Adhere to due process…Presidents tells ministers of state
EPA denies Graphic story
Ex Soldier remanded in custody
Don't settle criminal cases at home
Ministry, Tertiary Council kept in the dark
Ghana has no law on money laundering, Serious Fraud Office
Come clear on University fees
Gov’t splashing on Rawlings
Robbers raid St. Francis Xavier Hospital
The paper recounts a story in which one Douglas Kissi, 32 is at the center of a bribery allegation against an Accra High Court Judge and two lawyers of which he has petitioned the Ag Chief justice, Attorney-General and the President of the Republic of Ghana.
According to the Weekend Statesman, a letter from the Deputy Attorney-General shows that investigations are underway into Kissi’s claim that his legal representative in a case conspired with the defendant and his lawyer to bribe the judge to rule against him.
Kissi alleges that he saw his lawyer, W. L. Antonio, leaving a set of documents and a sealed envelope on the desk of an Accra High Court Judge, Victor Ofoe. The envelope, bearing the stamp of Daniel Abebrese and Associates, a law firm in Team, is in the possession of the paper.
The paper alleges that the bizarre letter appear to be written by the defendant, C. S. Sethi, through his lawyer, Daniel Abebrese, referring to an alleged 40 million bribe to the judge as an inducement to dispose off the case against Sethi, an Indian entrepreneur.
The judge, Victor Ofoe, telephoned the offices of this paper on Wednesday 24 October 2001 to deny ever receiving the alleged bribed and promised to hand over the matter to the Serious Fraud Office for investigations.
Mr Kissi is in the High Court accusing his ex-employer, Sethi, of injecting him with a chemical substance with the intention of keeping him awake at his post as a security man at the premises of Sethi Brothers Company Limited, a paint manufacturing firm in Tema in the Greater Accra Region.
His predicament started when C. S. Sethi offered him a security job in November 1995 with a “mouthwatering” monthly take home pay of 400,000 cedis. According to him, his employer decide to train him on how to use a gun; an unlicensed one at that time. He said he foolishly agreed when his employer said he had to inject him with a chemical to keep him awake as a guard.
On 17 December 1995, upon a report by Sethi, the police arrived at the premise of said company to check if there had indeed been a robbery. That was when they saw Kissi with the unlicensed gun and arrested him. He was kept on police cell for four days and arraigned before a Tema Community Tribunal. He was later released on police bail to begin his “25-month court ordeal”.
Whenever the case was called Sethi was never present in court to give evidence for judgement to be passed on the case. Unknown to Kissi, the police have on record that Kissi had burgled Sethi’s house. The case was eventually thrown out of court. Upon his acquittal and discharge from the James Fort Prison, he took the matter to the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) but Sethi failed to show up.
Following futile attempts to seek redress at the CHRAJ, Kissi approached the Legal Aid Board, where he was assigned Lawyer Antonio, who Kissi claims extorted 500,000 cedis from him. With the bribery allegation levelled again the trail Judge, Kissi fears that justice may once again elude him.
Today, Kissi’s psychological order has been altered due to the injection of the strange chemical substance on him. A medical report issued by Dr Sammy Ohene of Accra Psychiatric Hospital states’ “clinically, the history and examinations suggest that Douglas Kissi is suffering from a recurrent psychosis probably the type called schizophrenia. This is a major psychological illness”.
GRi../
Adhere to due process Presidents tells
ministers of state
President J.A. Kufuor has sent a strong signal to all ministers of state to stick to due process in their day-to-day administration.
The Daily Graphic quotes him as telling a meeting of some of his ministers and key functionaries that "The days when people were removed from office without regard to laid down procedures or justifiable reasons are over."
Mr Kwadwo Mpiani, Chief of Staff, who disclosed this in an interview, said the meeting was called at the instance of the President to address some issues causing embarrassment to the Executive.
Consequently, all the ministers who were affected by the recent reshuffle have been asked not to take any major decision before they leave for their new portfolios. He said before the reshuffle, some of the ministers ordered the transfer of chief executives, contrary to statutory regulations.
Mr Mpiani said the days of "hand over with immediate effect" are over and such words are not in the vocabulary of the President. Unless there are justifiable reasons for such removals, "things must be done the right way to forestall a situation which makes any action appear personal, or as though someone has a bone to pick with the person".
Mr Mpiani said one of such directives has been reversed at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital where the Chief Executive, Dr Henry Holdbrook-Smith, has been asked to continue in office until further notice. Dr Holdbrook-Smith is, however, expected to go on his annual leave sometime next week.
The Ghana Heal Service and Teaching Hospitals Act, Act 525, provides that the board of directors of a teaching hospital should appoint by the chief executive. Section 39 (1) of the Act provides that: "There shall be appointed by the board of a teaching hospital a Chief Administrator of the hospital who shall be responsible for the execution of the policies of the board and for the day-to-day to administration of the teaching hospital."
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EPA denies Graphic story
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has expressed concern about the lead story in the Daily Graphic of October 19, 2001, headlined "Stop it".
In a public notice, the agency said, "It wishes to inform the general public that the story as carried is not the official position of the EPA".
It said the position of the agency is that, "we are working closely with the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology, the Ministry of Local Government and the Greater Accra Regional Co-ordinating Council to find a lasting solution to the waste disposal problems I the metropolis".
The Graphic however described as strange, the fact that the EPA did not make a copy of the notice available to the paper, which published the story. The notice was copied to the Mayor of AMA, Mr Solomon Darko, and published in an Accra daily.
The Graphic also insisted that it stands by its story published in respect of the EPA’s position on the dumping of refuse by the AMA at Djanman.
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Ex Soldier remanded in custody
An ex-military officer, Wo I John Banini, was on Thursday remanded in custody by a Madina Community tribunal for possessing of firearms and ammunition without lawful authority.
Banini, who until recently was a Military Attache at the Castle Annex, Osu, will appear again on October 29, 2001. His plea was not taken by the tribunal, chaired by Mrs Ivy Heward-Mills.
The ammunition include an AK 47 assault riffle, a P38 pistol, a Taurus pistol, a Makaro pistol, three Welter, PP pistols, four AK 47 magazines two P3 pistol magazines, M16 magazines and two mine detectors. The rest are a bayonet AK 47, a set of cleaning kit and 14 parches, among others.
According to a source, on August 10, this year, a military team conducted a search in the house of the ex-WO at Asutsuare in the Volta Region upon a tip-off, and all the items were found.
The source disclosed that Banini, who could not give any tangible reason for possessing the arms and ammunition, which was in contravention of military and the government’s directives, was arrested.
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Don't settle criminal cases at home
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Osafo Sampong, has cautioned chiefs to refrain from settling criminal cases at home. By law, chiefs have no authority to settle felonies, he said adding that, "such settlements are of no effect".
Mr Sampong, who was speaking in an interview said; "Cases like rape, stealing and other felonies are not for settlement at home in the first place".
Asked what action would be taken against chiefs who settle such cases, the DPP said the chiefs cannot suffer the punishment on behalf of the offenders. The law will still take its course and deal with the offender, irrespective of the settlement at the chief's palace.
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SFO probes $1.5 deal at Sports Ministry
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is investigating how a whooping sum of 1.5 million dollars was paid into the New York Bay accounts in the USA for feasibility studies on the proposed Olympic Stadium in Accra, carries The Evening News.
The amount which was part payment of a total 1.8 million dollars, authorised by cabinet when the former Minister of Youth and Sports, E.T. Mensah, was in charge, was paid to Philips International, a US-based company which was supposed to have been awarded the contract.
Although Philips has F. Malawi as its local representative in Ghana, the deal was negotiated through a company in Zimbabwe with one Mr Nartey, a close associate and Special Advisor to Mr Mensah as the frontline man.
Investigations conducted at the Ministry of Youth and Sports revealed that there is no record on any feasibility studies conducted on the proposed Olympics Stadium.
The says in what seems to be similar to the court computerisation project, sources at the Youth and Sports Ministry said there is no Geo Technical or project site investigations report which would have defined the scope of the feasibility studies.
Again, the Ministry source said there is no inception report, architect's report or any model of the project available to them at the Ministry to justify the payment of the 1.5 million dollars.
They wondered why Philips local representatives were not used for the project but a company in Zimbabwe with Mr Nartey who has nothing to do with Philips as the frontline man.
Mr Joe Aggrey, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, when contacted, confirmed the story, but said he could not comment further on it because the SFO is investigating the matter.
He however confirmed that no document on the supposed feasibility studies exists although 1.5 million dollars has already been paid. What intriguing, he said, was the demand by Philips for the remaining 350,000 dollars in spite of the non-existence of any physical proof of the so-called feasibility studies.
Officials of the SFO when contacted also confirmed investigating the matter but said the officials involved in the investigations were not available for comment.
GRi…/
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Ministry, Tertiary Council kept in the
dark
The controversial 'Admission For Sale' policy, under which the University of Ghana has allocated places meant for foreign students to Ghanaians for huge Academic User Fees, has no authorisation from the Ministry of Education, or the National Council for Tertiary Education, The Public Agenda reports.
In separate interviews in Accra, both Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Ekumfi, Minister of Education and Alhaji Salifu Seidu, Deputy Executive Secretary of the NTCE said their outfits did not know of the scheme until Weekend Agenda broke the story and caused a huge public outcry against it. Both the minister and Deputy Executive secretary stressed the need for the Government-assisted universities to seek clearance before implementing major policies.
Speaking to Weekend Agenda on the controversy generated by the education for the rich mentality that has gripped the nation's leading center for academic excellence, Prof. Ameyaw-Ekumfi said the ministry was unaware of the policy until this paper broke the news and forced a national debate on the airwaves and in the print media.
The Minister, who is on orders from the Castle to put the controversy to rest so that the Government could get on with the business of managing the affairs of this nation without distraction, told the paper that he had referred the matter to the National Council for Tertiary Education for comment and advise before issuing the appropriate instructions to Legon.
Under the scheme, about 180 rich students who failed to be in the university's cutoff point of aggregate 16, but are within the university's ceiling of 24, are paying fees ranging from C5.1m for the humanities to C14.5m each a year to read medicine.
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Ghana has no law on money laundering,
Serious Fraud Office
As the United States and its allies move against money laundering and the negative activities such as terrorism and corruption, it has emerged that Ghana has no law that criminalises money laundering.
"The absence of this law is hampering efforts at tracing and recovering illegally acquired assets' Brian Anku Sapati, Acting Executive Director of the Serious Fraud Office told the Weekend Agenda in an interview.
Money laundering is the act of converting illegitimate wealth into lawfully acquired fortune. It could be done in many ways and this includes an act by public officials to loot public funds to acquire assets within or abroad.
In the wake of the September 11 surprising terrorist attack in the United States, the international community, again led by the US, has called for tighter financial regimes to cripple terrorists, whose activities are supposedly financed through money laundered across the global.
In Ghana, the focus for now has largely been on how to prevent dirty money from being cleaned" and recovering illegally acquired assets, writes the Agenda.
"Again, the absence of this law has made it difficult for us (investigators) to get mutual legal assistance from countries where such money has been laundered. There is the need, therefore, to have such a law in Ghana now," Sapati a member of the USAID sponsored nine member Ghanaian delegation to the 10th International Anti-Corruption Conference in Prague, observed.
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Come clear on University fees
The Kufuor administration has been called upon to come out clearly, without dabbling in semantics, about its policy on the payment of tuition fees in tertiary institutions, reports the Ghana Palaver.
The papers in sampling views on the matter, which is threatening to create eruptions in the academic calendar, parents have viewed the Government statements on the matter, as being rather soft and non-committal.
So far, the most serious statement issued on the matter, has come from a Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Education, which in one breath claimed its policy "has not changed" and in another, maintained that the "the Government, by itself, cannot bear the total cost of education" at these institutions.
Education Minister, Ameyaw-Akumfi's radio comments on the issue were also not emphatic. The current crisis erupted at the weekend, when Prof Ivan Addae-Mensah, Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, gave a hint that the institution would be compelled to charge tuition fees, if standards were to be maintained at appreciable levels.
Already, students, whose parents have opted to pay fees, ranging from ¢14.5 million are being given preference in admissions. The general reaction from the public has been sharp and critical, full of anger and disappointment, the paper claims, adding that in particular, the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) is threatening fire and brimstone, if the new policy is not dumped.
GRi../
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Gov’t splashing on Rawlings
The Ghanaian Chronicle writes that the Howls of the opposition NDC, the occasional ‘booms’ from former President Flt. Lt. Jerry Rawlings with their attendant media attention may have frozen the ruling NPP Government in its tracks and allowed still more unusual courtesies to be extended to the First family.
After the furore over the withdrawal of military bodyguards from his Ridge official residence, there is credible information corroborated by first grade intelligent reports that the former President alone has as many as 19 vehicles at his back and call.
The paper says concern is even growing within the ranks of the security agencies over the movement of these vehicles and how they are draining the scarce resources when they are not on any official mission.
The vehicles have been drawing huge amounts of fuel from Castle fuel depot on a regular basis. They are various marques-Toyota, VW Passat, Ford Contour, Chevrolt, three Landcruisers and 2 Toyota Hiace vans.
In addition he has five houses for his use at Ridge, a suburb of Accra. The former President who now spends more time travelling abroad has not received any 'harassing' inquiries from the authorities about the use of these vehicles.
Foreign Affairs sources who claim to be oblivious of the 'armada' of vehicles, say that the Ministry has been bending over backwards to please the former President with almost frantic fervour recalling the events of last month when Rawlings along with others was stranded at the Canadian airport during the September 11 terrorist attack in the United States.
The paper recalls that speakeasy Victor Smith provoked nation outcry, which later emerged to be a litany of false alarms-that the NPP Government had abandoned Rawlings and failed to take care of him.
Significantly, the Ghana High Commission in Canada is headed by a member of the intelligence fraternity and a Rawlings loyalist for the past 15 years - Mr. Oliver Lalumvi. (Official letters from him show that the high Commission had indeed received clearance from Accra to immediately deploy assistance to the former President).
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Mr. Samuel E.A. Narh, Tema Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), has warned district and constituency executives of the NPP who are in the habit of writing unauthorised letters, to put a stop to it because it breeds hatred and confusion within communities.
The Ghanaian Chronicle which carries the story, says he issued the warning when Alhaji Issifu Barimah, NDC constituency chairman and chief driver of Ashaimah Valco Flat GPRTU, produced a letter written by Mr. Kofi Agyapong alias "I walk Alone", NPP constituency chairman, asking him and his representatives and agents to vacate the lorry station at Ashaiman.
Part of the letter dated March 10, read, "the new lorry station at Ashaiman Valco Flat Down is a state entity and your occupation, operations and activities are not of public interest. In the interest of public order and peace in the community, yourself, representative, or agents are to vacate the station on or before March 15".
This came to light during arbitration between the GPRTU, VALCO Flat branch and the newly registered Cooperative Transport Union over the use of the VALCO Flat Down lorry station.
The GPRTU led by Alhaji Issif Braimah has objected to using the lorry park together with the newly registered union. The MCE told the leadership of the two unions to cooperate and work together at the station for the interest of peace.
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Robbers raid St. Francis Xavier Hospital
Armed robbers last Wednesday raided the St Francis Xavier Catholic Hospital at Assin Fosu in the Central Region and made away with monies in cedis and foreign currencies.
Carrying the story, the Ghanaian Times says the robbers took away 1,000 pounds sterling, 500 dollars and 1.8 million cash. A source close to the Regional Police Command said the incident took place at dawn at about 1am when only a handful of staff were on duty at the hospital.
According to the source, the robbers numbering more than four scaled the hospital wall at the blind side of the watchman at post at the entrance gate and engaged in their deal.
They held some security men at post within the wards of the hospital hostage, led them to an office to forcibly open the cabinet and took the monies away.
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Parliament yesterday urged the United Nations (UN) to help poor nations retrieve large sums of their monies stacked away in foreign banks by their corrupt leaders.
Contributing to a statement on the 56th Anniversary of the United Nations in Accra yesterday, Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, (NPP Asante Akim North) said such leaders had transferred huge monies, which their nations needed for development projects.
He was of the view that if these monies were retrieved they could help overcome some of the pressing problems of the poor states.
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The police have mounted an intensive search for a gang of grave-looters operating in the Piase area of Ashanti. Kwabena Frimpong, suspected to be one of the brains behind the rampant grave looter in the area, is in the grips of the Police.
He was arrested during a raid by a gang of seven grave looters on an old cemetery at Sokwai near Piase about a fortnight ago. Police sources told the ‘Times’ in Kumasi at the weekend that communities in the Piase area had for sometime now been perturbed by the frequent desecration of graves by some unknown people.
Measures, including the establishment of special vigilante squad was therefore adopted by the communities to track down the culprits.
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