Joint Consultative Forum wants new minimum wage implemented
National Media Commission asked to withdraw guidelines
Ghanaian arrested at airport with narcotic drugs
NMC says no misconduct by Crusading Guide on CEPS story
IGP suggests database at Interpol to monitor financial fraudsters
Kufuor nominates DCE for Akuapem South
Accra (Greater Accra) 30 May 2001
The Joint Consultative Forum on Wednesday urged the Minister of Finance to mandate the Central Management Board (CMB) to facilitate the adjustment of salaries within the civil and public sectors based on the new minimum wage.
The Forum, which comprises the Civil Servants' Association, Ghana National Association of Teachers, Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana and Ghana Registered Nurses Association, said in a statement in Accra that they expect that the new salaries would be paid in June.
"We regret to say that the inaction on the part of (the) government has created tension among members of the Forum as some of our regional branches have reported cases of threats of industrial action," it said in the statement signed by Mr Smart Chigabatia, Chairman of the Forum.
The statement said at an emergency meeting of leaders of the Forum they "observed with consternation that after the determination of the national minimum wage (of 5,500 cedis a day) as basis for negotiations, the government has not found it necessary to meet the Forum members to discuss salary adjustments for the year 2001".
It said their members are still paid on the 2000 minimum wage adding "we consider this as unfortunate since it is the responsibility of (the) government to take the lead and set the pace for other employers to follow."
The Forum referred to President John Agyekum Kufuor's call for a national debate on salary administration saying that it would want to direct efforts to the implementation of the medium to long-term wages of salary policy.
"The leadership is therefore upset by the discovery that the Minister of Finance has not given the mandate to the Central Management Board to open negotiations for salary adjustment and other conditions of service within the policy."
The Forum said the Ghana Universal Salary Structure (GUSS), which the government has not abandoned, seeks among other things to address disparities in salary levels and to put in place a rational method of remuneration in the entire public sector.
"The leadership is disappointed that instead of addressing this issue through negotiations, it has adopted a laissez-faire attitude."
The Forum appealed to its members "to rest assured that everything possible is being done to ensure that their interest is secured."
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Accra (Greater Accra) 30 May 2001
The management of Searchlight, an Accra-based newspaper, has asked the National Media Commission (NMC) to withdraw the guidelines it issued to the print and electronic media, saying they constitute direct interference in the work of the media and amount to censorship.
A release issued in Accra on Wednesday signed by Mr Kenneth Agyei Kuranchie, Managing Editor of the paper and copied to the Executive Secretary of the NMC, noted that by the promulgation of the guidelines, the commission "has broken out of its constitutional boundaries to launch a very direct attack on free expression, conscience and belief".
It said the commission's demand of editors to accord the same prominence to rejoinders as original news items and carry such rejoinders without editing and comment within a specific time frame is in direct violation of articles 167 (d) and 173 of the constitution.
The claim of the duty of NMC "policing" the media, the release said, directly contravenes article 167, the constitutional provision on the functions of the NMC.
The management of the Searchlight said it is most worried of the call by the commission for "the creation of internal mechanisms of censorship", saying such mechanisms "will obviously work under the general guidelines of the NMC, an order which is quite at variance to Article 162(2) of the 1992 Constitution".
It said if the guidelines are put into practice, they "will cause great harm to the artistic and cultural industry as it exists in the country", and also serve to retard the growth of individual thought beliefs and enterprise because "one cannot afford to think, write or profess a certain belief, unless it falls within the NMC's guidelines."
The release said media practitioners are already aware of their responsibilities and asked the Media Commission not to be hostile to the media, but rather assist them to achieve the best.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 30 May 2001
A 26-year-old Ghanaian resident in Italy, Mr Akwasi Pepra was on Tuesday night arrested by officers of the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) for possessing substance suspected to be narcotic drugs.
The suspect, who was travelling back to Italy after a two-month holiday, was arrested at the last checkpoint.
Mr Baffour Dwomoh-Jermih, officer in charge of CEPS at KIA, said upon a tip-off, surveillance was mounted at both the departure hall and the last checkpoint.
When he was initially interrogated and searched, nothing was found on him. He was therefore taken to the hospital to find out whether he had narcotic drugs concealed in his stomach.
Mr Dwomoh-Jermih said while being escorted to the hospital the suspect took to his heels just before he was to be put in a vehicle.
He was however arrested after a 30-minute chase by his escort who braved a downpour that night.
Mr Dwomoh-Jermih said the suspect confessed that he had swallowed narcotic drugs in 32 wrappers.
An X'ray photograph taken at the 37 military hospital revealed 24 oval wrappers. He has been taken back to the hospital to have the drugs expelled from his stomach.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 30 May 2001
The National Media Commission (NMC) said on Wednesday that there was no misconduct on the part of the Crusading Guide on a story it filed about
Mr E. N. Noi, Deputy Commissioner (Operations) of Customs Excise and Preventive
Service (CEPS).
It said during its settlement of a compliant lodged by Mr Noi against the Crusading Guide and the Editor-in-chief, Mr Kweku Baako, it also found that the story was not published out of malice.
"While the Commission does not want to pronounce on the truthfulness or otherwise of the allegations made against Mr. E.N Noi, which are a subject of internal investigations by CEPS, it is nevertheless of the view that the Crusading Guide had a basis for it's story, which it cannot be faulted for.
"The NMC has accordingly determined that there has been no misconduct on the part of the Crusading Guide and that the complaint fails."
The complaint was in reaction to a publication by the Crusading Guide in its 13th to 19th February 2001 issue headlined "5.2 Billion Tax evasion cover-up deal at CEPS".
The story alleged that Mr. Noi was inextricably involved in the tax evasion and was allegedly on the payroll of the company said to have evaded tax.
The publication also alleged that Mr. Noi is the nerve centre of corruption in CEPS. Mr. Noi denied all the allegations made against him by the newspaper and said they were false and maliciously published to tarnish his reputation.
The Crusading Guide in its response, stated that the publication was based on information obtained from officials of CEPS, adding that after several attempts to get Mr. Noi for his side of the story proved futile, it went ahead and published the story.
The newspaper also called in a Principal Collector who testified in support of its case.
The evidence of the witness shows that there is an on-going investigation by CEPS into the question of tax evasion by the company to the tune of 5.3 billion cedis and Mr Noi had allegedly ordered his subordinate officers not to pursue the matter further.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 30 May 2001
The Ghana Police Service will support the establishment of a database at Interpol, Ghana to enable law enforcement agencies, banking and financial institutions to monitor the negative activities of money launderers and financial fraudsters, Mr. Ernest Owusu-Poku, Acting Inspector-General of Police, said on Wednesday.
Speaking at the close of the three-day first African regional meeting on co-operation between law enforcement agencies and banking and financial institutions in Accra, Mr Owusu-Poku said the fraudsters are currently having a field day because of the secrecy in the banking sector.
"This meeting is proof of the search to minimize, if not to eradicate, all types of financial crimes in our banking and financial institutions not only in Ghana but all over the world, especially in Africa," he said.
Participants from over 20 countries on the continent attended the meeting, organised by the committee for Co-operation between Law Enforcement Agencies and Banking Communities/Interpol Ghana and Interpol General Secretariat, Lyons, France.
The meeting explored areas of fraud in financial institutions and the need for exchange of information with law enforcement agencies, activities of banks and forex bureaux in relation to money laundering and problems that inhibit the exchange of information between the banks and financial institutions.
It also looked at areas in which African countries could further collaborate to help curb commercial and financial crimes.
Mr Owusu-Poku said the Police Administration would sponsor the training of personnel who investigate such technical crimes and recruit experts in such areas to decisively deal with the crime.
He suggested to the banking and financial institutions to allot slots on their training programmes to staff of the Police service to further enhance the co-operation both at local and at the international level.
Mr Adamu A. Mohammed, Specialised Officer, Economic and Financial Crime Sub-Directorate, said the Interpol Secretariat stressed co-operation with the private sector to enable Interpol to draw expertise from diverse sectors of the economy.
He emphasised the need for collaboration in effectively fighting against commercial crimes saying, "we cannot do it without other continents"
Mr Adamu said Interpol has a central database for crime analysis that enables it to track down criminals from all over the world.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 30 May 2001
President John Agyekum Kufuor has nominated Mr Andrew Yaw Nyarko-Adu for approval as the District Chief Executive of Akuapem South in the Eastern Region.
This was contained in a statement issued in Accra on Wednesday by the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Mr Kwodwo Baah-Wiredu.
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