Nine Ports staff held
Customs procedures are too cumbersome
Mampong Centre's has produced 36 herbal
medicines
Leave us out of suit
GFA reports Togo FA to FIFA
The Minister of Lands and Forestry, Professor
Kasim Kasanga, has announced the government’s plans to return a number of vested
lands to their rightful owners.
According to a Daily Graphic story, he
disclosed that compensation totaling more than 800 billion cedis on state
acquired lands, would also be paid.
Prof Kasanga in an interview in Accra on Wednesday,
named the one mile radius Winneba land (roundabout), one mile Kumasi (fort)
land, and the Sunyani and Nkawkaw lands as some of the vested lands to be
returned to their owners.
He said the economic and political reasons for
which some of these lands were vested in the state are no longer tenable, hence
the need to review the ownership as part of measures to restore confidence and
order in land administration in the country.
More…/
Three Nkrumahist parties have said the merging
of their forces will mark a new watershed in the country’s political history.
The parties said even though the path to unity is strewn with difficulties,
they would not retreat in the face of such difficulties since that would amount
to betrayal of the expectations of the teeming adherents of the tradition.
According to a document signed by the
leadership of the People’s National Convention (PNC), the Convention People’s
Party (CPP), and the National Reform Party (NRP), the parties said, “unity
cannot be just bureaucratic but a yearning for a qualitative change in the
living standards of the people.”
It said the parties must actually move beyond
the issuing of statements that clarify situations, to leading actions that
begin to change them.
More…/
The Central Regional Executive Committee of the
New Patriotic Party (NPP) has suspended, indefinitely, seven executive members
of the Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam Constituency branch of the party for misconduct.
A Graphic story named the affected persons as
Messrs John Otchere, First Vice-Chairman; John Mensah, Second Vice-Chairman;
Ato Dadzie, Acting Secretary and Stephen Dadzie, Treasurer. Others are Miss
Maud Amoah, Women’s Organiser, Mr Kenneth Otchere, Youth Organiser and Mr
Joseph Otchere, Propaganda Secretary.
A release by the Regional Secretary, Albert
Essuman, stated that the affected executive members together with James
Appiah-Mensah, the suspended constituency chairman, conspired to cause a publication
in a weekly after they had been advised to rescind their decision by the
party’s general secretary.
It said the publication sought to create
discord and factionalism within the party and to bring it into disrepute and
public ridicule.
The release said soon after the publication,
the regional executive committee summoned the executives to a meeting and asked
them to retract the story within a week, which they reluctantly did. It
explained that the suspension is in accordance with articles 3 (f) and 4 (a) of
the party’s constitution.
More…/
The Custom Excise and Preventive Services
(CEPS) will from early next year operate a fully computerised Customs Automated
System as part of measures to reduce corruption and ensure fast and efficient
clearance of goods at the ports.
The $6 million project, which is almost
completed is made up of the Ghana Customs Management Systems (GCMS) and Ghana
Community Network (GCNET), which will be connected to the various interest
groups interacting with CEPS in the import and export trade.
The Commissioner of CEPS, Mr I.K.
Opoku-Ntiamoah, disclosing this to the Graphic on Wednesday said the system
would reduce time spent by importers at the Long Room, cut interpersonal
contacts between CEPS officials and customers considerably, as well as enable
importers to send their declarations to CEPS in an electronic form.
More…/
The America Chamber of Commerce (Ghana) and the
Corporate Council for Africa (US) have thrown their weight behind the
America-Ghana Partners in Development Trade and Investment Exhibition and
Conference scheduled for September, next year.
A statement issued in Accra by the American
Chamber of Commerce (Ghana) said owning to some recent unfortunate events,
there appears to be confusion in the minds of the business community with
regards to the validity of the exhibition, first ever in the country.
It gave the assurance that the two bodies are
in full support of the event being promoted by Expo Promotions, which is a
Ghanaian company.
The statement said the American Chamber of
Commerce considers the exhibition the best opportunity for Ghana to showcase to
the world that this is the “Golden Age of Business” and provide a platform to
establish her capacity as the business gateway to West Africa.
It explained that the chamber worked towards
the development of the event, which culminated in a highly successful official
launch and preview on Tuesday, attended by a cross section of the business
community.
According to the statement, the two bodies have
a common objective of promoting commercial and economic ties between the United
States and Ghana adding that, “In furtherance of this objective, Expo
Promotions approached the chamber in May 2001, to collaborate with them in
hosting and the development of a world-class trade show that promotes business
opportunities for US and Ghanaian businesses.”
The Graphic on Tuesday, however reported that
British national and General Manager of Expo Promotions, Tim Gros, has been
arrested and placed in custody by personnel of the Ghana Immigration Service
(GIS) for breaking the country’s immigration laws.
The arrest, followed an official complaint by
the Ghana Trade Fair Company (GTFC) that Gros had caused to be advertised a
‘USA-Ghana exhibition’ fair to be held at the Ghana Trade Fair Centre next
September, and to be organised by Expo Promotions.
Gros according to the GTFC “has no resident
permit nor valid work permit to enable him to organise any business activity in
Ghana.”
GRi…/
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Nine Ports staff held
A syndicate within the Ghana Ports and Harbours
Authority (GPHA) at Tema, has succeeded in siphoning over ¢600 million since
April through 'ghost names'. Nine people, all officers, suspected to be
members, all officers of the pay office and internal audit and clerks at the
cocoa shed have been placed in police custody to assist in investigations.
The Ghanaian Times says the deal was uncovered
following an internal reshuffling exercise carried out in September by the new
Director-General of GPHA, Ben Owusu-Mensah, who was then in an acting position.
According to Mr Nestor P. Galley, Acting
Director of Port, the syndicate prepared its own supplementary list of casual
workers and succeeded in collecting daily payments for the 'ghost workers'. Due
to the large number of casuals, a member of the syndicate, usually collected
the pay on behalf of the 'ghost' workers and share it with other members.
Mr Galley noted that officials of the bank,
which makes the payments, were helpful in identifying those involved in the
act. He disclosed that the computeriaation of the ports systems was ongoing and
would serve as a means of eliminating the practice since any supplementary list
for payments could not go through without the involvement of management.
When contacted, a police source confirmed the
story but said that three of the suspects had been granted bail because they
were speculative suspects. The other six -four pay clerks and two audit staff -
are still being held.
More…/
Customs procedures are too cumbersome
The Minister of Private Sector Development,
Kwamena Bartels, on Tuesday, deplored the cumbersome procedures in the clearing
of goods at the Tema Harbour and said that they were adversely affecting the
promotion of trade and investment in the country.
According to him, some of the procedures were
deliberate acts of the clearing agents and port officials and a ploy to extort
monies from frustrated importers, who could not afford the delay of their
goods.
Mr Bartels told the pre-launch in Accra of the
First ever business-to-business trade and investment fair, that the
government's declaration of the Golden Age of Business was beginning to take
shape, but emphasised that it could only be a success if some of those negative
practices at the ports of entry were stopped.
He indicated that the government would resource
the banks to enable them further reduce interest rates and be able to grant
loans on a long-term basis.
More…/
Mampong Centre's has produced 36 herbal
medicines
The Centre for Scientific Research into Plant
Medicine (CSRMPM) at Mampong Akuapem has in its "armoury" 36
different herbal medicines that can fight various diseases, which affect human
beings.
Prof. Oppong Boachie, Executive Director of the
Centre, disclosed this in Accra at the official launching of a new herbal drug
- NPR 250 - a pain-relieving capsule manufactured by Danafco, a local
pharmaceutical company.
The drug, which is also capable of treating
abdominal colic, menstrual and bodily pains, was a collaborative effort of the
centre and Danafco.
Prof. Boachie called on pharmaceutical and drug
manufacturing companies to collaborate with the centre to turn the various
herbal products at the centre into capsules and tablets. He said the centre had
the human and material capabilities to turn herbal medicines into ointments,
capsules, tablets and tea bags.
GRi…/
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Leave us out of suit
The Attorney-General on Wednesday moved a
motion at the Accra Fast Track court seeking an order to strike out its name as
the first defendant in a civil suit instituted by Alhaji Yusif Ibrahim against
the State and two others.
Alhaji Yusif has sued the Attorney General
(AG), Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and its former Chief Executive, Nii
Adokwei Addo in his personal capacity for the wrongful demolition of his
65-bedroom Hotel premises located at Airport Residential area in Accra. The
plaintiffs are also seeking damages in cedi equivalent of $5,000,075 plus
interest and cost.
Moving the motion on the grounds as contained
in an accompanying affidavit, solicitor for the AG, Mr Clarence Kumornu stated
that a study of the plaintiffs' statement of claim did not disclose a cause of
action against the first defendant, the AG, hence he must be struck out from
the list of defendants.
The affidavit stated that plaintiffs averred in
their statement of claim to know at whose instance the demolition was carried
out.
It said plaintiffs also knew that the
demolition was at the instance of second and third defendants (AMA and Nii
Adokwei Addo respectively) and therefore they should sue them without bringing
in the AG as a defendant.
It added that the second defendant is not a
State or Government Ministry, Department or Agency for the AG to be added as an
additional defendant.
More…/
GFA reports Togo FA to FIFA
After several unsuccessful attempts at making the
Togolese Football Association honour an agreement it entered with Obuasi
Goldfields Sporting Club, the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has finally
drawn the attention of FIFA to the lackadaisical behaviour of the Togolese
soccer authorities.
The Togolese were supposed to have paid an
appearance fee of one million six hundred thousand CFA to Goldfields as
fulfillment of their part of the contract they signed with the miners early
this year.
The two clubs in January this year, entered
into a two-leg international friendly match agreement. According to a
Goldfields letter to the GFA dated June 26, 2001 and signed by Kwasi Owoahene
Acheampong the club's Accra representative, the agreement stipulated that the
parties were to pay each other an appearance fee, provide accommodation and
feeding for 18 players and five officials.
Goldfields, accordingly, honoured their part of
the agreement when the Togolese national football team played the miners in
Obuasi last January, but the Togolese federation violated part one of the
agreement and refused to pay the appearance fee when Goldfields honoured the
return leg in Lome on March 4, 2001.
Every possible approach was made to the
Togolese Football Federation to see reason and fully redeem their part of the
agreement but Goldfields efforts fell on rocks. The miners even alleged that Mr
Kobla Poku, a former employee of the club who was tasked to chase the money was
detained by the Togolese security.
GRi…/
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I’m a stranger in NPP - Hawa Yakubu
Speaking on a popular GTV programme,
“Kweku-One-On-One” last Sunday she said there were many people in the NPP who
had made her felt that she was a stranger. She said there are many in the party
who would have wished that she does not open her mouth at all. That she must be
mum and not comment on things if she sees them going wrong.
Madam Hawa Yakubu said the three Northern
Regions were short-changed at the negotiation table. She revealed that there
was a negotiation that made a northerner to step down for Eddie Annan for the
National Vice Chairman’s position, adding that although the National Organiser,
Lord Commey, is good material, he was supposed to have stood down for somebody
from the Northern part of this country.
The Iron Lady said although she enjoys the
support and patronage of President Kufuor she feels disgusted at the attitude
of some top-men in the party who seek to isolate her and make her irrelevant.
GRi…/
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Maria Djentuh's property demolished
The Chronicle reports that armed personnel from
the Regional Striking Force Unit on Tuesday supervised the demolition of landed
property belonging to Mariah O'Sulivan Djentuh at the Accra suburb of
Okpoi-Gonno.
The police personnel, according to the paper’s
gatherings, did not take part in the demolition but supervised the enforcement
of the court order issued by Justice Ofoe’s High court.
The regional Police Commander, Dr. K.K. Manfo,
when reached said he instructed the police to accompany the court bailiffs to
the demolition site based on request in a letter signed by the court registrar,
Mr W.K. Abowu, to release 25 armed police men to supervise the demolition in
order to avert any clash.
Dr Manfo said in order to make sure the police
did not personally take part in the activity, "I was on line asking them
about movement and the police did not take part", adding that the police
were only there on court request to supervise the demolition.
Mariah Djentuah in a telephone interview on
Tuesday blamed the police for demolishing her landed property without showing
her any court order authorising the action.
She said, when she confronted the police at the
site, they claimed they were enforcing a court order but it was not showed to
her and she was not aware of any such order from the high court.
In a letter dated August 28, 2001 addressed to
the Regional Commander of the Striking Force and signed by W.K. Abowu, the high
court registrar, it was stated that, "Deputy Sheriff officers attached to
the High Court, Accra would be executing writ of possession on Tuesday 4th
day of September, 2001 at 5.30am at Okpoi-Gonno".
The letter also stated that, "to forestall
any breach of the peace that may arise, it would be greatly appreciated if
twenty-five (25) armed policemen could be detailed to assist the officers to
execute the writ and witness same". The letter was headlined "Abcona
Construction Limited and Unauthorised developers."
Chronicle says when it asked Dr Manfo why the
demolition could not take place on September 4, 2001 as stated by the letter of
request, he replied that to determine the genuineness of the writ of
possession, he wrote back to the court registrar for confirmation in writing. His
letter to the court registrar was dated 28 September 2001.
GRi…/
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The attempt by Ghana's Inspector General of
Police (IGP), Ernest Owusu Poku and Superintendent Opare Addo (Head of
Interpol) to disregard, undermine and ridicule the administration of justice in
this country has been rejected by the superior court of Judicature in the High
Court of Justice, says The Crusading Guide.
Having shown all signs of disrespect for Judge
Yaw Appau’s order for them (IGP and Opare Addo) to release a Mecedes Benz Car
to Joseph Ekow Baasie Haizel, Judge Yaw Appau was compelled last Monday
(November 12, 2001) to warn the IGP and Opare Addo of his readiness to issue a
Bench Warrant for their arrest if they do not show up in the next sitting (26
November 2001).
The High Court Judge stated that nobody
(including the IGP and Opare Addo) in this country was above the Law. "The
other day I was telling one of the Supreme Court judges that if there is a
Bench Warrant for the arrest of the IGP, which police officer can go to him and
say 'you are under arrest'", Judge Appau lamented to the Court. "This
is the problem we have in the Third World," he added.
The High Court judge intimated that such
behaviour could not be seen in advanced countries. "I would make the order
and see how it would be effected,” he said, looking directly into the face of Philip
Addison, Counsel for Ekow Haizel.
Philip Addison then submitted that it was his
wish to see the case get to the stage where the IGP was arrested and kept
behind bars. "That is why Africa has a problem because some of us think we
are above the Law," said the judge.
The IGP and Opare-Addo were on 19th
June 2001 ordered by the court to release Ekow Haizel's Mecedes Benz. The
hearing of the application was fixed for 12th July 2001 with all
respondents served, but the IGP and his men could not show up. They were served
again on the 18th July 2001 to no avail.
The conduct of the senior law enforcement
officers constituted a gross contempt of the court and an affront to the rule
of law, argued a legal practitioner.
More…/
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Owusu
Poku and Interpol boss, Opare Addo, have been exposed in the bid to perpetually
seize a Mercedes Benz car C240 belonging to Jobesh Car Rentals Limited, writes
the Crusading Guide.
According to the paper, contrary to the IGP’s
claim as published in last Tuesday’s edition of this paper that the Police in
conjunction with the Attorney General’s Department had taken “steps to set
aside an order of prohibition and release of the Mercedes Benz Car,” as
directed by a High Court earlier, a directive from the Attorney General’s
Department has specifically instructed courteously that the Attorney General
(AG) “would appreciate” the IGP’s “immediate compliance with the terms of the
prohibition order”.
The AG’s directive, which was signed by Ursula
Owusu Adjei, Special Assistant to the AG was received by the IGP on 12th
October 2001.
According to the directive, despite the High Court’s
order being brought to the notice of all respondents - Opare-Addo, the Circuit
Tribunal and the IGP, the vehicle had still not been released to Joseph Ekow
Baisie Haizel, Managing Director of Jobesh Car Rentals Ltd.
It said, “under the current NPP administration,
which has respect for the rule of law high on its agenda, this continuing
disregard of a court order by the Law Enforcement Agencies, including no less a
person than the Inspector General of Police, is not only unfortunate, but a
source of embarrassment to the government. Kindly take steps to correct this
situation within the shortest possible time.”
It however added that the AG would be grateful
if the IGP “could investigate the allegations made against Supt Opare Addo” in
a petition that had been forwarded to the AG’s office by Jobesh Car Rentals Ltd
and if found true, to sanction him for his conduct.”
GRi…/
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