Files burnt at Finance
NPP gives Rawlings 5 houses
Re-locate Rawlings, Konadu- for the sake of National security
Akwasi Agyeman relieases vehicles
Why CEPS boss was sacked
Amidu takes Electoral Commission to task
Return diplomatic passports
Rawlings’ UN job under threat
Minority Leader wants re-valuation of cars
The corruption report J.J. didn’t want to release
Files burnt at Finance
The Evening News reports that the revelation that the national coffers are completely empty has set tongues wagging at the Ministry of Finance, the official government outfit for disbursement of funds.
Whereas some senior and junior staff at the Ministry contend that the former Ministers colluded with some directors to effect highly frivolous transactions in the closing stages of the past government, the acting chief director, Major Mahama Tara says no such thing has taken place.
The staff said between December 7 and 28 a special public account with the ECOBANK which at the time stood at ¢46 billion was rapidly drawn for various transactions and reduced to a mere ¢6 billion.
They also alleged that besides the fleet of cars at the disposal of Ministers, Mr Victor Selormey, Deputy Minister of Finance and Mr J.H. Owusu-Acheampong, Minister of Agriculture demanded and caused to be purchased 4x4 Land Cruiser worth ¢280 million each for their role in successfully securing 60 million dollars from donor agencies for the Village Infrastructure Project (VIP) of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
Mr Selormey in particular is said to have sent officers to the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) where the $60 million was lodged to ask them to pay for the vehicles.
Determined to exonerate themselves from what they see as an abuse of the system, some of the staff sought to speak out at a meeting between the transitional team and the directors and other officials of the Ministry but they were prevented from doing so late last week.
Stared in the face by an imminent NPP victory some of the directors were said to have embarked on a spree to burn files at night and at weekends to remove all traces of some transactions that had no sound economic basis or parliamentary approval.
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Ex-officials asked to declare assets
The Auditor General’s Department has said Assets Declaration forms have been issued to all the incoming and former Public Officials to fill and submit as demanded by the Constitution.
However, the submission of the forms is trickling in at a slow pace not as expected, according to The Evening News.
A source at the Auditor-General’s Office disclosed to the paper that all the 200 MP’s including the out-going, as well as the former Ministers of State have been issued with the Assets Declaration forms which some have responded to while others are in the process of submitting them.
According to the source, every officer is given 6 months to return the forms, and quoted Article 287 clause I of the Constitution which states “An allegation that a Public Officer has contravened or has not compiled with a provision of this chapter shall be made to the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice and to the Chief Justice who will in turn investigate the matter”.
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NPP gives Rawlings 5 houses
The transitional team of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) agreed to hand over five state houses to former President Jerry John Rawlings for his use, according to a front-page story in The Insight.
An agreement signed for the NPP by Professor Fred T. Sai and Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, said the houses will be used as residence, office, gust house and quarters for security detail.
The agreement was counter signed by Kofi Totobi Quarkyi, former Minister for National Security and Nana Ato Dadzie, former Chief of Staff at the office of the President.
The agreement states that the President and his family will stay on a state property at 6th Avenue, Ridge, which is currently assigned to the First Lady.
In addition, the building next to the former First Lady's residence, Number 5 Liberation Road would be converted as offices for Mr. Rawlings.
Two empty bungalows, sharing a wall with bungalow number 30, 6th Avenue, Ridge are to be reliabilitated and set aside for the use of security personnel and staff to be assigned to the former First Family.
The transitional team also agreed to make another bungalow available for the use of the former President.
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Re-locate Rawlings, Konadu- for the sake of National security
The Guide says intelligence reports reaching it have hinted and cautioned the Kufuor administration to relocate the Ex-President Rawlings and his family from their present abode on grounds of national security.
Highly placed sources told the Guide that the abode of ex-president Rawlings is very strategic to the security of the government, particularly going by the record of ex-president Rawlings.
'He is just about three minutes drive to the Parliament House, just about five minutes drive to the Castle, the seat of government, and again less than 10 minutes drive from GBC', the intelligence officer said.
Additionally, the source said, Konadu Agyeman Rawlings has lived in that particular house since the past 20 years, and all this while, personnel of the 64 battallion had guarded not only the ex-first lady but equally the house in which she lives.
The intelligence officer who was very much worried about the security of the state and President J.A. Kufuor himself called for immediate re-location of the ex-first family.
The source said that a few days before the handover, a number of arms were allegedly moved from the Castle, ostensibly to the Burma Camp. However intelligence officers are suspicious of some possible diversions to the home of the Rawlingses.
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Akwasi Agyeman relieases vehicles
Nana Akwasi Agyeman, the ex-Chief Executive of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), has surrendered the two government vehicles, which were in his care, The Ghanaian Times reports.
The vehicles, a Toyota Land Cruiser, GR 3298 N, and a Volvo saloon car, were driven from his residence at 1 pm yesterday. "I rang the KMA Co-ordinating Director to send drivers down for the vehicles", he said.
Nana Akwasi Agyeman was last Friday, given a 24-hour ultimatum by Mr Samuel Nuamah-Donkor, acting Metropolitan Chief Executive, to return all government property in his care or face police action.
Speaking to The Times in an interview, the ex-Chief Executive said that he had no intention of keeping any property belonging to the state.
"I established myself a long time ago before taking over as KMA boss, and I did not go there to scramble for anything, as I was a worthy man," he said.
Nana Akwasi Agyeman explained that Mr. Nuamah-Donkor, some time in November last year, requested him to release the Mitsubishi Pick-up and wondered why he should demand the same vehicle again.
Asked about the office keys, which were still in his possession, he said that he had informed the Co-ordinating Director that "anytime he (director) is ready he should contact me so that an inventory would be taken and the keys handed over".
Expressing shock and disbelief at the ultimatum, Nana Akwasi Agyeman said "I gave him all the due respect and assistance during his tenure of office but now he has turned his tail against me."
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Why CEPS boss was sacked
The seemingly saintly track record of the Commissioner of the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service, Nii Okine Adjei, has finally fallen apart like a pack of cards, according to the Free Press.
As at press time on Monday, January 22, an order that emanated from the office of the president had pushed him out of office. Indications are that Nii Okine Adjei has been dismissed as the Commissioner of CEPS. Besides, he has ceased to be a member of the National Security Council.
The Free Press investigations show that the CEPS Boss who is currently under probe by the Serious Fraud Office has reportedly misconducted himself in his official capacity as the CEPS Commissioner.
All other factors aside, Nii Okine Adjei demonstrated open bias in favour of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the pursuit of his duties. This factor, however, is the tip of the iceberg.
The Free Press reporter is said to have stumbled over a document which spelt out the vital role that Nii Okine Adjei allegedly played in the intimidation and harassment of voters during the run-off to the presidential elections on December 28.
The document, prepared and issued by a section of the Officers of CEPS also contained evidence that after the imminent about-turn, Nii Okine Adjei offered ¢300 million to the leadership of the NPP after the realization had dawned on him that his pet party, the National Democratic Congress, could not win the elections.
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Amidu takes Electoral Commission to task
The former deputy Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, Mr Martin A.B.K. Amidu, has urged the Electoral Commissioner, Dr Kwadwo Afari Gyan, to take immediate steps to reverse his retroactive dating of the Ghana Gazette numbers one and two on the recent presidential and parliamentary elections, the Daily Graphic reports.
In a letter to the Commissioner dated January 22, 2001, Mr Amidu, who was also the presidential running-mate of the NDC, noted that the country’s Constitution frowns upon retroactive legislation that adversely affects the rights of citizens and can, therefore, not sanction any retrospective Gazette notification that affects, abridges or interferes with the right of citizens.
Mr Amidu has, therefore, threatened to take whatever steps he deem necessary to defend the Constitution, of Ghana without further reference to Mr Afari Gyan, if he fails to reverse his action.
Giving the background to his letter, Mr Amidu said in view of the fact that the date of Gazette notification of the two elections has both constitutional and legal consequences for the validation of the electoral process, he has since December 11, 2000, been monitoring the date for the publication of the Gazette for both the December 7 general elections and the December 28 presidential run-off.
The former deputy Attorney-General said at the time he left office on January 7, 2001, no Gazette in respect of the election had been published.
However, after leaving office, he continued to pursue the matter of the publication of the Gazette in respect of the two elections leading to his inquiries on Monday January 9, 2001, about the printing and publication of the election Gazette.
“I was authoritatively informed that the proofs of the Gazette had been returned to you for correction but you had not returned them to the publishers,” the letter said.
He said further inquiries showed that corrections had been finalised by January 15, 2001 and printing completed that evening for which it was published on January 16, timely enough for copies to be available, should the Supreme Court require one in the application for certiorari that morning by Hawa Yakubu.
He said he was therefore surprised when on Tuesday January 16, 2001 he obtained a copy of the Ghana Gazette number one to find that it had been dated January 5, 2001 as date of publication.
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Return diplomatic passports
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that all diplomatic and service passports issued to former ministers, deputy ministers and functionaries prior to Sunday, January 7 this year and no more valid.
A statement signed by Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, Representative of the President at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs published by the Graphic, said such passports ceased to be valid from January 7, 2001.
The statement requested holders of such passports to surrender them to the Chief Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs not later than Wednesday January 31, 2001.
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Rawlings’ UN job under threat
The United Nations, according to The Ghanaian Chronicle, has come under fire from senior Ghanaian academics for its appointment of ex-president Rawlings to the humanitarian rule of Eminent Person for the International year of Volunteers (IYV 2001).
It is claimed that Rawlings will be “an embarrassment to the international community” as his questionable human rights record would appear to make him unqualified for such a role.
What is more, the UN has created a potentially explosive partnership in the appointment of other eminent persons, the Crown Prince Philip of Spain and the highly successful British businesswomen and renowned human and civil rights campaigner, Anta Roddick, to work alongside Rawlings.
The paper said it was currently awaiting a statement from Anita Roddick concerning Rawlings, whose human rights record is questionable.
But in a letter to the then President Rawlings, dated 30 November 2000, UN Secretary General and fellow Ghanaian Kofi Annan, invited him to accept the role saying that IYV 2001 will: “give us the opportunity to celebrate the countless people in the world who give of themselves to bring about positive change in the life of others.”
He went on to say “Your example, as a leader on the African continent in support of international solidarity, is an inspiration to many.”
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Minority Leader wants re-valuation of cars
The Minority Leader in Parliament, Mr Alban Bagbin has intimated that if the price value of the cars acquired by former ministers and government appointees is causing a stir, then cars should be revalued.
Speaking in an interview with the Chronicle, he said if that is what would set the minds of the public, who have descended hard on the former government and its ministers to rest, it should be done.
Bagbin however, pointed out that the cars need not be physically returned for the revaluation as is being suggested because they might not be in the same conditions as when they were sold out.
According to him, since the valuer has the relevant records of the cars he could be ordered to revalue them using the information in his possession and the findings communicated to the ministers and the appointees concerned to correct any discrepancies.
About 120 former Ministers and appointees benefited. The cars, which include Mercedes Benz, VW Passat, Toyota Crown, Mitshibishi Gallat, Proton, and Niva, models were manufactured or bought between 1996 to 2000.
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The corruption report J.J. didn’t want to release
The Dispatch says a 1999 report prepared at the request of then President Jerry Rawlings with assistance from the World Bank had been shelved ever since it was made ready in the first week of September with the then President showing no interest in its publication.
The paper, which laid access to a copy from which it published excerpts, was asked to suspend the publication pending the President’s comments and official release.
The report which, would finally be launched on January 29, contained that a high majority of Ghanaians (about 75 per cent of households, with an urban-rural distribution of 76 per cent and 70 per cent respectively) see corruption as a serious problem in Ghana today, while sixty-one percent of household agree that it has become worse now than it was three years ago.
An overwhelming percentage of public officials (82 per cent) see corruption in government as more prevalent today than three years ago.
Corruption, the report said, is major problem in both public and private sectors, but households see the public sector (86 per cent) as relatively more corrupt than the private sector (59 per cent).
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