GRi Press Review
Ghana 19 - 05 - 2001
Quality
grain goes to govt
Boycott,
error of judgement - NPP
'BNI acted
in accordance with the Constitution'
'Mallam
Isa's suitcase wasn't tampered with'
8
organizations donate 147m cedis
Tower
endangers Aeroplane
Ghanaian's
death in stadium shakes US community
Kumasi
mourns its 13 dead
Stadium
probe starts sitting
Top NDC men
in court today
NDC
congratulates newly appointed DCE
Quality
grain goes to govt
The
Ghanaian Times reports that the Government of Ghana has taken over the assets
of Quality Grain Company (Ghana) Limited.
It followed
the granting by an Accra High Court on Thursday an application filed by the
Attorney-General (A-G), Nana Akufo Addo, for an order to take over the company.
In an
affidavit in support of the application, the A-G said that for the purpose of
purchasing agricultural equipment and machinery for the company, the South
Trust Bank of Alabama, USA, on November 13, 1996, extended to Quality Grain
Company (Ghana), a credit of $6,196,300, with the Ministry of Finance as
guarantor under the terms of a loan agreement.
The
Ministry, representing the government of the Republic through its duly
authorized representative, guaranteed the facility by a promissory note of
November 13, 1996.
The
affidavit said that a Deed of Indemnity and Floating Charge was executed
between the ministry of Finance as a representative of government and the
company to ensure that in the event of default by the company, when government
was called upon to make good the guarantee, it would be able to recover the loan
amounts from the company.
The A-G
further contended that as from March 15, 1997, the due date for repayment of
the first installment of the loan the company defaulted and had persistently
defaulted in its repayment obligations.
On March 15
and September 15, every year, effective from 1997, demand notices requesting
the Ministry of Finance as guarantor to pay immediately in dollars the
defaulted amounts plus default interest thereon calculated at 12 per cent per
annum through the date of payment where applicable to designated accounts, had
been served on the Minister of Finance.
The
Minister had always complied with the demand to pay in accordance with the
promissory note of November 13, 1996, he added.
He said
that, in fulfillment of its obligations under the loan agreement and promissory
notes, the Ministry of Finance had so far repaid a total of 8,152,462.31
dollars.
As a result
of the enforcement of the charge on December 14, 2000, the applicant through
the Attorney-General duly gave notice to the company of government's intention
to convert the floating charge on the assets of the company pursuant to clause
6 of the Deed.
However,
the company had made no effort to indemnify government of the Deed of
Indemnity, nor had it made any effort to rectify its defaults.
Granting
the application, Mr Justice Yaw Apau, the presiding judge, said that he was
convinced by the submission of the A-G that the government should take over the
company.
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Boycott,
error of judgement - NPP
The
Majority Group in Parliament says it considers the boycott of Parliament by the
NDC MPs in protest against the arrest and detention of Mr E.T. Mensah, MP for
Ningo-Prampram, by the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) as an error of
judgement, because no Ghanaian is above the law, the Daily Graphic writes.
The group,
the paper says, made it clear that each and every Ghanaian is subject to the
Constitution and that the boycott of Parliament by the NDC members would not be
helpful in the strengthening of democracy.
The Deputy
Majority Leader, Papa Owusu Ankomah, who expressed these sentiments at a press
conference at Parliament House in Accra on Thursday, said "the Majority
considers the decision of the NDC MPs unfortunate and the snide remarks about
the MPs on the Majority side as most reprehensible and uncalled for".
The NDC
had, at its press conference on Tuesday observed that, "the stony silence
of Honourable colleagues on the Majority side is a tacit approval of this
shameful act of the Executive".
Papa Owusu
Ankomah said as an institution with laid down rules, regulations and procedures
governing its affairs, Parliament is only "seized" with a matter when
it is formally brought to its attention to enable members to debate it on the
floor of the House and a decision taken on it thereafter.
"If
our friends opposite genuinely and sincerely believed that there had been a
breach of privileges and immunity of Honourable E.T. Mensah, and if there has
been any affront to the dignity of Parliament by any individual or
organization, sitting on Tuesday, May 14, provided the best opportunity for
them to bring it to the attention of the House", he said.
The Deputy
Majority Leader said the NDC failed to do this, and "as I speak, the full
facts of their complaint have not been brought to the attention of
Parliament".
He,
therefore, urged the NDC MPs to reconsider their action to abstain from the
work of Parliament and rather take the necessary procedural steps to enable
Parliament as a body, to deal with their complaint.
More…/
'BNI acted
in accordance with the Constitution'
The
Minister of the Interior, Alhaji Malik Alhassan Yakubu, has defended the arrest
and detention of Mr E. T. Mensah, NDC MP for Ningo-Prampram, by the Bureau of
National Investigations (BNI) over the Nima riot saying the action taken
against him was done in strict accordance with constitutional and statutory
provisions and in the supreme interest of the nation.
The
minister, therefore, described the action taken by the NDC MPs in boycotting
Parliament for four days in solidarity with the arrest and detention of Mr
Mensah as a misconceived position.
More…/
'Mallam
Isa's suitcase wasn't tampered with'
An
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Mr V. B. Garibah, on Thursday told a
High Court in Accra that the suitcase in which Mallam Ali Yusuf Isa, the
ex-Youth and Sports Minister claims contained the $46,000 belonging to the
Ghana Football Association (GFA) was not tampered with.
He said
when the suitcase was examined during investigations into the loss of the
money, it was detected that there was a dent on it with a small hole.
He
explained that the hole was too small to enable anybody to gain access to the
contents of the suitcase.
ASP Garibah
made these revelations upon cross-examination by Mr Ambrose Dery, counsel for
Mallam Isa.
Mallam Isa
has pleaded not guilty to two counts of stealing and fraudulently causing
financial loss to the state and has been granted bail in the sum of 500 million
cedis with a surety to be justified.
ASP
Garibah, who was part of the investigating team, told the court that suitcases
such as the one Mallam Isa was using have security code which make it difficult
for anybody to gain access to the contents except the owners.
He said it
will take between eight and 24 hours for even experts to go through all the
processes to open suitcase.
The witness
said if even the security code are used to open the suitcase, it would be
difficult for any one to gain access into it, since it is also locked with
keys.
He said
access could only be gained into the suitcase when the owner does not use the
keys to lock it and the security code is applied.
When asked
by counsel for Mallam Isa whether any other mechanism, like a master key, apart
from the original key could be used to open the suitcase, ASP Garibah said he
has no idea.
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8
organizations donate 147m cedis
Eight
organizations on Thursday donated a total of 147 million cedis to the
government to cater for the victims of last, Wednesday's Accra stadium disaster
which claimed 126 lives, according to The Evening News.
The
organisations were the National Council of the Association of Ghana Industries
(AGI) which donated 10 million cedis worth of assorted drugs and Ghana Chamber
of Mines which also donated 50 million cedis.
Ashanti
Goldfields Company (AGC) donated 50 million cedis, while the National Tailors
and Dress makers Association donated 2 million cedis with CDH Financial
Holding, giving out 5 million cedis.
Ghana South
African Chamber of Commerce donated 34 million cedis with Stephen Appiah, a
member of the Senior National Team, the Black Stars donating 3 million cedis.
The Chief
of Staff and Minister of Presidential Affairs, Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, who
received the donations thanked the donors for the gesture and assured that it
would be used for the purpose for which the money was donated.
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Tower
endangers Aeroplane
The
Dispatch says without the knowledge of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, a
180-foot steel tower has been erected at a site believed to be about 700 feet
above sea level and within a very short flying time from the Kotoka International
Airport.
Officials
of the GCAA, the regulatory body that approves the erection of all radio,
telecommunications and constructional towers, described the attitude of the
owners in putting up the tower without obtaining a permit as callous.
The tower
is said to have the potential of bringing about a major disaster.
The
Dispatch gathered these facts when it decided to investigate why a tower of
that height had not been equipped with a warning light two weeks after its
erection.
It was
revealed that the tower, whose height will be increased soon to serve as a
radio and television transmitter, belongs to Pearl Communications, a new
audio-visual broadcasting company.
It is sited
on the Atomic Hills where aircrafts regularly fly at very low altitude on the
way to land at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).
Pearl
Communications is said to be a joint venture between some Chinese investors and
a Ghanaian counterpart.
Mr Frank
Akrasi, the Site Supervisor for Lordican Limited, the engineering firm contracted
to install the transmitter, told the paper that the Electricity Company of
Ghana (ECG) was awaiting the completion of a generator house where a metre will
be fixed to supply power and enable the installation of a warning light. He was
optimistic that a warning light would be fixed within two weeks.
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Ghanaian's
death in stadium shakes US community
The
Ghanaian Chronicle carries that four weeks ago, Nana Akwasi Berfi Asimeng, 46,
left his Auduborn Avenue apartment in Alexandria, Virginia, for Accra, his nine
years of work as an illegal immigrant in the US having finally changed.
He had
received his residence permit from the US Immigration and Naturalisation
Service (INS), and his decision to holiday in Ghana for the first time since
his arrival here was in celebration of this sought-after dream of many illegal
immigrants in America.
The trip to
Accra, according to the Chronicle, however turned out to be the last stretch of
journey Akwasi would ever make alive. He never had the opportunity to say
goodbye to his African American wife, Mauryn Asimeng, and her three children.
Mauryn and
the Ghanaian community here were stunned early this week by news from Accra
that Akwasi had been identified by INS documents found in his pocket as one of
the victims of last Wednesday's Accra Sports Stadium disaster that left over
126 people dead. The disaster occurred when police fired tear gas into
spectators after a top local soccer match between Accra Hearts of Oak and
Kumasi Asante Kotoko.
The news of
Akwasi's death has further unlocked the pains of Ghanaians in this Alexandria
neighbourhood where Twi, Ga, and other local Ghanaian dialects are commonly
spoken.
Other
Ghanaians here are reported to have lost relatives and family members in the
soccer disaster.
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Kumasi
mourns its 13 dead
The Daily
Guide says the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council (ARCC) in collaboration
with the Asanteman Council will erect a plaque for the 13 souls in the region
who lost their lives during the "May 9, Black Wednesday" tragic
incident at the Accra Sports Stadium.
This is to
serve as a commemoration for the benefit of Ghanaians both in the country and
abroad as a reminder of the national catastrophe. The actual place (cenotaph)
is yet to be decided.
Mr S. A.
Manu, Deputy Regional Coordinating Director announced this on Thursday in
Kumasi at an emotional meeting between the Regional Funeral Planning Committee
of the Accra Sports Stadium disaster and the bereaved families.
Concerning
the funeral preparations, he suggested to the bereaved families to endeavour to
organize a mass funeral celebration so as to curtail huge cost that could be
involved and also bury all the dead at a particular cemetery.
He asked
the bereaved families to obtain death certificates from the respective hospital
mortuaries where their loved ones were deposited in order to enable them to
claim the 2.5 million cedis package announced by the government.
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Stadium
probe starts sitting
Public
hearing into the Stadium disaster, according to The Accra Mail, began at the
Teachers Hall in Accra on Thursday. The chairman, Mr Sam Okudzeko, asked for a
minute silence for the dead.
The Match
Commissioner, Mr Godwill Geraldo De Lima was the first witness and two members
of the Central Coordinating Committee of the Accra Sports Stadium, Mr. Richard
Quarshie and Mr Seth Dwamena were cross-examined by Mr M.F. Riberio, Counsel
for the Commission. They briefed the Commission on measures adopted in a series
of meetings to provide adequate security and medical services for the match.
Among the
personalities at the maiden session were Brigadier George Brock, Chief
Executive of the National Sports Council (NSC), Mr Harry Zakkour, chairman of
Hearts of Oak, Mr Herbert Mensah, Chairman of Asante Kotoko, Mr Kwame Amoah
Bosompem, Executive Member of Kotoko and Mr. Nelson Ofori of the Ministry of
Youth and Sports.
Mr Okudzeto
informed the public gathering that the national and international interest
generated by the tragedy and its aftermath had necessitated a public hearing of
the proceedings.
He assured
witnesses of protection under the law as they come forward to offer their
stories. The Commission has one month to submit its findings and make
recommendations to the President.
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Top NDC men
in court today
The Weekend
Statesman says even as an Accra High Court was Thursday granting the Ghana
government the right to take over the assets of the beleaguered Quality Grain
company, five former government officials who played an active role in getting
loan approvals for the company were being prepared for court today.
An official
of the Attorney-General's Department told The Statesman that the former Finance
Minister Kwame Peprah, former Agriculture Minister Ibrahim Adam, former Chief
of Staff Nana Ato Dadzie, former Chief Director, Ministry of Agriculture, Dr
Sam Dapaah and former legal advisor, Ministry of Finance are being arraigned
before court to answer charges of causing financial loss to the state.
Kwame
Peprah is said to have given approval of, and given guarantees for, the several
loans for Quality Grain without seeking the approval of Parliament, in blatant
violation of the Constitution.
Ibrahim
Adam, former Minister of Food and Agriculture, is said to have introduced
Juliet Cotton to the Ministry of Finance and promoted her as an accomplished,
commercial scale rice producer. He is also said to have used the resources of
the Ministry of Agriculture to acquire the Aveyime land for the project.
Dr Samuel
Dapaah is said to have assisted his boss, Ibrahim Adam, in facilitating the
grant of the loans, when he knew that was contrary to the laws of the land.
Dr Georges
Sikpah-Yankey is said to have facilitated the transfer of loan funds into the
personal bank accounts of Juliet Cotton, Chief Executive of the Quality Grain
Company Ghana Limited.
Nana Ato
Dadzie is said to have supervised the granting of additional loans and causing
further financial loss, even when it was clear that the initial loans had been
lost by the state through fraud and incompetence.
Quality
Grain Company, headed by an American woman, Juliet Cotton, saddled the country
with a debt of $21 million in loans that were fraudulently guaranteed by
Ghanaian government officials.
Ms Cotton
was recently fined $7 million by an Atlanta USA, Court. Her partners in Quality
Grain had sued her for using the company's money to live a flamboyant life. She
claimed that she used part of the money to buy Mercedes Benz and Jaguar cars to
host former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings on a visit to the US.
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NDC
congratulates newly appointed DCE
A leading
member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Adam Adu Marshall, has
appealed to party supporters to co-operate with the new Nanumba District Chief
Executive (DCE), Alhaji Muhammed Faami Iddi in his efforts at developing the
area, writes the Ghana Palaver.
Mr Marshall
made the call when he led executives of the party, including the former
District Chief Executive, Mr Amidu Seidu, to congratulate Alhaji Iddi on his
confirmation as the DCE.
He said the
district is deprived and, therefore, needed the efforts of all to enhance its
rapid development.
Mr Marshall
noted that any disunity among the people would affect the progress of the
district.
Alhaji Iddi
assured them of a transparent administration and urged them to bury their
political and ethnic differences.
He promised
to sustain the prevailing peace in the area and to ensure that enough revenue
is mobilized for the development of the area.
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