GRi Press Review
20 - 11 – 201
Save Limex from fraud
'Treat defilement cases as national concern'
'NPP Gov't must probe African Automobile Ltd'
Attorney General out of demolition case
NDC leadership dared
Media Commission scribe cautions the media
Goosie quits politics!
The 45-year old leader of the party that vowed
to put the Ghanaian first; the redoubtable politician who, perhaps, dealt the
biggest psychological blow to the electoral chances of the National Democratic
Congress (NDC) in December 2000 by leading a breakaway team to form the
National Reform Party, is retiring from politics.
Goosie Tanoh, the far from bad-looking
politician who won nationwide admiration for the positive way in which he
carried his election campaign, made this shocking revelation in a frank
three-hour talk in Accra last Saturday, according to The Statesman.
Goosie during the interview (promised to be
serialised by the paper) touched on several sensitive issues, including the
1982 murder of the three judges, the violent beginnings of the Provisional
National Defence Council (PNDC) and, the rift with his former close buddy,
Jerry John Rawlings. He also expressed the view that the ruling NPP can lay no
serious claim to understanding the mechanisms of capitalism, and that Kufuor’s
ministry is yet to devise and carve out any meaningful policy direction of
relevance to the people besides pursuing, in substance, the old agenda set out
by the NDC administration.
A political heavyweight who has been performing
with marked intrigue on the big stage of the political arena since joining the
(PNDC) at an early age in 1983, Goosie Tanoh rose to lofty heights and was even
touted as the most probable electoral asset to continue the NDC’s incumbency
after Rawlings. The man who left the NDC with several others under a blaze of
publicity to form the Reform Party says he is hanging up his gloves to spend
more time with his wife and two children aged 13 and 12 and his fledging
commodities export business.
More…/
Workers of Limex Construction Limited in Kumasi
have appealed to President John Kufuor to investigate the circumstances leading
to the overpayment of about $800,000 by the Ministry of Finance to the company
for projects undertaken since 1998.
The petition dated October 26, 2001 and signed
on behalf of the “Concerned Workers of Limex, Stone Quarry and Construction in
Kumasi” by Robert Osei-Owusu, the Financial Controller, was addressed to the
President through the Ashanti Regional Minister.
The workers also appealed to President to
“intervene to save the company from massive fraud and malfeasance being
perpetuated by people who are supposed to save the company.”
GRi…/
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A total of 482 candidates have filed their
nomination papers to contest the December 11 by-elections in 196 electoral
areas in the country at close of nominations on November 9, 2001, reports the
Ghana Palaver.
Ashanti region recorded the highest number of
101 candidates for 33 electoral areas, while Upper West region recorded the
lowest of 12 candidates for nine electoral areas.
Mr Henry Okyne, the Electoral Commission (EC)
Director of Public Affairs, said in an interview in Accra last Friday that a
total of 29 candidates were unopposed while two electoral areas in the Western and
Greater Accra regions had no contestants.
The two areas are Asuentaa in the Juabeso-Bia
District of the Western Region and Dzorwulu in the Ayawaso Sub-metro in the Ga
District of the Greater Accra Region.
Mr Okyne said the Commission was mopping up
information on why people in the affected areas failed to file for nominations,
especially in the Dzorwulu area, a former seat of Mr Isaac Amoo who is now an
MP for Ayawaso West Wuogon.
Mr Okyne said the by-elections were to fill
vacancies at the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies created as a
result of deaths, vacation of post or elevation to higher positions of former
assembly members.
GRi…/
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After all the speculations and tight scrutiny
of CVs for a top class technical brain to assist the senior national team, the
Black Stars, the government has now taken a definite stand not to employ any
foreign coach, at least not for he 2002 Nations Cup finals in Mali.
According to the Graphic Sports, Youth and
Sports Minister, Edward Osei Kwaku, declared the government’s position on the
matter in an interview he granted the paper at Koforidua last Sunday, after
watching the premier league football encounter between Suhum Maxbees and Obuasi
Goldfields, which Maxbees won 1-0.
In spite of the expressed concessions, expected
from some of the countries with whom Ghana maintains strong diplomatic
relations, Mr Osei Kwaku said employing an expatriate coach would still impose
on the nation, a substantial financial burden almost impossible to cop with in
times like these.
The Ghana Football Association has lately
turned the searchlight on Europe for a top class coach, with deep knowledge of
the African game, to assist technical director Fred Osam Duodu to steer the
Black Stars game plan at the Nations Cup in January.
From an initial list of five including a
Portuguese, a German and an Italian, Frenchman Claude Le Roy emerged as the
FA’s favourite and Chairman Ben Koufie was expected to make a trip to France to
seal the deal.
Le Roy’s vast experience in African football as
coach of five-time World Cup finalists Cameroon and also of Senegal, placed him
ahead of the others and there were suggestions that aspects of a cultural
agreement between Ghana and France would be invoked to ease the financial load
for Ghana.
There were further revelations that one of a
number of firms that had expressed sponsorship interest in the national team,
Adidas, had pledged to take up the expatriate coach’s remunerations as part of
its sponsorship package.
Nonetheless, Mr Osei Kwaku indicated that the
services of a foreign coach would still leave Ghana with a monthly expenditure
of at least $20,000 on the coach alone in these HIPC times.
Former Youth and Sports Minister, E.T. Mensah,
cited similar huge financial implications as reasons for not renewing the
contract of Ghana’s immediate past expatriate coach Giuseppe Dossena after CAN
2000.
The latest disclosure by Mr Osei Kwaku leaves
the technical direction of the Black Stars at Mali 2002 in the hands of the
FA’s Technical Director Fred Osam Duodu and his assistant Francis Oti
Akenteng.
GRi…/
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'Treat defilement cases as national concern'
Mrs Gifty Anin-Botwe, Deputy Commissioner of
Police in-charge of the Women and Juvenile Unit (WAJU) of the Police Service,
has stated that the upsurge in defilement cases in the country should be seen
as a national concern and urgent steps taken to reverse the trend.
She said the fact that in spite of the frantic
efforts being made by the judiciary, security agencies and civil society,
people continue to commit the crime with impunity, should be a source of worry
to all.
Mrs Anin-Botwe, who was speaking in an
interview, confirmed reports that WAJU in Accra receives at least six reports
of defilement everyday.
She said some of the children who are defiled
are as young as two years adding that, "most of the cases involve
relatives of the victims, while some of the perpetrators live in the same
communities with the children."
She said some children have tested positive to
HIV/AIDS as a result of this trend adding that, "this is just the tip of
the iceberg since most of the cases are not reported".
More…/
'Economic activities picking up in countryside'
President John Kufuor has stated that economic
activities are now picking up in the countryside as a result of the pragmatic
economic strategies adopted by the government.
He therefore called on the banks to modernise
their operations and to provide the necessary support services, which will
enable the private sector to grow.
President Kufuor said since the private sector
is the fulcrum for generating wealth and employment, the banking sector's
financial intermediation role in supporting economic growth has become more
critical.
The President's call was contained in a keynote
address read on his behalf by the Minister of Finance, Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, at
the launching of the 5th National Bankers' Week celebrations at the
Accra International Conference Centre on Monday.
President Kufuor said the banks should be able
to provide innovating products, adopt high professional standards, give prompt
attention to customers' needs and shorten customer turn around time to reduce
the transaction cost of banking and increase customer confidence.
GRi…/
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'NPP Gov't must probe African Automobile Ltd'
A former member of the Interim Management
Committee (IMC) of the Public Works Department (PWD), Alex Anokye, has appealed
to the New Patriotic Party government to go beyond the abrogation of its contract
with Messrs African Automobile Limited (AAL) and conduct full-scale
investigations into the company’s activities.
Anokye said the AAL has gained notoriety for
failing to deliver vehicles and equipment imported through them, delivering
late and coming up with upward price adjustments. "Their business tricks
did not start today," the former IMC member told the Chronicle.
Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister for Local
Government and Rural Development, last week announced the abrogation of the
Ministry's contract with AAL on grounds that the company had failed to supply
all the 4 x 4 Gallopers ordered by the Ministry through them while those
delivered have been found to be in poor conditions.
Mr Anokye who was the workers' representative
on the IMC of the PWD, said when in 1984 they ordered motor vehicles, concrete
mixers and spare parts form Messrs AAL, they suffered the same ordeal.
More…/
Attorney General out of demolition case
Fears of the Ghanaian tax-payer that the state
may soon dole out over $5 million from its tight coffers to compensate Alhaji
Yusif and two other plaintiffs should the State and two defendants be found
liable by the court, over the sensational demolishing of a hotel near Airport
two years ago, has been evaporated.
This was due to the Fast Track High Court
(FTHC) ruling on Monday, which struck out the name of the Attorney-General
(A-G) as one of the defendants in the case. The court, presided over by Justice
Agnes Dordzie in its ruling also slapped ¢400,000 cost against Alhaji Yussif
and the two plaintiffs for joining the Attorney-General in the case without
legal basis.
The plaintiffs are demanding specific damages
of $5 million, general damages and cost against the defendants. With the A-G
out of the case, the burden now solely lies on the two remaining defenders, the
Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and its former Chief Executive, Samuel
Adokwei-Addo, to convince the court in the substantive case that they are not
liable, and should therefore not pay for the demolition of the hotel, which was
over $5 million.
The A-G, one of the defenders, had filed a
motion praying the court to strike out the A-G from the suit. Justice Agnes
Dordzie after hearing the arguments of both counsel for Alhaji Yusif and a
representative from the A-G office adjourned the case for ruling till Monday.
Counsel for the A-G, Clarence Kuworno, had
submitted to the court that the statement of claim filed by the Plaintiff does
not disclose a cause of action against the A-G and, therefore, pleaded to the
court to strike out the A-G's name from the list of defendants.
Responding, counsel for the plaintiff, Mr
Acquah Simpson, said that the AG’s motion was grossly misconceived and rather
asked the court to dismiss the case.
The court after a three-page ruling, upheld the
A-G's motion on grounds that the plaintiffs cannot join the A-G in the suit
because there is no legal basis for the action.
More…/
NDC leadership dared
The Tema
East NDC Constituency Secretary, Theophilus Mills, has appealed to the leadership
of the NDC to render unqualified apology to members in areas where the
imposition of candidates were done in the 2000 elections, to whip enthusiasm
into members and ensure that unity prevails in the rank and file of the party.
He was presenting his annual report on the
state of the party at its 5th biennial delegates conference, which
elected new constituency secretaries held at Tema last Saturday.
Mills recalled that in March, last year, the
executive committee, on behalf of the entire membership, made solemn appeals to
the leadership to ensure that modalities for consideration and accepting of
choices for parliamentary candidates to contest on NDC ticket was devoid of
ethnicity, discrimination, favouritism and personal interest.
According to Mills, it was the NDC’s
unfavourable decisions that caused the party's defeat in both the presidential
and parliamentary polls in the constituency.
He stated that it was important that the
leadership of NDC put in place effective and corrective measures in order to
avoid repetition of such mistakes.
More…/
Ghana Telecom connects Konongo residents
Hundreds of residents of Konongo-Odumasi and
its surrounding areas are taking advantage of Ghana Telecom's (GT's) special
Christmas package by getting their homes and business locations connected by
telephone.
Over 100 people have had access to the
facility, whilst hundreds were also awaiting their turn when the Chronicle
visited the registration centre at Konongo last Wednesday.
The Ashanti Regional Public Relations Officer
(PRO) of GT, Miss Mamle Asare, in an interview at Konongo told the paper that
the exercise which began on November 1, is getting would-be subscribers
connected free of charge and is aimed at encouraging them to take advantage of
it.
She added that ¢60,000 which is being collected
upon application, is to be used to open account for subscribers.
GRi…/
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Twelve officials interdicted
The Upper West Regional Coordinating Director,
Mr George Anaba and 10 other officials at the Controller, Accountant-General's
Department have been interdicted for their involvement in a ¢63.5 million
embezzlement of funds meant for national service personnel in the region,
writes the Evening News. Also on interdiction is Mr. Chris Pul, the Deputy
District Coordinating Director.
Their interdiction followed recommendation by
the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), currently investigating the alleged fraud. A
source close to the SFO told the paper that Vincent Wolanyo, a crony of the
Regional Coordinating Director who pocketed ¢12 million of the amount is on the
run.
The source said other beneficiaries of the
booty include Gaayouni Clement Nabile, ¢6 million, Abdul Rahman Ibrahim, ¢4.5
million, Bernard Pegyin Vaayi, ¢3 million, Nicodemus Dery, ¢3.5 million, all at
the Controller and Accountant-General's Department and Charles Kunbuor, the
former District Finance officer, ¢2 million. It said Mr Anaba and Mr Pul took
home ¢1 million and ¢3 million respectively early this year.
A letter dated March 20, 2001 to the Upper West
Regional Minister and signed by the acting Executive Director of SFO, Mr B.A.
Sapati said the SFO in pursuit of it's investigations into the case had
conclusively found that Mr Anaba and Mr Pul, deputy Wa District Coordinating
Director, collaborated with other staff of Controller and accountant General's
Department and the Wa District Assembly
to illegally disbursed a total of over ¢63.5 million through fraudulent
procurement.
A copy of the letter, which The Evening News
chanced upon revealed that Mr George Anaba who is the mandatory signatory to
those cheques allegedly connived with Mr Erhardt Lawson Ofori, an accountant
with the Ghana Education Service (GES) to withdraw the monies within six
months.
More…/
Media Commission scribe cautions the media
The executive Secretary of the National Media
Commission (NMC) Yaw Boadu Ayeboafo has reiterated the call on media
practitioners, especially journalists in both the print and electronic media
not to hide behind the repeal of he Criminal Libel Law to vilify people.
He noted that free speech and press freedom
does not mean people can also phone in to radio stations and say whatever they
want, adding that journalists, broadcasters, writers and those who phone in to
radio stations to contribute must assume that responsibility which goes with
the freedom of speech enshrined in the constitution.
Mr Ayeboafo was speaking at this year's
celebration of the international day of the PEN in solidarity with imprisoned
writers, organized by the Ghanaian centre of international PEN in collaboration
with the South African High Commission in Ghana.
He said the days of the obnoxious Criminal
Libel and sedition laws are gone hence "we must all be responsible in what
we write and say".
GRi…/
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Interpol boss accuses reporter in Benz case
The
Crusading Guide reports the Head of Interpol Ghana, Supt Opare-Addo, as stating
that two of the paper’s reporters, Sedi Bansah and Anas Aremeyaw Anas, came to
his office to interview him under the instruction of the leadership of a Car
Stealing Syndicate.
The paper, which claims Supt Opare-Addo made
the allegation without any evidence, reports him as making this known to Robert
Clegg and Nana Yaw Kwakye of Radio Gold on their popular newspaper review
programme last week.
“Let me be very frank with you, we at the
Interpol today want to break a syndicate and it was at the instance of the
syndicate, seemingly the leadership of this syndicate that these gentlemen came
here”, Opare-Addo said referring to both Bansah and Anas.
The Head of Interpol Ghana, also submitted that
he was “convinced in no uncertain terms that the (journalists) were here (his
office) to do damage to the image of his (Opare-Addo’s) person”.
Meanwhile, Ufuoma Omorode, a Nigerian business
based in Lagos, last week surfaced to claim ownership of the contentious
Mercedes Benz Car, GR 298 C.
The car has been at the center of a tussle
between the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Ernest Owusu Poku, Interpol
Head, Superintendent Opare-Addo on one side and the Attorney General’s
Department, an Accra High Court and Jobesh Car Rentals on the other.
GRi…/
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The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) and the Ministry of Economic Planning and Regional Cooperation are to be restructured and equipped to be able to function as a knowledge centre for government.
The
restructuring is aimed at reducing duplication, appointment of qualified
personnel and purchasing of needed equipment to enable the two function
effectively. Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum, Minister for Economic planning and Regional
Cooperation, announced this in Accra on Tuesday in a speech at the Africa
Statistics Day celebration.
The
restructuring, the minister explained, was necessary as NDPC had neither the
statistical infrastructure nor the people to effectively provide the needed
data for the preparation and monitoring of development agenda.
He
said, “through timely, reliable and relevant statistics, society is able to assess
the effectiveness of development programmes, and stressed that modern
information technology was needed to strengthen the national statistical
system.
Dr
Nduom said that government would continue to support and sustain research
institutions and called on the business community and development partners to
team up with government to support organisations that produce national
statistics
More…/
Ten
firms targeted to relocate under AGOA
The
Government is targeting 10 companies from the United States, Hong Kong and
Taiwan among others who have exceeded their US quotas to relocate in Ghana
under the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA).
It
is estimated that 10,000 jobs will be created and total export earnings over
the four-year period will amount to 460 million dollars, if these countries are
targeted. Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku said this in an address at the lunching of the
National Industrial week celebration in Accra.
Dr
Apraku said in addition, 100 medium- sized Ghanaian companies would be assisted
to become regular exporters of garments and textiles over the period of four
years and “these companies would employ 50, 000 Ghanaians with total export
revenue of 2.5 billion dollars.”
Dr
Apraku said under the starch production initiative, an estimated 1.9 million
tonnes of cassava crops would be produced over the next four years which would
yield 380, 000 tonnes of starch for exports. Based on the current market
prices, total export earnings expected to be generated over the next four
years, he said would be 95 million dollars.
“Through
this initiative the government hopes to generate employment for about 25,000
core farmers in ten key cassava growing districts,” he added.
He
said the government’s campaign promise of creating jobs for the youth was not a
mere political gimmick but that government was working seriously towards
it.
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