GRi Press Review
Ghana 06 - 07 - 2001
At the
computerization trial: I acted on govt's behalf - Victor Selormey
CVCP
proposes increase in user fees
Two
students grabbed with ammunition
Nanfuri
bows out
Selormey in
another ˘2.8 billion deal
Reckless
expenditure at Ministry of Defence - ˘500m blown on Burma Camp gate
Boom! -
Govt Spokesman hit in mystery night attack
Mallam Isa
suspects foul play
Family of
murder victim assault Police in court
Strike in Nigeria
could affect oil flow in Ghana
Communal
violence at Tawkwa
Sekondi
children abandon school for fish
Daily
Graphic
At the
computerization trial: I acted on govt's behalf - Victor Selormey
The former
Deputy Minister of Finance, Victor Selormey, on Thursday told the Fast Track
High Court that he negotiated a contract with the World Bank and the
International Development Association on behalf of the Government of Ghana to
improve certain areas of the legal sector, the Daily Graphic reports.
He said the
contract, which was around $824,000, was meant for a study into the production
and dissemination of legal information, including electronic recording of
courtroom proceedings.
Opening his
defence, Selormey said a Legal Sector Coordinating Committee was, therefore,
set up, which invited interested firms to bid to conduct the studies.
Selormey is
said to have conspired with one Dr Frederick Owusu-Boadu, a Ghanaian consultant
in the United States of America, to fraudulently cause the loss of $1,297,500
to the state.
He has
pleaded not guilty to six counts of conspiracy, defrauding by false pretence
and willfully causing financial loss to the state and has been granted bail in
the sum of ˘1.5 billion with two sureties to be justified.
In his
evidence-in-chief, witness said between four and six companies were short-listed
and were asked to submit technical and financial proposals.
The
companies, he said, included Leebda/Owusu-Agyapong and Company and VMS
International and after valuation, Leebda/Owusu-Agyapong came out as the best
bid.
According
to witness, Leebda was, therefore invited by the committee for negotiations.
He said
when Leebda was selected by the committee it proceeded to the World Bank to
have discussions with the project coordinator, Mr Patrick Connolly, about its
interest in implementing the results of the study.
He said
Leebda was told that under the World Bank rules, it could not do both the study
and the implementation.
This, he
said, was communicated to the project manager in Accra and Leebda was asked to
choose between the two.
Leebda
opted to wait for the implementation stage and the contract on the conduct of
the study was awarded to VMS.
Earlier,
the court refused an application by the defence to tender in evidence a
document, which indicated that Leebda Corporation is a legally registered
business entity in the United States of America.
More…/
CVCP
proposes increase in user fees
The
Committee of Vice-Chancellors (CVCP) has proposed an upward review of the
academic and residential facility user fees of the country's public
universities.
The revised
fees, which the committee proposed for the 2000/2001 academic year was
presented to the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) last March.
According to
the Daily Graphic, the proposals compared the academic facility user fees for
the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Tecnhology (KNUST) and that of the
University of Ghana.
For the new
rates per student pursuing undergraduate courses, the CVCP recommended a 30 per
cent hike in academic facility user fees.
For
Science, the CVCP proposed an increase from ˘430,000 to ˘570,000 for the KNUST,
while it recommended an increase from ˘460,000 to ˘598,000 for the University
of Ghana.
As regards
the humanities, the CVCP recommended an increase from ˘290,000 to ˘380,000 for
KNUST and for Legon, it proposed a rise from ˘320,000 to 155416,000.
The CVCP
proposed an increase of ˘650,000 to ˘850,000 and the same rate for Legon per
student pursuing Medicine.
The
proposals said graduate students are charged 1.5 per cent times under-graduate
fees.
Justifying
the need for the upward reviews of the academic facility user fees, the CVCP
said the current levels of the fees were set in 1998 and have not been revised
to date, in spite of changes in value of local currency and the general rise in
cost of operation of the universities.
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Two
students grabbed with ammunition
Donald
Abili, 19, and Kwaw Afebi Yanney, 18, both final year students of Adisadel
College, Cape Coast, have been arrested by the police at Sunyani for possessing
82 packets of live ammunition, according to The Ghanaian Times.
Briefing
the paper on Thursday, Superintendent David Ampah Banin, Sunyani District
Police Commander, said that Nana Kwabena Ameyaw, proprietor of Providence
Lodge, Sunyani, called in to report of some guests of the hotel whose behaviour
was questionable.
Mr Banin
said that some policemen went with him and arrested Donald Abili and Kwaw Afebi
Yanney, who claimed to be final-year students of Adisadel College.
Two others,
John Aboagye Gyimah and another whose name they only gave as Selikem, managed
to escape. A search of the rooms they had booked revealed 82 packets of live
"Thunder Shots" ammunition equivalent to 820 rounds, packed in a
traveling bag.
That type
of ammunition is meant for the military, and therefore, was not the kind to be
found on the markets. Upon interrogation, the boys told the police that the bag
and its contents belonged to Aboagye and Selikem and that they were on their
way to Techiman when they decided to pass the night at the hotel in Sunyani.
They denied
any knowledge of the contents of the bag. The two boys are being held in
custody while efforts are being made to trace the others.
More…/
Nanfuri
bows out
The
President has accepted a request from Mr Peter Nanfuri to go on voluntary
retirement as Inspector-General of Police.
A release
signed by the Interior Minister, Alhaji Malik Alhassan, said: "Mr Nanfuri
has served in the Police Service since October 1968 and the Government is very
appreciative of the services he has rendered to the State and wishes him happy,
rewarding and relaxing retirement."
Following
Mr Nafuri's retirement, the President in consultation with the Council of
State, has confirmed Mr Ernest Owusu-Poku as the Inspector General of Police.
In another
development, the President has nominated Prof. Kassim Kasanga as Deputy
Minister of Lands, Forestry and Mines.
Prof.
Kasanga lectures at the Department of Land Economy and comes from the Upper
West Region.
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Selormey in
another ˘2.8 billion deal
The
Dispatch says its in-depth investigations have revealed that former Deputy Minister
of Finance, Mr Victor Selormey and Mr Dan Abodakpi, the former Minister of
Trade are to be charged for transferring a total of US $400,000 (about ˘2.8
billion) to Dr Fred Owusu-Boadu of College Station, Texas and also LEEBDA fame.
The
payments were for a feasibility study into the establishment of Science and
Technology Valley to supposedly promote public-private sector partnerships for
economic growth in Ghana.
The snag is
that there is no record of the contract or the study at the Ministry of Trade
and Industry or the Gateway Secretariat. The last transfer of US $300,000
(about ˘2.1 billion) was transferred a day after the December, 2000 run-off.
The cover
sheet of the document purporting to be a contract between the Ministry of Trade
and Dr Boadu indicated a submission of a proposal to create a science and
technology community to promote economic growth in Ghana. The document, said to
be a contract between the Ministry of Trade and Dr Boadu, was signed by both
the Minister of Trade, Mr Abodakpi and Dr Dr Boadu.
Surprisingly,
there was no witness in the high magnitude contract with legal officers of the
Ministry of Trade and the Attorney-General's Department kept in the dark.
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Reckless
expenditure at Ministry of Defence - ˘500m blown on Burma Camp gate
The
Ghanaian Chronicle reports that aside the financial malpractice committed by
the previous heads of the Ministry of Defence, further probing has exposed a
reckless trend of expenditure and the clandestine award of contracts at
outrageous cost.
Investigations
showed that the Ministry of Defence, last year awarded yet another minor
contract at an outrageous cost of ˘500 million to Messrs KASAP Ltd, a private
construction company which has enjoyed decades of monopoly over Armed Forces
contracts.
The
contract which is in connection with the construction of an arch at the Check
Point in Burma, near Congo Junction, was not open to tender for competitive
bidding as the then Armed Forces High Command secretly hatched a direct
negotiation with KASAP because they claimed that the company had a lot of
resources.
The former
Chief Director of the Ministry of Defence, Mr S.S. Sakka, admitted to a
Chronicle enquiry, through the Armed Forces Public Relations Directorate that
"The contract is a direct negotiated contract…It was not advertised for
bidding. The contract was negotiated with only one company because the Armed
Forces was looking for a company that could execute this job promptly and
favourably."
Meanwhile,
sources at the Ministry of Defence have expressed their disquiet to the paper
over the awarding of the contract, saying that if it was done in an open and
transparent manner the cost of the project would have reduced drastically.
More…/
Boom! -
Govt Spokesman hit in mystery night attack
The
forty-something year-old suave engineer and deputy Government Spokesman lay
fighting for his life at a special ward of the 37 Military Hospital after a
fierce encounter with armed robbers at his East Legon residence in Accra.
The
attackers fled and still remain at large.
Sources who
had physical contact with him report of deep gash at the base of his skull
after the incident on Wednesday midnight.
By Thursday
night, Kwabena Agyepong was recuperating and doctors pronounced him as being in
a stable condition.
He had
earlier returned from the X-ray unit and was relaxing in his hospital ward.
The
Presidential Affairs Minister, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, told Choice FM, an Accra
radio station, that Agyepong did not fight or struggle with the gunmen but
rather tried calming them.
Agyepong's
father was among three high court judges murdered by Rawlings loyalists in
1982.
GRi…/
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Mallam Isa
suspects foul play
Mallam
Yusif Isa, the ex-Minister of Youth and Sports, standing trial for stealing and
causing financial loss of $46.000 to the state told the Fast Track Court on
Thursday that he informed the Vice President, the day he arrived from Khartoum
on February 28 this year, about the missing money, reports The Evening News.
Continuing
with his evidence, the accused said he went to the house of the Vice President
Alhaji Aliu Mahama at about 9.00 pm and discussed the whole issue about the
missing money with him and also send greetings from Sudan.
Asked about
his relationship with officials of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, he said on
assumption of duty he detected so much corruption at the place and his attempt
to effect positive change made some of his subordinates hostile to him.
He recalled
an occasion when an outstanding bill of ˘450 million was submitted to him for
payment of footballs already supplied, but he later found out that only three
footballs were made available.
The accused
said a feasibility study on the proposed Olympic Stadium costed at $354,000 but
$965,000 was paid by the Ministry. He said it turned out that the money was
spent on the Accra Sports Stadium renovation.
He said on
another occasion, Mr James Tiigah, Chief Accountant submitted a proposal for
the release of ˘60 million to transfer a water tank within the Ministry
building but he refused to give approval as he found the cost too high.
On his
relationship with Worlanyo Agra, the acting General Secretary of the GFA, the
accused said it was not cordial, as he found him to be in the habit of
submitting estimates for sports tournaments that did not reflect the actual
charges of hotel bills and services that are normally provided for sports
officials and players.
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Family of
murder victim assault Police in court
Hell broke
loose at the Kumasi Circuit Tribunal on Tuesday, July 3, when the family of the
late Madam Afua Tutuwaa of Krofrom, physically attacked the police who were
present to maintain law and order, after the court proceedings.
Policewoman
Corporal Awo Dede of the court unit of the Kumasi Police, had her thumb bitten,
while Inspector Benson Addo of the central Police Station had his male organ
pulled. Inspector Addo had to punch the abdomen of one Madam Akosua Addae who
was pulling his male organ before she released it.
The attack
on the police came shortly after the Kumasi Circuit Tribunal adjourned to July
26, 2001 the case in which the family of the late Afua Tutuwaa accused the
founder and leader of the Ebenezer Adarkwa Yiadom and two of his ushers, Afua
Akyaa and Kofi Boadi for manhandling their daughter, Tutuwaa resulting in her
death.
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Strike in
Nigeria could affect oil flow in Ghana
The Accra
Mail says even as Ghanaians continue to be assailed by stories of alleged
"malfeasance" in connection with a contract signed early this year
between Ghana and Nigeria, an even bigger force could sweep the inquisitors and
their victims aside and bring the Tema Oil Refinery to its knees within the
next couple of weeks.
According
to the paper, international oil sources indicate that what in every standard
contract is called "force majeur" has come into play because workers
of NNPC have carried out a strike threat and downed their tools.
As at the
time of going to press, loading of crude oil had come to a standstill at many
of the loading bays. The most affected is Bonny Light, which the Tema Oil
Refinery is most comfortable with.
Ghana and
other clients of NNPC have therefore been compelled to start scrounging around
for substitutes. The other alternative, Brass River is suitable for TOR but the
time element has become critical.
Frantic
officials are working round the clock to resolve the impasse in Nigeria and
also patch up emergency arrangements that would ensure that TOR does not dry up
completely.
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Communal
violence at Tawkwa
The mining
town of Tarkwa was last Friday June 29 rocked by bloody communal violence, in
which deadly weapons were freely used and a number of people had to receive
hospital treatment, according to The Weekend Statesman.
The
commotion continued for three days until efforts by the community leaders
helped cool tempers and restored peace.
Chiefs,
Council of elders, opinion leaders, assembly members and the MP for
Tarkwa-Nsuaem, Gifty Kwofie, also had a hectic time trying to resolve the
issue.
Observers
have described the conflict, which created unnecessary tension and panic in the
town, as something very trivial, which could have been avoided without resort
to violence.
It all
started when a group of unemployed youth from one of the communities, Nzema
Line, went prospecting for gold (galamsey) around the community centre, which
is also by the Zongo community.
Unhappy
about its environmental degradation, the 'patristic' Zongo youth organized a
mob attack on the Zema boys, who retaliated, sparking of the three-day free
fight, which were resumed each day with new vigour.
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Sekondi
children abandon school for fish
Many school
children in the coastal areas of the Central and Western Regions are reported
to be skipping classes to go fishing, with the on-set of the herring season,
reports the Ghana Palaver.
Jahn
Hackman, Senior Coordinator of the Ghana National Commission on Children (GNCC)
in charge of the two regions, who was speaking to the Ghana News Agency on
Tuesday, said reports reaching the GNCC indicate that some of the children
loiter at the beaches.
He said if
the practice were not checked, the education of the children would be affected
because although some of them return to school after the herring season, others
drop out of school permanently.
GNCC, he
said, would soon hold discussions with Chief Fishermen and other stakeholders
to check the trend.
GRi…/
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