
social, civil and humanitarian consequences for the country,” it stressed,
adding that “the people of Ghana deserve to be allowed to make full input into
the future of their public water systems.” – Daily Graphic
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 13 February 2002 - The President, Mr J.A. Kufuor, has expressed
deep sorrow about the death of Dr (Mrs) Esther Ocloo, a distinguished Ghanaian
industrialist and gender advocate, at the 37 Military Hospital.
In a
message of condolence from the Ministry of Information and Presidential Affairs
on behalf of government to the bereaved family, the President noted that Dr
Ocloo was in all respects a trailblazer, role model and personified the
Ghanaian dream. It said from humble beginnings, she became the first
industrialist to establish a food processing and preservation factory, Nkulenu
Industries, in Ghana in 1942.
It sad the
fact that the industry still operates is a testimony to her hard work and
perseverance. “Her commitment and contribution to the private sector,
especially the development of the indigenous entrepreneurial base of the
country, was evidenced by her pioneering role in the establishment of Ghana
Manufactures, later the Association of Ghana Industries of which she became the
first President in 1957 and served as President again in 1973,” it stressed.
The
statement said the late Dr Ocloo will forever be remembered for her selfless
and genuine advocacy role and her devotion to the cause of the advancement and
empowerment, especially of women, both nationally and internationally. It said
it was in recognition of her immense contributions to the socio-economic
development of Ghana that she was awarded a Grand Medal for Meritorious
Services by the government in 1969.
“The late
Dr Ocloo indeed led a full and fulfilling life and has left golden footprints
in the sands of time,” it said, adding that “Ghana and humanity are the poorer
for her demise.” – Daily Graphic.
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 13 February 2002 - The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has
been slapped with a bill of ˘20.2 million for telephone calls made from the
residence of the Chief Executive in just four months. The obviously high bill
is causing embarrassment to the Assembly with the Metropolitan Coordinating
Director, Isaac Adjovu, calling for an investigation.
Adjovu’s
demand for investigation follows denial by the Chief Executive, Solomon Ofei
Darko, that most of the calls emanated from his household. Darko who vehemently
denied knowledge about the numbers that appeared on the bills, in an interview
with the Statesman on Tuesday, said he has commenced personal investigation
into the bill scandal. “Somebody is playing a funny trick on my phone,” he
complained.
According
to the Chief Executive, he knows all the international numbers shown on the
itemized bills. The foreign calls, which took a greater chunk of the bills,
were made to the United Kingdom, United States, Senegal and Canada. But of all
the numbers, phone number 447904922097, which The Statesman learnt is a London
mobile phone number was particularly striking as it appeared on the November
bill 49 times, consuming ˘5.1 million, that is an average of two a day.
The same
scenario is repeated in the January bill with the same number appearing 31
times. There was a consistent call to the number from January 1 to January 8
registering 29 calls within the eight days that is an average of 4 1/2 calls
per day. For instance, the trends of calls show that on 1st, 3rd,
5th and 8th January, five calls each were made to the
number.
However,
when The Statesman attempted calling the number to verify the identity of the
caller, the call could not get through, raising suspicion that the owner of the
phone had put it off.
Investigation
conducted by the Statesman into the AMA’s payments of its Chief Executive residence
phone bills revealed that as at July 2001, before Darko took occupancy of the
residency, the Assembly had settled all phone bills leaving a balance of
˘14,475 cedis with Ghana Telecom.
However,
things started taking a new turn when the new Chief Executive moved into the
residence in the middle of September, with the bill rising to ˘546,442. In
October, the AMA was billed ˘6.42 million but suddenly rose to ˘12.93 million
in November. This jumped to ˘20.72 million cedis in December.
However,
the Assembly paid ˘2.77 million in January. The bill shot up to ˘20.3 million
when the January bill was added. Prior to the bill scandal, the highest the
previous Chief Executive, Samuel Addokwei Addo, had consumed was ˘1.36 million
and that was in October 1999.
This
excessive use of the phone prompted the Chief Estate Officer’s comments that
the MCE should be prevailed upon to use his duty post facility judiciously to
avoid auditors queries. But Darko denied that none of the questionable calls
was from him, stating that he was ready to pursue the matter to any length.
The
Statesman investigation at Ghana Telecom, however, revealed that the Assembly
has not made any formal complaint.
Ghana
Telecom sources said until a formal complaint is made, nothing could be done.
They insisted the calls were initiated from the residence of the AMA boss. -
The Statesman.
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 13 February 2002 - As the Government of Ghana continues its
negotiation with VALCO Aluminium, its parent company, Houston-based Kaiser
Aluminium Corp filed for protection from its creditors under Chapter 11 of the
federal bankruptcy laws on Tuesday, blaming a weakened economy, depressed
prices and asbestos litigation.
Minister of
Information, Mr Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, however, told Chronicle that he had
received assurances that the bankruptcy filing would not affect Ghana’s
operations. “There is no danger to VALCO, it is a viable company” he said. The
Houston-based producer of alumina, primary aluminium and fabricated products is
expected to continue general operations, as it restructures.
The
resident Director, Mr Charles Mensah, and Managing Director, Mr Ron Helton did
the rounds on Tuesday within Government circles – The Ministry of Energy and
Volta River Authority (VRA) reassuring them. They indicated that VALCO
will
continue to produce and pay for its operations.
Kaiser and
its wholly owned subsidiary Kaiser Aluminium & Chemical Corp, each filed
Bankruptcy petitions in a Delaware federal court. Kaiser said it has been
facing significant debt payment deadlines at a time of unusually weak aluminium
industry business conditions. Kaiser also cited the economic slowdown that was
further exacerbated by the September 11 attacks.
In
addition, the company has become increasingly burdened by asbestos litigation
and growing obligation for retiree medical and pension costs. The company said
the combination of factors has created the prospect of continued operating
losses and negative cash flow, resulting in lower credit ratings and an
inability to access the capital markets.
“The
decision to seek protection under Chapter 11 will provide Kaiser with the
opportunity to reorganize its financial structure and implement a strategic
plan to return to sustained profitability,” said Jack A. Hockema, President and
Chief Executive.
“The
reorganization process will also allow the company to expand on and quicken the
pace of its operational improvements.”
Kaiser
produces a wide range of materials such as bauxite, alumina and aluminium as
well as finished products for the aerospace, ground transportation, and
industrial markets. Its operations in certain parts of the world had Chinese
walls around them, like the extrusion plant in Ontario, Canada, Kaiser Jamaica
Bauxite, which it owns 49 per cent, Quai and its Angolan operations. – The
Chronicle.
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Accra
(Eastern Region) 13 February 2002 – The Eastern Regional Minister, Dr Francis
Osafo-Mensah, has refuted charges that the NPP government has worsened the woes
of the nation. “They say there is no money in the system. There is plenty money
in the system, only that we are not allowing them to steal or get ‘awoof’ money
so they say there is no money in the system.” He explained.
The
Regional Minister said this at the presentation of certificates to 194 polling
agents from 92 polling stations at Mpraeso over the weekend. Some of these
polling agents were seriously beaten, while others were prevented from manning
their stations during the 2000 elections. Others too sustained knife injuries
in some villages in the Mpraeso constituency.
The
Minister attributed part of the party’s victory in the election to the
disciplined and dedicated polling agents who prevented any rigging or cheating
in the elections. Dr Osafo-Mensah said democracy has been the watchword of the
Danquah-Busia tradition hence advising the NPP to continue with it, which the
people are now enjoying greatly.
He said the
prior objective of the government is to revive the dying economy which is
improving steadily and urged the general public to drum home the good policies
of the government to their follow brothers and sisters in their catchment area.
He advised the women to take up commercial activities in order to assist their
husbands financially to play their responsible roles effectively. – The
Ghanaian Chronicle
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