GRi in Court Ghana 30 - 01 - 2001
Amidu sues Kufuor
over appointments of three presidential staffers
Student pastor remanded
in custody
Amidu sues Kufuor
over appointments of three presidential staffers
Accra (Greater Accra) 30 January
2001
Mr Martin Amidu, former Deputy
Attorney-General and Deputy Minister of Justice on Monday filed a writ at the
Supreme Court against President John Agyekum Kufuor for appointing three people
as staff of the presidential office without consultation with the Council of State.
It said President Kufuor's
appointments of Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey as Chief of Staff, Ms Elizabeth Ohene
as Presidential Adviser for Public Affairs and General Joshua Hamidu as
National Security Adviser contradict Articles 58, 91) 190 and 295 and the
Presidential Office Act, 1993 (Act 463).
Also cited in the writ is the
Attorney General.
In the writ Mr Amidu, who was NDC
presidential running mate in election 2000, said the three people "cannot
be appointed by the President as staff of the Presidential Office without
consultation with the Council of State."
He said: 'The conduct of President
John Agyekum Kufuor in appointing (them) as staff of the presidential office
without consultation with the Council of State is inconsistent with and in
contravention of the letter and spirit of the constitution."
The former deputy Attorney-general
said the conduct of the defendants is intentional and wilful as they know that
President Kufuor has failed or refused to appoint a council of state as required
by the constitution and cannot therefore consult it.
Mr Amidu said the conduct of the
three appointees in holding themselves out and acting as officers or staff of
the Office of President is inconsistent with and in contravention of the
constitution.
"By virtue of the conduct of
the defendants, state resources are being misappropriated and misapplied by the
defendants without any constitutional authority whatsoever.
"Accordingly, all acts
undertaken by (the defendants) as officers or staff in the office of the
president are inconsistent with and in contravention of the constitution, null,
void and without effect whatsoever."
Mr Amidu asked for perpetual
injunction restraining President Kufuor from appointing the three defendants as
staff without consulting the Council of State.
He is also asking for a perpetual
injunction restraining the defendants from continuing to hold themselves out
and acting as officers or staff of the office of the President.
GRi…/
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Student pastor
remanded in custody
Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 30 January
2001
An Ashanti New Town family
tribunal, chaired by Mr S.K. Asiedu, last Friday remanded Kwabena Mensah, a
student pastor of the Blood of Jesus Church at Tafo, Kumasi, in prison custody
for a week for failing to appear before it.
Mensah will re-appear on February
2 to answer charges of refusing to accept responsibility for impregnating a
27-year-old woman, Amma Serwaah.
Madam Akua Konadu, a citizen of
Kwapra, near Kumasi, in a writ, alleged that Mensah lured her daughter,
Serwaah, to worship with him in his church and their relationship resulted in a
pregnancy.
But when Mensah was contacted, he
denied being responsible and a report was made to the Police Women and
Juveniles Unit (WAJU) in Kumasi.
The WAJU referred the case to the
tribunal, which served Mensah with a summons but he failed to appear before it.
A bench warrant was therefore
issued for his arrest and he was remanded in custody when he appeared before
the tribunal.
GRi…/
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