Boeing offers lifeline to Ghanair
Ghana won’t get anywhere with IMF, World Bank
on our backs - Kofi Wayo
Legon recruits retired lecturers
The
University of Ghana, Legon, has resorted to the reengagement of retired
lecturers as a result of the critical shortage of lecturers at the university. Vice-Chancellor,
Professor Ivan Addae-Mensah, who disclosed this in an interview, said but for
the services of the ageing lecturers, most departments of the university would
have been closed down.
He was speaking to the Graphic after an award
ceremony for 19 senior staff who are proceeding on retirement after serving the
university in various capacities, with some serving up to 38 years.
Prof Addae-Mensah said due to the
unsatisfactory service conditions, the university is unable to attract young
lecturers to take up appointments and called for immediate steps to reverse the
trend.
He expressed concern about the rate at which
quality and experienced lecturers are either retiring or leaving the field
without impacting their rich experience to the young ones. “For every lecturer
who retires, there should be at least two new ones to fill the vacancy due to
the increasing number of students, but the opposite is rather the case, which
is detrimental to quality education that we all yearn for,” the vice-Chancellor
noted.
On the issue of lecturers retiring at the age
of 60, he said that is a constitutional matter, but added that the University
Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has taken it up with the government.
Prof. Addae-Mensah had earlier at the ceremony,
commended the retirees for their long and meritorious services to the
university community and the nation as a whole.
The Chancellor of the university, Nana Wereko
Ampem II, announced that the authorities are working out modalities to make it
possible for senior members to go on retirement with valuable packages.
He thanked them for their hard work and
perseverance, especially during the turbulent times during which there was mass
exodus, and said their selflessness has enhanced the excellent academic
reputation the university enjoys worldwide. He appealed to the lecturers not to
see their retirement as a disengagement with the university, adding that their
services will be needed.
A representative of the retirees, Prof S.N.
Woode, expressed their gratitude to the authorities for the honour done them.
He said the successes they have chalked over the years have been possible due
to the enabling environment and the cordial relations they have enjoyed at the
university.
Some of the longest serving retirees are Mrs
Elizabeth Ziddah-Sawyer, who taught at the Faculty of Agriculture for 38 years;
Prof S.W. Woode, 32 years at the School of Administration; Prof A.B.N. Boaten
also taught African Studies for 32 years while Prof J.W. Oteng was a Senior
Research Officer at the Agriculture Department for 31 years.
Others are Prof S.A. Nkrumah, 31 years at
Shandorf School of Administration; Prof E.A. Ardayfio-Schandorf, 21 years at
the Geography Department, and Prof J.S. Nabila also at the Geography Department
for 23 years.
For their prizes, a professor took home a
refrigerator, an assistant professor took a colour television, a senior
lecturer took home a radio cassette recorder and a standing fan while a
lecturer took home a radio cassette recorder. All retirees were given a
certificate and an undisclosed amount of money.
More…/
The Attorney General’s Department (A-G) is to
embark on a recruitment exercise this year to employ 110 seasoned lawyers to
assist in the dispensation of justice throughout the country.
The department has also made a budgetary
requirement that will make it possible for the offices of state attorneys
throughout the country to be fully furnished and provided with enhanced
conditions of service, as well as necessary equipment that will make the
attorneys make the attorneys more efficient in the dispensation of justice in
the country.
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Attorney General
and Minister of Justice, announced this in Kumasi on Monday during a meeting
with state attorneys in the northern sector. He said apart from the office
equipment, the state attorneys will also be provided with transport,
residential accommodation, and other facilities that will motivate them to
offer their best for the country.
He expressed concern about the slow pace of the
dispensation of justice in the country and said such actions lead to the
breakdown of the rule of law. Nana Akufo-Addo said the prime responsibility of
the government is to be the champion of the rule of law and nothing will be
left to chance to realize this noble objective.
Nana Akufo-Addo pointed out that there is no
way that the country could be effectively developed if there is total breakdown
of law and order and said it is to avoid such actions that all regional and
district offices of the state attorneys are being developed.
He noted that the eyes of the world are on the
A-G Department and urged the state attorneys to be up and doing to win the
confidence of the people.
In his welcoming address, the Ashanti Regional
Ministers, Mr S.K. Boafo, noted that the government does not only believe in
the rule of law in the administration and development of the country. He said
as the Judiciary is paramount for the survival of the country’s young
democracy, there is the need to build its capacity.
He said it is because people are expressing
their dissatisfaction at the slow pace of proceedings at the traditional courts
that a fast track court has been established in Accra. He, therefore, appealed
to the Attorney-General to establish similar courts in all the regional
capitals and districts “to deal with cases involving hardened criminals and
armed robbery, which are on the increase of late.”
Mr Boafo said he has already contacted his
district chief executives to make adequate budgetary allocations in their
estimates to support the Judiciary in their respective districts to enable
people to have access to the courts for the efficient dispensation of justice.
More…/
The General Secretary of the New Patriotic
Party (NPP), Mr Dan Botwe, has said the party is determined to capture the
Bimbilla seat from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the forthcoming
parliamentary bye-election.
In this direction, Mr Botwe said, leading
functionaries of the party have undertaken a three-day working visit to the
Bimbilla and Wulensi constituencies where they organised a refresher course for
NPP polling agents.
“We are working round the clock to reverse the
loss that the NPP suffered at the hands of the NDC in the last parliamentary
polls,” he said. Mr Botwe was interacting with media personnel at Tamale to
brief them on preparations that the NPP is making to win the Bimbilla
parliamentary bye-election.
He said even though Dr Chambas, who is the
Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, has not yet written to Parliament to
resign his post, “I think it is necessary we act quickly to win the seat
immediately the seat becomes vacant.”
On the issue of the Kufuor administration
claiming credit for Dr Chambas’ new position as ECOWAS Executive Secretary, Mr
Botwe said it is obvious that President Kufuor was instrumental in his approval
as the new manager of the West African sub-region. “There were a number of
occasions the President traveled with Dr Cambas to lobby for him the high
office of ECOWAS Executive Secretary,” he said.
Mr Botwe reiterated government’s commitment to
support Ghanaians of proven integrity to occupy positions of trust on the
international scene. Commenting on the relationship between the various
political parties in the Bimbilla Constituency, the NPP General Secretary
described the atmosphere as cordial and said he was given a warm reception by
functionaries of the NDC and the Convention People’s Party (CPP) when he
visited the area.
He said the government is aware of the poor
nature of roads in the area and will make funds available for their
rehabilitation before the end of its term.
More…/
Fire swept through the premises of Spirit FM, a
local radio station in Kumasi, on Sunday night. The fire, which started whiles
the station was live on air, was said to have started in the production studio,
and later swept through the main studio, newsroom, transmitter room and
conference room.
Almost every equipment, at the station was
burnt to ashes including the control board, audio vault and compact disc (CD).
The only equipment, which was not destroyed by the fire was the transmitter.
One of the technicians of the station said in
an interview that he was in the transmitter room when he heard a blast from the
production studio. He said he quickly called one of the presenters who was with
him on duty but did not get any response.
He said he quickly rushed out of the room only
to realize that smoke had engulfed the whole building, trapping him inside. He
said he managed to escape from the building and headed to the café to call the
Fire Service, but unfortunately, the telephone lines were down due to the fire.
The technician said coincidentally, he and some
other colleagues saw a fire tender in front of the station dropping some fire
service men after work and quickly rushed to the scene to call for help.
According to him, when the Fire Service men
arrived at the scene, the fire had engulfed the whole of the first floor but
they managed to bring it under control till other tenders arrived some minutes
after to help put out the fire.
The cause of the fire is yet to be determined
but Fire Service personnel indicated that they suspect it might have been an
electrical fault.
The cost of the damage is yet to be assessed
but the General Manager Mr Kwadwo Arkaah Kwarteng, said he is optimistic that
the station will soon be back on air as they are bringing in new equipment.
GRi…/
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Boeing offers lifeline to Ghanair
Boeing Africa, a subsidiary of the giant Boeing
Corporation based in the United States, has indicated its intention to assist
Ghana Airways, the national carrier, to revive its operations and stay on
course in the airline business.
Boeing noted that Ghana Airways, which already
has a reputable image, has several advantages over other airlines in the West
Africa sub-region, which if effectively explored, could put the national
carrier in a very good light to chalk successes.
What is left to be done is for Ghana Airways to
be given a little push to enable it to over-come its present operational
problems and deliver as expected of it on all its numerous routes. Boeing could
assist it to acquire new equipment and help in the retraining of the Ghana
Airways staff.
The president of Boeing Africa, Dr Walt
Braithwaite, expressed these sentiments in an interview with newsmen after he
led a three-member delegation to call on President John Kufuor at the Castle,
Osu, in Accra on Monday.
The visit of the Boeing delegation had come at
an opportune time when Ghana Airways is in the news of facing a possible
collapse having been saddled with a whopping debt of $150 million, with the
possible attendant loss of 1,400 jobs, if an urgent solution was not found to
bail the airline out of its present predicament.
Airline analysts believe that a swift
government intervention with a well packaged strategy remained the only means
now available to save the national carrier from total collapse and bankruptcy.
Dr Braithwaite noted that Ghana Airways had a
comparative advantage over other airlines in that it was the only national
carrier operating effectively to Europe, the United States and other parts of
Africa.
What remained to be done now was for Ghana
Airways to acquire proper equipment to take advantage of the several routes it
was operating. Dr Braithwaite pointed out that other airlines also operating
along the same routes may be in competition with Ghana Airways because they had
acquired good equipment to beef up their operations.
The Boeing Africa boss said besides, Ghana
Airways had attained Category One status which granted it permission and the
right to fly directly to the United States, an opportunity which most African
airlines do not enjoy.
He said that because of the many markets and
routes, which Ghana Airways has over other airlines, many people from the
sub-region travel to Accra to catch a flight on the national carrier to the
major destinations.
He said the airline would only have to work
hard to succeed to give impetus to the government's Golden Age of Business
philosophy. He said, since Boeing was already in the airline business, it would
bring its experience to bear on Ghana Airways by helping the airline to go for
the right equipment.
It will also aid to adequately train its human
resource and equip them with the rudiments of modern airline techniques. Dr.
Braithwaite said Boeing was willing to work with the Ghana Airways management
to achieve the best of results, once offered the chance to come in and assist.
The Boeing Africa boss said he also briefed
President Kufuor on an airline convention adopted in Durban, South Africa last
year after a meeting of 86 countries in Cape Town.
He said the convention defined a set of rules
for access to base financing for the acquisition of airline equipment by
signatories of the convention, which would enable African countries especially
to have access to low cost financing of airline equipment.
Dr Braithwaite therefore appealed to African
countries present at the meeting to sign the convention in order to benefit
from the airline equipment financial package.
Among the Boeing delegation were Mr Thomas A. Frisey, Resident Executive
Director and Ms Pearl Darko, Director, Socio-Economic Affairs, both of Boeing
Africa.
More…/
Former German trainer of the Black Stars,
Burkhard Ziese, has lampooned Coach Fred Osam Duodu for what he perceived as
the Ghanaian coach's inefficiency in taking control of affairs in the team's
camp in Mali.
The German also took strong exceptions to an
interview Coach Osam Duodu was alleged to have granted a foreign media prior to
the Nations Cup that he deserved to be paid as a white coach.
This pronouncement was purely racist and beats
one's imagination as to why Osam should even mention the white man at all.
Couldn't he have made those demands before the tournament?" Burkhard Ziese
quizzed. Coach Osam Duodu has since denied granting any interview relating to
his emolument.
The ex-Black Stars' expatriate trainer made
these remarks in a telephone chat with the 'Times Sports' over the weekend. He
also relayed a goodwill message to the national team in Mali as they get set
for a crucial game against Burkina Faso in Mopti on Wednesday.
Anything short of victory may spell the doom of
the four-time Ghanaian African Champions whose outing at the 1998 Nations Cup
was a first round exit. The Stallions of Burkina Faso are perilously trailing
in Group 'B' with only a point from two games while Ghana and South Africa are
on two points apiece; and the same number of points adrift leaders, Morocco.
Such a murky situation has pushed the Stars to
a must-win edge to guarantee a quarterfinal berth - and that's Herculean. Speaking
from his Germany - base on Monday, Coach Ziese, the man who guided the Stars to
qualify for the Senegal '92 tournament after almost a decade in the
'wilderness', however, believes Ghana will scale through if they adopt the
right approach.
When asked about the kind of approach Ghana
must adopt to scale the Burkinabe threat, he remained evasive. "I am not
in the driving seat at the moment so it's difficult for me to really talk about
game plan."
"But since you mentioned approach it only
meant that you would have loved it if the Stars adopted a particular
strategy", was a subsequent 'Times Sports' question. To this, Burkhard
Ziese managed to squeeze out another subtle response: "I would have
changed the face of the team and made them more attacking-conscious".
"But more importantly, I wish the Stars
well and pray they play well above themselves tomorrow in order to secure one
of the two quarterfinal tickets in the group", he hoped. On the
performance of the Stars, Coach Ziese asserted that: "The team is not
playing to expectation because their preparation was not complete."
He recalled an assurance given by Coach Osam
Duodu to the effect that the Stars will be playing between 15 to 18 trial
matches before Mali 2002 in order to make them tournament-ready, "but he
was not able to do that".
Burkhard Ziese expressed shock at the decision
by Osam Duodu to expel Stars' deputy skipper Samuel Osei Kuffour on grounds of
indiscipline. "It's really amazing but we have not known this trait",
he noted, adding that even if the entire Stars team were indisciplined, it
rests on the Coach to find a way of weaving around it."
The German trainer who is also famed in
Ghanaian soccer circles for his 'no-nonsense' character, urged all to rally
behind the Stars, in spite of whatever reservations they may have harbored for
the team."
GRi…/
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Ghana won’t get anywhere with IMF, World Bank
on our backs - Kofi Wayo
Mr Charles Kofi Wayo, a leading member of the
ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), has warned that the nation’s economic
resuscitation crusade by the government would forever remain an elusive dream
should the government continue to rely on the World Bank and the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) to move this nation from the economic mess that it has
found itself.
“If this is what government would continue to
do, by depending on these international bodies for the solutions of the
economic mess that this nation has been plunged into the past government, then
we are not getting anywhere, then we voted for nothing,” he warned.
Wayo, who prefers to be called ‘Nima Boy’,
explained that the World Bank and IMF have no solutions to this nation’s
economic predicaments but are rather interested in exploiting the countries
that depend on them for survival.
“If we think that it is the World Bank or IMF
and other donor agents who are going to change the destiny of Ghana, then we
are joking,” he reiterated, adding that so far one year has come and gone there
is nothing to show about improvement of the life of our people.
“We cannot pretend that all is now well with
our people and go to sleep,” he said, adding it was time the people in
authority realised that Ghanaians are no longer going to entertain any
unnecessary excuses.
Wayo, who was speaking at a public forum
organised at Nima in Accra, last Saturday, also announced a ¢100 million
endowment package to be disbursed to small-scale women entrepreneurs in his
constituency.
Wayo, aka Chuck, also accused the government of
ignoring good proposals he made to help salvage the nation’s energy sector
crisis. “What people seem to have forgotten is that time is not on our side.
All those who can help in their small way should be given the chance to prove
themselves.”
He revealed that after the elections he thought
that he was going to be put in the energy sector to prove his mettle and save
Ghana from the looming energy problems. He has, therefore, thrown a challenge
to the government to give him the chance to prove to the world that Ghanaians
have the capability to solve their own problems.
“If I had been put at the energy sector I would
have brought electricity bills down to 47 per cent to reduce the higher cost of
electricity in the country and eradicate bottlenecks in our electricity sector
but my own NPP government do not see wisdom in my position and still want our
people to be suffering for nothing,” he barked.
According to Kofi Wayo, people are still unable
to pay school fees of their wards. He therefore appealed to the government to
abolish school fees for children in primary schools to make education
accessible to all.
“Why should a parent who is paid between
¢200,000 and ¢300,000 be made to pay ¢500,000 as school fees per term, where do
you want that person to get money to settle that fees?” he questioned.
“Education should not be the preserve of only
the rich people and any government that would joke with the education of its
people is a criminal government,” he said.
“Nobody should tell me that we did not have
money to educate our people, if you think I am joking take newspaper reports
for one week and add all the financial scandals that are featured in the
papers, and this would tell you that if the government is serious we can get
funds to educate our people,” he added.
“While we are claiming that there is no money
the perpetrators of these acts are still walking all over the place enjoying
their booty at the expense of the nation’s future,” he pointed out.
Wayo also expressed grave concern about the
number of ministers maintained by the government and called for a cut in the
number of ministerial portfolios. “I am still not comfortable that a nation
like Ghana, with a population of 18 million people, can maintain 77 ministers
as against 11 ministers by America with a population of over 200 million
people.
According to Kofi Wayo, the difference between
the NPP and the NDC is that the NPP foundation was built by independent-minded
people where freedom of expression is at its best, but NDC’s foundation was
built on one man and his wife, Mr and Mrs Rawlings, whose absence means the end
of NDC.
He, therefore, cautioned all those who see his
critical position on some of the government’s policies as part of the
fulfilment of the foundations upon which the NPP was built.
“Even if you are my mother and you are misbehaving
or going astray, I believe it is better to tell you the truth even if it is
bitter than to demonstrate sycophancy and hypocrisy and pretend that all is
well,” he declared.
He noted that Ghana had found itself in the
economic mess that we are all witnessing because the leadership of this nation
for some reason, difficult to comprehend, refused to lay their anchor in God
and this has cost us a lot.
More…/
The publisher of the Chronicle Newspapers, Nana
Kofi Coomson, on Monday recalled that ex-President Jerry Rawlings is a clever
manipulative person who clearly understands what he is doing.
He said that he is someone who disregards the
courts and virtually runs commentaries on an ongoing court cases, particularly
those he has interests in.
He said that Jerry Rawlings so recklessly
commented on the criminal libel and also on the seditious libel trials locally
and internationally that, his counsel, Mr Akoto Ampaw, sued for contempt of
court as recently as year 2000, fearing that the powerful former President’s
comments had the potential of prejudicing the direction of the trial and
influencing the judge, Mr Justice Victor Ofoe.
He recalled that at certain stages of the
trial, they brought a television, a video player and recorded tapes of
President Rawlings’ open haranguing against them alleging that the newspaper,
The Free Press, then edited by Mr Eben Quarcoo, and The Chronicle, had falsely
accused his Government and his wife of drug trafficking.
“While the trial was in full swing he
constantly commented on it, passed judgement to the effect that we had made
false allegations against him, thus usurping the power of the judge who alone
could determine the truth or falsity of the allegation.”
Continuing, Kofi Coomson said that at one stage
when they made an application for the termination of the trial on the grounds
of Rawlings’ constant references and comments, the judge, Justice Ofoe,
instructed the then Deputy Attorney General, Mr Martin Amidu, to remind the
President of the concerns of the court.
“Despite this, Jerry Rawlings did not end that
– in the face of the judge’s admonitions – committing what, I believe amounts
to criminal contempt.”
Mr Coomson also recalled the equally serious
comments and judgemental remarks that he made during the A-Life case and
several other cases. Not too long ago, a driver who had even been convicted and
penalized by a court, had his case recalled by the court, tried again and given
the maximum penalty under the law because of comments made by the then
President, he said adding: “That may be double jeopardy, but in his time some
judges paid attention to his whims because the power to make appointments and
promotions rested with him and some of the timorous souls among them did not
want to stand in his way.
Kofi remarked that the late Mr Justice I.K.
Abban was one of the worst offenders because he sought to have Eben Quarcoo
jailed for at least two years at the pleasure of the First family during the
criminal libel trial but he did not have his way because of the courage of the
judge at the time.
“I remember Mr Martin Amidu, literally foaming
at the mouth in anger when the jugde on the case ruled that Eben should go for
30 days or so and also have his days on remand at James Fort deducted from
that.”
Mr Coomson said that he is not surprised that
Mr Rawlings is continuing to kick dust and calling judges, media people names.
“He wants attention, and I believe he will get it because of who he is, though
I wish he wouldn’t.”
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Lotteries
director asked to go
Nine
months after being appointed as the Director of National Lotteries, Mr Emmanuel
Kermah is being asked to go back to where he came from- Customs Excise and
Preventive Service (CEPS).
A
letter dated January 21, 2002 and issued from the Office of the Chief Director,
Ministry of Finance, directed Mr Kermah to hand over to the Games Commissioner,
Mr Baffour Gyimah, (he was not copied) by January 31, 2002. The latter simply
stated that, the move was to enable the government to streamline the lotto
business.
The
Evening News’ investigations have revealed that there is more to the reason
officially assigned to Mr Kermah’s removal. It is said, ever since his
appointment, he has not enjoyed any good working relations with Mrs Grace
Coleman, Deputy Minister of Finance, with oversight responsibility of the DNL.
Whilst
the Deputy Minister, strangely supported by the Lotto Forecasters Association
insists that the DNL continue using the old drawing machine, Mr Kermah backed
by the Games Commissioner, would want to replace it with a new one already
purchased for the DNL.
According
the sources, the DNL Director wrote to the Deputy Minister asking to be allowed
to operate the new machine but this was flatly turned down.
Earlier,
the lotto forecasters and some interest groups are said to have appealed to Mrs
Coleman to reject the use of the new machine. However, Mr Yaw Osafo Maafo, the
Finance Minister himself instructed Mr Kermah to begin using the new machine,
which he did two weeks ago.
Mr
Kermah is said to be against the continuous use of the old machine because he
believes it is being fraudulently manipulated by some DNL staff and a clique
outside. Currently, the DNL is investigating the genuineness of wins totalling
1.5 billion cedis recorded in Kumasi about three weeks ago.
The
Chief Accountant of the DNL is on interdiction for alleged malpractices. In his
attempt to bring sanity into the operations of the DNL, the Director might have
stepped on certain toes including that of Mr Addo Yobo, a principal collector at
CEPS and Advisor to Mrs Coleman.
Mr
Kermah, sources say, believes the termination agreement of a Wager Bingo in
which Mr Addo Yobo is a signatory, is not in the national interest, and
believes certain aspects need a review. For instance, the DNL is being
requested to pay ¢207 million as advertising bills to GBC, ¢45 million for
service agreement and $11,000 licence agreement fees.
Mr
Kermah has also incurred the displeasure of some members of staff who own DNL
agencies, which he has stopped. He has also cancelled the practice whereby ¢80
million was set aside as monthly imprest for the chief accountant.
As
a measure to break cliques, which were operating at the DNL, the Director has
reshuffled and transferred some key staff. Mr Kermah has also caused investigation
into a case in which over ¢199 million was fraudulently presented for payment
for goods cleared at Tema which turned out to be only ¢12,622.929.
Some
staff the Evening News spoke to, were convinced that, given the measures put in
place by the Director, it would not be long before the DNL assumes its proper
role as a major government revenue agency.
Mr
Kermah could not be reached for his comments. He is believed to have travelled
outside the country.
GRi…/
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your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
A
highly-placed source at the Minister of Foreign Affairs has described the
unanimous election of Dr Ibn Chambas as the new Executive Secretary of ECOWAS
as “great and direct dividends of the policy of good neighbourliness” being
vigorously pursued by President J.A. Kufuor and his government.
The
source who requested anonymity, emphasised that since President Kufuor assumed
the mantle of Head of State, he has been doing everything possible to establish
rapport, cordial and brotherly relations with Presidents of Ghana’s immediate
neighbours as well as others in the sub-region.
“His
own conviviality with his neighbouring brothers have so far achieved remarkable
success culminating in the unanimous election of Dr Chambas as the Chief
Executive officer of ECOWAS”, the source observed.
The
source, a top foreign service officer, said it was gratifying that the
President had within a comparatively short time managed to thaw all difficult
and intractable differences which existed between Ghana and its neighbours.
He
observed that heads of some ECOWAS no longer look at Ghana with suspicion, fear
and contempt. This policy of transparency and genuine love from the Ghanaian
President will no doubt help promote trade, commerce and communication in the
sub-region.
The source remarked, “to me this is a great sign of Positive Change in our foreign policy direction. There has never been a time when the relationship between us and our neighbours has been so good, cordial and harmonious since the past 20 years”.
Previously,
he lamented, Presidents in the sub-region regarded each other with suspicions
and doubt but within a comparatively short time of his administration,
President Kufuor, has removed the herculean hindrance towards good
neighbourliness.
On
delegations outside the country, he observed that President Kufuor is held in
high esteem and much respected by his colleagues for his fairness. Transparency
and quite diplomacy and this helped Ghana to win ECOWAS top position.
The
source observed that the President, who served his tutelage in diplomacy under
eminent and distinguished personalities like the late Victor Owusu and Paa
Willie when he was a deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, is yielding great
dividends and success.
He
revealed that officers of Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) are very happy and
their spirits are very high. According to him, the President himself ordered a
substantial allocation of ambassadorial positions to career diplomats and this
has earned him a lot of commendation from the staff.
“All
we are praying for is that there will not be a dramatic change of policy in
this regard”, he said.
The
senior diplomat said, “when you travel on a delegation with him and his top
advisers, you don’t sense any discrimination, inferiority complex or fear. The
President treats everybody as a human being. There is no fear or obsession of
fear around”.
He
remarked that, “the President is easily approachable and interacts with
everybody freely and shares jokes with us. We go to table together.
The
President, on seeing you, will give you the usual courtesies and salutations as
a civilized man. The only difference is his towering and consummate
personality, which dwarfs all of us. He is indeed a gentle giant. We at MFA
love him”.
Persistent
investigations into the operations of Air Ghana Ltd, by The Crusading Guide
have established that the company’s Managing Director, Marwan Traboulsi, in an
effort to prove that it (company) had not evaded tax amounting to over ¢4
million, had tendered to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) forged documents.
It
will be recalled that a couple of years ago this paper exposed Air Ghana as
having evaded over ¢8 billion tax. Marwan Traboulsi however, disputed the
figure when he was summoned before the IRS, the statutory body responsible for
revenue collection, in the course of investigations and the figure was
eventually beaten down to ¢4.8 billion.
Sources
at the IRS have hinted the paper that Air Ghana is purported to have signed an
agreement on August 8, 1994 with ICTC NV, Antwerp which was supposed to have
been signed by one Mr Pierre de Schepper for ICTC NV while Marwan Traboulsi did
the signing for Air Ghana Ltd.
According
to sources, that purported agreement sought, under the heading “Financial
Agreement”, to give the impression that Air Ghana Ltd. was an agent of ICTC NV,
and further that the company was, after deducting its purported agency fee from
the income of the business, paying the balance to ICTC NV, by transferring the
same into an account in Luxembury in the name of European Food Trading –KB
Luxemburg.
Mr
Pierre de Schepper is said to have disputed the authenticity of the letter
(agreement) after checking from the archives of ICTC NV and noting that the
letterhead on which the contract is purported to have been written and executed
was a forged one.
Disputing
further the authenticity of the agreement, Pierre de Schepper is said to have
implied that the authentic letterhead bears the full name and address of ICTC
NV at the time of the signing of the so-called agreement. Also, “ICTC NV had
their offices at Jodenstraat 3, 200 Antwerp until late 1996 when they changed
offices to Elizabethlaan 156, 2600 Berchem”, Schepper is quoted as saying.
The
IRS sources told this paper that still challenging the genuineness of the Air
Ghana/ICTC NV agreement, Pierre de Scepper had stated in a document that at the
bottom of the company’s (ICTC NV’s) letterhead is its bank address, but neither
of these distinct features appear on the Air Ghana Ltd purported agreement.
The
document, which was made available to The Crusading Guide, states, “What is
more important, a check at ICTC NV as to whether or not there was such an
agreement and whether ICTC NV or any of its subsidiaries or associate companies
owned the Luxemburg bank account in the name of European Food Trading-KB
Luxemburg-produced an absolute negative. ICTC NV does not hold or have shares
in any company by that name and has no dealings with any such company nor does
it know of the existence of same,” Pierre de Schepper had denied knowledge of
any bank account.
Schepper,
the Managing Director of ICTC NV, deduced that the purported agreement was a
forgery by Marwan Traboulsi and his company, in an attempt to throw off track
the current investigations and get away with massive tax evasion that it had
perpetrated on the State.
“This
is the fraud Marwan Traboulsi and his company are believed to have committed in
an attempt to exonerate themselves and shift the blame onto ICTC NV”, intimated
our sources.
According
to our sources, during the purported execution of the agreement on August 8,
1994, the MD of ICTC NV was not available. This paper gathered that, “from
Sunday, July 31, to Tuesday, August 16, 1994, Pierre de Schepper was on holiday
with his family in Knokke on the Belgian coast, and not Antwerp. On August 4,
1994, his mother was reported to have passed away and on August 6, 1994 he had
to travel to attend the burial and funeral at Saint Andre de Saignaux, Landes,
in the south west of France. He returned to Knokke on Tuesday, August 9, 1994
and therefore could not have signed the so-called agreement on August 8, 1994
in Antwerp or anywhere else in Belgium”.
It
is stated in the document that was made available to The Crusading Guide that,
“efforts at tracing a written agreement covering the transactions between
Farmex Air Ghana and ICTC NV have not been successful. It is our view that
possibly there was no written agreement during the years 1994 and 1995. Indeed,
when Ferrum NV and Air Ghana Ltd. started doing business from January 1996,
there was no written agreement between the parties till 1997, when it became
necessary in order to hold in check Marwan Traboulsi’s greedy appetite”.
Pierre
de Schepper had challenged Marwan Traboulsi to produce evidence of its
purported payments- whether by cheque or cash- into “the mystical bank account”
in Luxemburg, among other things.
In
a letter to the Assistant Commissioner, Tax Audit, IRS dated May 2, 2001 which
was authored by the Solicitors of Air Ghana, with the heading, “RE: AIR GHANA
LTD TAX EVASION”, the company described the ‘information’ Pierre de Schepper
had supplied the IRS as “false and a deceit of public officer”.
Traboulsi
asserted that he was surprised to have received a letter dated April 25, 2001
from the Legon Office of the IRS demanding the payment of ¢4.8 billion and
stated that he was distressed by the publicity in The Crusading Guide which
continues to falsely allege that Air Ghana has evaded tax”.
In
an earlier letter-dated June 16,2000, Marwan Traboulsi (through his solicitors)
had complained to the Internal Revenue Service that it (IRS) did not provide
any forum for him to confront the ICTC NV Managing Director “on the allegations
made by him or to challenge him on documents he (Pierre) may have purported to
deliver to you”.
On
March 7, 2001, the General Manager of Air Ghana Ltd, Mr Jonas S. Quaye,
endeavoured to explain to the IRS and apparently “to set the records straight”
in respect of adverse findings against Traboulsi and his company in the Tax
Audit Report 1995-1998.
He
claimed that, “Air Ghana has an offshore account but not opened at the instance
of ICTC. They provided the address. There was no cheque book on the account.
ICTC made payments into the account and authorised withdrawals from the account
as and when they desired, though the signatory was that of the Executive
Chairman of Air Ghana”.
Mr
Quaye indicated that the company had an agreement with ICTC. “Indeed, Pierre de
Schepper prepared two other different documents ostensibly to use to defraud
the Belgium tax authorities. One indicated a 50:50 profit sharing and the other
indicating ICTC as agent of Air Ghana”, he underscored, among other things.
Last
Thursday this paper wanted to find out whether or not Air Ghana had started
paying the ¢4.8 billion Mrs Janet Opoku-Acheampong was unwell and had been
given some weeks off duty. According to Mrs Amoah-Ntim, the Commissioner was
having a problem with one of her feet.
GRi…/
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your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Harona Esseku, Chairman of the NPP, has
expressed his “dismay and trepidation” at the “unsober attitudes and unguarded
out-burst” of some of the government officials.
In a vaguely worded document, Esseku takes
great pains to remind his party of their “onerous responsibility” as Ghana’s
elected government. He stressed that as servants of the people, officials must
discharge their duties “willingly and with humility”.
His words appear to provide a rather related
response to the indiscretion of the Deputy Minister of Works and Housing,
Theresa Tagoe, who earned a media barrage for out bursts she made on Joy FM and
Radio Gold when questioned about the bungalow she had invited her brother to
stay in temporarily.
Theresa Tagoe apologised in The Statesman on January 18 and Esseku says,
“I am
very pleased with that apology,” adding that he
is simply using the incident as an “opportunity to send out some signals” to
other party members.
In an interview at his party’s headquarters, Harona Esseku admits that
he has not personally spoken to Theresa Tagoe or any Minister on the matter. In
fact he was
not even aware that the Deputy Minister was even in Sweden on an
official assignment, “I have never spoken to her on this,” he concedes.
When asked if it would not have been better to speak directly to NPP
Ministers, the party Chairman explains, “because the matter have been played in
public
domain, I want to tell the public that I am
doing something about it.”
He continues, “whilst that apology has stopped the bashing I still
believe that if…we don’t act, an accumulation of such things could affect the
government
negatively,” he remarks, adding with some quandary, “it’s better always
to kill it before it blows out”, on the whole, the Chairman says he is happy
with the
government, describing the performance as excellent.”
In response to a question that his action may make it difficult for
Theresa Tagoe to secure her job in a re-shuffle, he says, “that is the
President’s prerogative and in
any case, she is a very confident Deputy Minister, performing
remarkably.”
As far as he is concerned, Theresa Tagoe received an “undeserved bashing
in the press.” Presumably, a desire to avoid more embarrassing public exposure
is
behind his press release.
But can such a worsening shot entitled “watch your behaviour”, not only
to invite speculation as the level of order and discipline within his party’s
ranks. In addition,
one might be tempted to ask whether politicians need to be reminded that
they are the servants of the people.
Esseku, however, would prefer to classify his statement as that of a
conscientious chairman wishing to ensure that “his house is in order.” When
questioned on the level of discipline at the party’s grassroots, Esseku
confidently replied, “Everyone accepts orders from above. He also dismissed
claims of
misbehaviour at the people’s assembly in Koforidua and Tamale,
insisting, “We have a very tolerant party.”
More…/
The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has found Charles Asare, immediate past Director of the Social Security and National
Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and Kwame Addo, a former Board member guilty of gross abuse of office and conflict of interest in the exercise of their official
responsibility in a case lodged by Joy FM, An Accra based private radio station. CHRAJ asked the government to take action against them.
Joy FM had dragged the two officials to CHRAJ for what it called
reckless dissipation of contributors’ fund through unsound management, as well
as conflict of
interest in the execution of investment decisions.
Reading the rule, CHRAJ Chairman, Justice Francis Emile Short, said
after a thorough investigations and hearings, it was clear that the former
officials acted in
contravention of Article 284 of the 1992, as well as in breach of
section 4(8) of SSNIT Law, (PNDC 247) of 1991.
It has, therefore, recommended that Kwame Addo should be banned from
holding any office in public or private company in which government has share
for the
rest of his life. Not only that, he was also asked to refund about ¢700
million to SSNIT, being excess money collected in regards to the
Ofankor-Odupong lands.
In a petition sent to CHRAJ, Joy FM had complained that Kwame Addo, then
SSNIT board member, colluded with one Nana Wiredu to purchase land from the
chiefs and elders of Ofankor-Odupong at ¢30 million and resold the land
to SSNIT at ¢1.2 billion.
The land title, which is in the name of Worae
Farms Limited, owned by Nana Wiredu, was used for pineapple plantation until
Kwame Addo and the title-holder decided to convert it for real estate
development and subsequently sold it to SSNIT without the original owners, the
Ofankos-Odupong stool being aware.
According to CHRAJ, “Addo influenced SSNIT to
purchase the leasehold interest of Worae Farms Limited, rather than grant a
loan so that he and his friend Nana Wiredu could profit illegally from the
transaction.”
The Commission called for a conciliatory
between the chiefs and SSNIT to find a mutually acceptable resolution to their
dispute over the lands leased to Worae Farms. It also recommended appropriate
sanctions for Aduamoah, the then SSNIT Head of Investment Department for his
role in the deal.
Kwame Addo was reprimanded in the purchase of
Singer which he used his nephew, Mawuli Ababio as a front man. The Commission
detected that during the bidding process, the former SSNIT board member using
Ababio bided for the property at ¢1.5 billion and won it against a similar
quotation by SSNIT.
The Commission adduced evidence to explain the
illegal transaction in the Singer House building. It said a banker’s draft for
¢1.5 billion issued by the Agriculture Development Bank (ADB) in the name of
Kwame Addo was used by Ababio to pay for the price.
It said it was evidently clear that Ababio
acted for Addo. The building was later sold to SSNIT for ¢2.6 billion leading
to the loss of ¢1.1 billion to the state. Strangely, the negotiation leading to
the re-selling was carried within hours with agreement that ¢1.6 billion being
part payment should be made within 48 hours. And by the expiration of the
deadline the money had been deposited in Addo’s account.
The Commission wandered why SSNIT acted in
contrary to the advice given by a valuation agent engaged by the pension
company who valued the building at ¢1.9 billion before the bidding was rather
eager to pay ¢2.6 billion cedis to a competitor.
The Commission said there was no due diligence
on the purchase of the Singer House and recommended for a possible prosecution
of Charles Asare and Asiedu Gyamfi, currently Head of Investment for
misconducting themselves and causing financial loss to the state.
The Commission also recommended that the
affected officers be removed from office. Kwame Addo also received another ban.
On the purchase of Toyota Landcruiser from
Regimanuel Gray Estate Developers, the Commission said it is a breach of
convention to purchase a vehicle from a real estate developer. It said not only
the purchase of a vehicle from private real estate developer improper, the
quoted price was far in excess of market value by ¢59.2 million cedis.
The Commission blamed Charles Asare for causing
financial loss to the state, describing the transaction as a conflict of
interest. Cost of ¢20 million cedis was awarded in favour of Joy FM.
GRi…/
The Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Mr
Osafo Sampong, last week tried a shameless trick at the Quality Grains Trail,
which many described as unprofessional.
It all happened when the DPP was
cross-examining Dr Samuel Dapaah, the 2nd accused in the case. The
DPP started by asking whether or not Dr Dapaah had ever stated anywhere that
the Quality Grain Project was a failure. Dr Dapaah denied this. The DPP
repeated this assertion several times, but on each occasion, Dr Dapaah denied
the allegation with increasing vehemence.
Mr Osafo Sampong then brought out what
purported to be Dr Dapaah’s hand-written statement to the Serious Fraud Office
and proceeded to read from it as follows: “Later, I regretted attending Mrs
Cotton’s (the Chief Executive of the Quality Grains Company) wedding reception
because of the failure of the project”.
Stunned,
Dr Dapaah asked for the statement to be read again. The DPP repeated it.
Clearly dumb-founded, and scratching his head in shock, Dr Dapaah asked to see
the statement. The DPP reluctantly asked the court manager to give the
statement to Dr Dapaah.
Dr Dapaah took it, studied it, broke into a
wide grin and said to the judge: “My Lord, I would like to read the full
sentence”. He then proceeded to read thus: “Later, I regretted attending Mrs
Cotton’s wedding reception because of the failure of the project to come to
stream on time.”
“Ooooh”, sighed the audience in the court, when
they realised the trick that the DPP had sought to play on the court. By deliberately
leaving out the critical words “…to come on stream on time,” the DPP sought to
convey the impression that Dr Dapaah had admitted his statement that the
project was a failure.
However, those critical words added, conveyed
Dr Dapaah’s true meaning that the project had delayed. There is a world of
difference between the two. This is “appalling,” said one courtroom observer.
“What extent is the prosecution prepared to go in order to get a conviction,”
he added.
Another observed: “I have always had great
respect and admiration for the DPP, but today, I am disappointed,” By a strange
coincidence, the Daily Graphic the following day, in its coverage of
proceedings reported exactly what the DPP said without the correction made by
Dr Dapaah. It is indeed a strange world.
GRi…/