Asantehene calls on President
Chaos in Parliament
Sahara 'battles heats up - Kan-Dapaah challenges critics to prove malfeasance
Put up or shut up!
I will probe GNPC - Kan Dapaah
We won't amend the constitution by heart - Akufo-Addo
Kufuor fails to act
CASPRO goes bankrupt - owes Cocobod ¢36 billion
4 Army officers in shooting incident freed
Asantehene calls on President
The Daily Graphic says President J.A. Kufuor has called for effective collaboration between traditional authorities and the government in an effort to develop the nation.
Mr Kufuor was speaking when the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, called on him at his residence in Accra on Tuesday to brief the President on his trip to the United States of America and the United Kingdom.
The Asantehene, accompanied by a retinue of chiefs, spent six weeks in the two countries where he met with the executives of the World Bank and a cross-section of the Ghanaian community.
President Kufuor said Otumfuo's visits and the awards bestowed on him are indicative of the fact that Africa abounds in rich traditional and cultural values.
He said Otumfuo and his entourage boosted the image of the country during the trip and gave the assurance that the government would support them for the benefit of Ghanaians.
Oheneba Agyemang Atwereboana II, Hiahene, who was on the trip briefed the President on the Otumfuo's visits and said while in the US, the Asantehene talked about quality education, health as well as tourism promotion.
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The ex-Minister of Youth and Sports, Mallam Ali Yusif Isa, on Tuesday admitted some responsibility for the loss of the $46,000 given to him as winning bonus for the senior national team, the Black Stars, in their match against their Sudanese counterparts in February, this year.
He, however, declined liability for the two charges of stealing and fraudulently causing the loss of the money preferred against him.
These were contained in a statement read by Mallam Isa's counsel, Mr Ambrose Dery, just before the accused person opened his defence before the fast Track High Court in Accra.
Mallam Isa has pleaded not guilty to both charges and has been granted bail in the sum of ¢500 million with a surety to be justified.
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Chaos in Parliament
The Daily Guide reports that the ongoing twists and turns over Sahara Energy Resource's lifting of crude oil to Ghana, took a disturbing turn in Parliament on Tuesday, when the Minister of Energy Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah appeared before the House to throw more light on the issue.
Before the Minister could land with his defence on what has become known as the Sahara brouhaha, tempers had already risen high with the NDC caucus in Parliament interjecting and interrupting Dapaah's speech with statements like "Mr Minister bring the facts" while the NPP Majority countered loudly thus reducing the august House to a 'macaranta' session (apologies to Ghanaian Muslims.)
The trade in accusation and counter accusation created a chaotic situation in the House so uncontrollable that the Speaker of the House, Mr Peter Ala Adjetey had to stamp his authority on the feuding members to bring some sanity in the House. The Speaker's hammer and loud boom of his deep voice was heard over the ensuing chaos calling for "order, order".
At one point, the Minority Chief Whip, Hon E.K. Doe Adjaho, stood up to talk as the Speaker too was talking, against parliamentary regulations, which did not go down well with the Majority who shouted at him to sit down. However, the charged Minority Chief Whip also kept asking the Majority, "Are you afraid? Are you afraid?
MPs from both sides, talked across the House, as the Speaker struggled to calm them down. Miss Theresa Tagoe, MP for Ablekuma South and Deputy Minister for Works and Housing was seen throwing her hands in the air as everyone wanted to be heard.
At the end of it all, the Majority led by their Deputy leader, Papa Owusu-Ankomah threw a challenge to the Minority for a full blown debate on the issue in the House, as the Minority also called for a full blown investigation into the contract.
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I will not resign - Energy Minister
The besieged Minister of Energy, Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah, has state categorically that he would not resign his post over the Sahara "Brouhaha".
The Minister stated this when he addressed a new conference in Accra on Tuesday.
Giving reasons why he would not resign, Mr Kan-Dapaah said for now, he has not been found wanting by any competent body for allegedly giving false figures to Parliament nor to the country as a whole over the Sahara Energy Resource issue for which he should tender his resignation.
He asserted: "So far, I know I'm not lying nor have I given false information pertaining to the Sahara issue, which should warrant my resignation from office as Minister of Energy".
Last week the National Democratic Congress (NDC) caucus in Parliament held a press conference at which they called on the Minister to resign over what has become "a lot of confusing or cacophonous noise" over Ghana's allocation of oil contract to a company based in Nigeria to lift Ghana's crude oil.
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Sahara 'battles heats up - Kan-Dapaah challenges critics to prove malfeasance
The Minister of Energy, Mr Albert Kan Dapaah, has stated that he will be ready for a probe of any kind if anybody provides documentary evidence to substantiate allegations of malfeasance in the Sahara oil contract, reports The Ghanaian Times.
He maintained that the contract, made on a company-to-company basis was not a Government contract, and needed no parliamentary assent.
"Unless we want to say that if the Electricity Company of Ghana, wants to procure a transformer for instance, it needs to go to parliament for approval," he said.
Mr Dapaah was addressing a press conference called to enable him to respond to questions and allegations contained in a press statement issued by the NDC on the contract.
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1st witness called in Quality Grain case
The first prosecution witness in the Quality Grain Company case involving two ex-Ministers of State and four senior public officials on Tuesday, told the court that it was not permissible in Ghana to register two companies with similar objectives, interests and names.
That notwithstanding, two companies bearing the same name, Quality Grain Company Ghana Limited, were registered by the Registrar of Companies, one in July 1995 and the other in February 1996.
They had similar objectives but with almost different Directors.
The accused persons are Ibrahim Adam, former Minister of Food and Agriculture, Kwame Peprah, former Minister of Finance, Dr George Yankey, Nana Ato Dadzie and Kwesi Ahwoi all former government officials.
They are standing trial on charges of conspiracy and willfully causing financial loss to the state to the tune of 20 million dollars guaranteed in favour of the Quality Grain Company.
The company was to execute an irrigation rice production project at Aveyime in the Volta Region.
The witness, Mr Joseph Kofi Harlley, Chief State Attorney with the Registrar Generals Department told the fast-track court that the second registration was done to protect the interest of the Ghana Government, which was not catered for during the registration of the first company.
Witness said that in a situation where two companies are registered with similar names and objectives, the attention of the second company is drawn to the anomaly in order for it to change its name.
This was however, not done in the case of the two Quality Grain Companies registered in the country.
He explained that when the Registrar-General's Department detected the anomaly in the registration of the two companies, it called the attention of the second company which had its directors as Miss Juliet Renee-Woodard and Dr George Sefa Yankey, fourth accused, to the double registration.
He said the company decided that it would merge with the first company, whose directors were Miss Juliet Renee-Woodard, Mr James McGarrh, both of the United States and Mr Bismark Nettey, a Ghanaian.
Renee at the time of incorporation of the second company in February 1996 told the Department that the interest of the government of Ghana was not catered for during the registration of the first company, hence the registration of the second company.
Witness said when he contacted Dr Yankey on the issue, he confirmed Ghana's interest to be at stake and urged witness to assist with registering the second company, which he did in order to protect the government's interest.
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Put up or shut up!
The Accra Mail reports that Presidential Advisor on Energy, Dr Charles Wereko-Brobby, at a Ministry of Energy organized press conference on Tuesday, challenged the National Democratic Congress to establish acts of impropriety in connection with the Sahara oil contract against any member of the government or shut up.
"The NDC must identify the guilty person in the Sahara issue or stop making noise," Dr Brobby threw the gauntlet at the press briefing, the second in a month, called to finally clear the controversy surrounding the lifting of oil from Nigeria to Ghana.
The energy expert wondered why for the past eight years the NDC deemed it necessary to sign a lifting contract with Vitol, but in a whirlwind fashion is accusing the NPP government for doing what is standard practice in the oil industry.
Dr Brobby disclosed that whereas the NDC signed a contract for lifting and financing with Vitol to the detriment of the economy, the NPP had the foresight to sign only a lifting contract.
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I will probe GNPC - Kan Dapaah
Hours before he emplaned to Nigeria on Tuesday, the Minister of Energy, Albert Kan-Dapaah, dropped hints of a comprehensive probe of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), including the 10-year reign of its Chief Executive Officer, Tsatsu Tsikata, according to The Ghanaian Chronicle.
"We are gathering all the documents and we will soon probe the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC)," he underscored.
The probe will include GNPC's spending, its deviation from its core functions and deals on the oil market, including the trading of Ghana's crude oil purchases on the high seas.
"I hope this is not described as witch-hunting." He said.
Kan Dapaah, who announced this at the much-publicised "Sahara showdown" news conference, said he was flying to Nigeria to explore ways to resolve a $10 million debt bequeathed to the nation by Tsikata's free-spending administration.
The debt he explained had been caused by careless investments by GNPC over the years, a situation Kan Dapaah said had caused the nation millions of dollars in losses.
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No President can have more than two terms - Obed
The former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Dr Obed Yao Asamoah, has said that no President of the Republic of Ghana can have more than two terms of office.
The legal luminary said the Constitution has made it abundantly clear that a person shall not be elected to hold office as President of Ghana for more than two terms.
Dr Asamoah was speaking on Joy FM's Super Morning Show programme on Tuesday.
It will be recalled that another legal luminary and former Supreme Court judge, Justice N.Y.B. Adade, recently called for a proper interpretation of Article 66 of the 1992 Constitution which deals with the tenure of office of the President, since the Constitution does not clearly define how the person elected as President should serve his two terms.
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We won't amend the constitution by heart - Akufo-Addo
The Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, Nana-Akufo Addo has explained that much as the government supports the amendments of the constitution, time must be allowed for it to work, writes The Evening News.
However, he said parliament could come out with a certain conventions and evolutions to build a constitutional order that could lead to certain amendments.
Nana Akufo-Addo was reacting to a question on the need for immediate amendment of the constitution to make it more effective at a week-long leadership seminar organized by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) for 26 selected students from three universities in the country, under the theme "Consolidation of Democracy in Ghana."
The Minister of Justice, speaking on the topic, "Building a culture of liberty, freedom and democracy for the future generation of West Africans", said although there are entrenched provisions in the constitution, including others which are not and could not be changed by Parliament through conventions, "let us be slow in changing the constitution and allow it to work for sometime.
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Kufuor fails to act
The Weekly Insight says the Kufuor administration has failed to act to recover billions of cedis owed to the National Communications Authority (NCA) and Ghana Telecom by Mobitel.
Mobitel owes Ghana Telecom alone about ¢1.3 billion in unpaid fees and the NCA is yet to recover unpaid fees for the use of frequencies allocated to Mobitel.
An ultimatum fired to Mobitel by the NCA to pay up or pack up by the end of May has largely been ignored.
Mobitel has not paid any tax since its inception because it claims it does not make profit.
Recently, the company also brought GSM equipment into the country without the approval of NCA.
The equipment, which was brought-in on behalf of Mobitel by Ericsson is currently being installed.
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CASPRO goes bankrupt - owes Cocobod ¢36 billion
The Free Press says Cashpro, the largest private cocoa buying company in Ghana is in serious crisis.
Apart from being unable to pay their workers' salaries for the past three months, the company owes several banks billions of cedis.
Cocobod is also demanding the immediate repayment of some ¢36 billion which was given to the company as seed money for the purchase of cocoa in September last year.
Cashpro, which is owned by the Ahwoi brothers enjoyed a unique status in the NDC era.
Because of the connections of the owners in the past government, they had unlimited access to cash and were therefore able to muscle their way into the cocoa purchasing business as a close competitor of the Produce Buying Company (PBC), the state-owned cocoa purchasing arm of Cocobod.
Sources close to the Cocobod revealed that the Ahwoi brothers were instrumental in the ill-fated divestiture of PBC so that they could acquire some of the assets of the company.
The company was also able to raise loans from various banks, notably the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) because of their political connections.
Using the same clout Cashpro was able to shorn Cocobod to give them a loan of ¢36 billion as seed money for cocoa purchases whiles other private cocoa purchasing companies were denied such facilities.
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4 Army officers in shooting incident freed
The Dispatch reports that there are credible indications that four army officers who were arrested and detained in connection with the August 12, 2000 shooting incident at the Next Door beach resort at Teshie may be freed.
This reportedly, follows the decision of the Attorney-General's Department that no case had been established against the four.
The shooting incident led to the untimely death of a 36-year old bio-chemist and Project Manager, Edmund Ayeh.
The four are Capt. Asare and Lieutenants Lorkpa, Sasu and Annor. A fifth suspect, Lt Parish, was found dead in some bushes shortly after the incident, allegedly through suicide.
The late Ayeh and some friends were relaxing at 'Next Dorr' when a misunderstanding occurred between a group of young men and one of the bar attendants. The young men left and allegedly returned later and started firing gunshots in which Ayeh was hit.
Sources close to the military told the Dispatch that with the advice from the Attorney General's Department, "the suspects would be freed."
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