Goldfields Ghana Ltd. sued for demolishing houses
Education
fund targets ¢539b by end of December
Returns on treasury bills now taxable
'We've not abandoned Soussoudis case'
Edumadze calls for unity in NPP
The Police are lying
Two prisons officers in trouble over rifles
President John Kufuor has pledged to Canada and all friends of Ghana that his government will defend the country’s hard won democracy up to the hilt to ensure that contributions made by countries such as Canada in promoting democratic governance become meaningful, the Daily Graphic reports.
He said Canada, during Ghana’s last general elections, played a most significant role by providing logistics that ensured a free and fair elections.
President Kufuor said this at a state banquet held in his honour by the Governor-General of Canada, Madam Adrienne Clarkson, at the Rideau Hall in Ottawa, Canada. He noted that during the long years when Ghana’s politics was in turmoil and the economy crumbling, Canada never gave up on Ghana, but stayed on to give the encouragement and support needed to steer the country back to democratic rule.
He said all these were done in an atmosphere of genuine care and without trace of condescension. The President said it is a matter of great pride to Ghanaians that today, the country can be counted among the democratic nations of the world, and saluted Canada for her role.
In the short time that the government has been in office, he said, “we have demonstrated our commitment to accountability and the principles of good governance.”
According to him, he and his team are doing their best to ensure that “we run a clean and accountable government and really appreciate the help we continue to receive” from friendly nations like Canada to assist in building and straightening the country’s institutions.
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An environmental specialist and consultant, Mr S.B. Akuffo, has challenged the quality and findings of investigations conducted by the Water Resources Commission into the cyanide spillage which polluted Asuman River three weeks ago.
He said analyzing the samples of the water with regard to “the levels of cyanide contamination does not mean anything” and one cannot base scientific conclusions on it. Commenting on the findings of the Water Resources Commission, which described water in the Asuman River as “safe and does not pose any danger to the health of humans, flora and fauna, Mr Akuffo, said a number of factors, including the chemical content of water, normally are taken into consideration in such analysis to arrive at an acceptable conclusion.
The investigations, directed by the Minister of Environment and Science, Professor Dominic Fobih, were necessitated by the October 16 cyanide spillage in the Wassa West District of the Western Region by Goldfields Ghana Limited (GGL), a mining firm operating in the area.
A number of residents in the catchment area of the firm and the Wassa Association of Communities Affected by Mining (WACAM), a MineWatch NGO, called for a thorough investigation to ascertain the cause of the spillage and resultant damage to the ecology.
A number of residents also complained of suffering and infections.
The flow of the highly toxic substance, according to the paper, killed some life forms in the river Asuman, which flows into Huni River. Asuman and Huni rivers are the source of drinking water for Abekuase, Huniso and many other villages.
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Goldfields Ghana Ltd. sued for demolishing houses
One hundred and forty three residents of Samahu, a village near Tarkwa in the Western Region, have initiated an action at the Tarkwa High Court to restrain Goldfields Ghana Limited (GGL), a gold mining company at Tarkwa, from further undertaking surface mining in the area and demolishing their houses.
They are also claiming unspecified damages from the company for nuisance and the unlawful destruction of their houses. Also joined in the suit is Nana Kofi Ammo, the Odikro of the village, for aiding the company in the destruction of the houses.
The plaintiffs are seeking an order of the court to compel the first defendant to either resettle them or pay them compensation for the damage caused to their property. Alternatively, the plaintiffs want independent valuers to value the destroyed property for the company to either pay the appropriate compensation or resettle them.
In their statement of claim, the plaintiffs said while they are all residents of Samahu, the GGL is a lawfully registered company with its headquarters in Accra. According to the plaintiffs, on February 18, 1997, the first defendant caused armed men to demolish their houses at Samahu. They claim that the Odikro aided the company in the demolition of the houses and described the behavior of the two defendants as unlawful and unwarranted.
They claim that as a result of the action of the defendants, they have had to live with friends or rent rooms to live with their families.
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Education
fund targets ¢539b by end of December
The
Ghanaian Times reports that the Ghana Education Trust Fund (Get fund) has
targeted to receive a minimum of ¢539 billion from the period July 2000 to
December 2001. As at October 25, 2001 however, the total amount deposited into
the fund by the Bank of Ghana (BOG) stood at ¢120.814 billion.
The
Minister of Finance, through the Minister of Education, has however given the
assurance that the shortfall of ¢418.814 billion would be deposited by BOG by
December 2001.
Dr Sylvia
Boye, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the fund said these at a news
conference in Accra on Monday. She said the amount represented the 2.5 per cent
Value Added Tax (VAT) deduction, which was the main source of revenue for the
fund.
The
chairman said the Board had so far disbursed over ¢86 billion to some
institutions and agencies since its inception. Dr. Boye said other fund raising
activities as mandated by the Act establishing the fund had also yielded ¢462
billion.
The Board
says it would disburse a total of ¢497 billion to all levels of educational
institutions in the country.
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Mr Kwabena
Kesse, Chief Executive Officer of Kessben Group of Companies, has made it
categorically clear that he has no intention of becoming the Chief Executive of
Kumasi Asante Kotoko Football Club.
Speaking to
the Times he said he is a mere supporter of the club and so people should not
conceive the idea that the ¢10 million donation he and Mr Owusu Asare gave to
the club to boost the moral of the players to beat arch-rivals Accra Hearts of
Oak in their September 16 titanic league match was a way of lobbying to become
the club’s Chief Executive.
Mr Kesse
was reacting to stories in a section of the sports papers and on some FM radio
stations that he and some other people were lobbying for the top post of
Kotoko. He explained that Kotoko has always been the club of his heart and
wants to help the club sometimes.
“Just
before Kotoko played Accra Hearts of Oak at the Kumasi Sports Stadium, I felt
the need to motivate the players. So together with Mr Sylvester Owusu Asare,
Managing Director of Silver Crest Investments Limited, we promised some items
to the playing body and also promised to give them ¢10 million should they beat
their arch rivals.”
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Returns on treasury bills now taxable
With effect from November 15, corporate investors in money market instruments will be required to pay 10 per cent on their investment income. This is applicable to companies and organizations, which invest in treasury bills, call accounts, fixed deposits, overnight placement among others.
However, individual investors are exempted from the payment of the withholding tax.
Leading the crusade for the deduction of withholding tax on interest payments is the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which is under a lot of pressure from government to increase its revenue collection.
Already, there have been series of meeting and correspondence between the IRS and the Ghana Association of Bankers regarding the setting of the deadline for effective the deductions.
Though it was uncertain how much revenue could be accrued from its implementation, money market dealers estimate that government stand to earn billions of cedis. Investigations show that financial institutions such as finance houses, discount houses and the banks are gearing up to start effecting the payments of the withholding taxes.
The Internal Revenue Act, 592 (2000) makes it lawful for the 10 per cent rate of withholding tax to be applicable to interest payments. Until last year when the law was promulgated, interest income was generally not being taxed.
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'We've not abandoned Soussoudis case'
The Attorney-General's (AG) Department has stated that it is still studying the docket on Michael Soussoudis' case and will take the necessary appropriate steps, according to The Evening News.
"It is not deliberate that the AG's Department is delaying the case since the police have already finished their investigations and submitted the docket to us," said Miss Gloria Akuffo, Deputy Attorney-General and Minister of Justice.
She was speaking to the paper in Accra on Friday in reaction to a statement made in court by the prosecutor in the case that they are still waiting for advice from the AG's Department since they had not heard anything from them for quite a long time and therefore was not sure of what was going on.
The Deputy Minister said the docket on Soussoudis is among other dockets currently being worked on by the AG's office. She said the case is so delicate for the police to handle "and it is only the AG's Department that can prosecute cases of such magnitude."
"The AG's Department is doing everything within its powers to ensure that there is expeditious trial. It is therefore wrong for people to say that we have no adequate evidence to prosecute the case," she said.
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Edumadze calls for unity in NPP
The Central Regional Minister, Mr Isaac Edumadze, has urged members of the New Patriotic Party to unite and work in close collaboration towards the success of the new administration. He said that the strength and unity of the party was crucial for the development of the nation.
Mr Edumadze who was addressing party activists and agents at the weekend at Elmina cautioned against acts, which could undermine the progress of the party.
The occasion was to honour party agents for their commitment and hard work, which ensured victory for the party in the last December elections.
The Minister advised the members to avoid divisiveness and petty squabbles and live in unity and peace. He also called for patience and understanding among the members and urged them to support the government's effort to develop the country.
Mr Edumadze warned that past government officials who committed crime would not be spared stressing that they would be made to face the full rigours of the law.
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The Police are lying
W.O.I Patrick Kuntor, the ex-bodyguard of former President Rawlings, who is currently at the centre of the controversial "armed robbery" or "assassination" drama, has described parts of the preliminary police report that cast serious doubts on his claims of an attempted heist at his home, as false. According to The Ghanaian Chronicle, which carries the story, he has also appealed for the case to be put to rest.
Speaking on Radio Gold's newspaper review programme Monday morning, Kuntor described the police statement, which stated that a weapon in the form of an SMG was nothing else but a packet of firecrackers as a lie. "It is a lie, I saw a weapon and the watchman even stated that he saw a weapon. This one, they cannot take it from me," Kuntor said.
Kuntor, who was phoned by the station to react to the Chronicle story on the police report, said he believed the people might have used bullets made of materials that do not leave marks on walls.
Contrary to the preliminary report that indicated that his watchman had told the police that he was not attacked by the alleged armed robbers, Kuntor maintained that he saw the men manhandling his watchman. "That is not true," Kuntor said, when the Chronicle's coverage of that portion of the report was read to him.
Kuntor asked why the watchman ran off in the first place if the men did not attack him, as the police report stated, rejecting a suggestion by the station that the watchman may have fled because he was scared of the four men.
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Two prisons officers in trouble over rifles
Two unserviceable assault riffles stolen from the Winneba Prisons Service, leading to an earlier interdiction of ASP Isaac Ahudey, the officer-in-charge and seven Junior officers have resulted in the demotion of the officers after service enquiry.
The Chronicle says it gathered that the Winneba Prisons is without any armoury, but had only four unserviceable rifles in its custody. Earlier information available to the paper indicated that about 40 assault rifles had been stolen from the non-existing armoury of the prisons.
But further investigations however disclosed that out of the four unserviceable assault rifles kept at the administration block for decades, two were stolen on June 1, this year.
The eight officers, it was learnt, were interdicted on June 12, this year, and a four-member committee of enquiry, headed by Assistant Director of Prisons (ADP) Yeboah, set up to investigate the theft.
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