The coming judicial year after the legal vacation is likely to be jeopardized due to the refusal of some judges to go on transfers, according to The Free Press.

The paper quotes sources close to the judiciary as disclosing in Accra that many sitting judges are complaining of “inconveniences” and the mode in which the transfers were being done without consultation with the affected judges.

Many judges, according to the source, have been at post over the normally allowed stipulated periods of stay at a particular station. This situation usually resulted in delays in justice due to continue adjournments of cases.

The source further indicated that the judges have become “demi gods” because they have overstayed at their various stations.

The alleged refusal by some judges to accept transfer, it is claimed, stems from domestic inconvenience such as relocation of their children in other schools, separation from spouses who are mostly working wives and inconvenient accommodation in the outstations among others.

The source cited Justice Boateng, sitting at the Denu High Court, who has refused to budge to his transfer to Sefwi Wiaso in the Western Region about six months ago due to “unacceptable” accommodation arrangement in the station.

Further information indicated that many judges have not concluded with several cases pending before them and this is likely to cause hiccups in the determination of those cases by new judges.

But when contacted, the acting Judicial Secretary, Mr George A. Aryeetey told the paper that all judges were notified since March this year of their impending transfers and he did not see any justification in their refusal to comply.

GRi…/

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Daily Graphic

Tema workers threaten industrial action

The Daily Graphic reports of an impending massive industrial action at Tema, which would is likely to cripple industries for some time, if measures were not taken to address some of the major concerns of the workforce.

The paper mentions some concerns of the workers as the de-freezing of the End-of-Service Benefit (ESB), the taxation of overtime bonus introduced by the government and the non-performance of the PSC Shipyard under Malaysian management.

In character with their slogan "Touch one, touch all”, workers from all the various unions have threatened to embark on a strike action within two weeks to back their demands if the government does not react to their concerns. They also called for an end to what they called the enslavement of workers by "employers club".

Calls for the downing of tools in support of what the workers described as very sensitive issues confronting the labour force in general and Tema in particular came up during a highly charged meeting of the Tema District Council of Labour (TDCL) at Tema.

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Mass transportation starts in Accra

A private firm, Easylink Transport Company has begun a pilot project on urban mass transportation system in Accra, according to the Daily Graphic.

The company has programmed to bring into the country 100 buses (Metro-bus) from the United Kingdom within a short time.

It is the first to operate intra-city transport since the President John Kufuor announced the reintroduction of mass transportation system during his sessional address to Parliament in February this year.

It is currently operating a double-decker bus with 168 capacity plying between Madina and Kinbu in Accra, charging a flat rate of ¢500 per passenger.

Mr Charles Reindorf, the Director of Easylink Transport Company in an interview, said it plies the roads between 6:00 am and 10:00 pm and does eight round trips a day.

The company, he said, would extend its operations to other parts of Accra, Kumasi Sekondi-Takoradi, Tamale and other regional and urban centers after the pilot project.

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Education Service reviewing language policy

The Ghana Education Service (GES) is reviewing the language policy in schools to remove the language barrier existing between public and private schools.

Mr Chikpah Demuyakor, Upper West Regional Director of GES, said at a quadrennial regional delegates conference of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), at Wa that pupils in public schools, are not taught English language but their mother tongue, until primary three, while private schools start teaching English in primary one.

The review is therefore to address this inequality, since pupils in public schools, write the same examinations with their counterparts in the private international schools.

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Elephants invade Zogpiell Electoral Area

Elephants are reported to have invaded a number of communities in the Zogpielle Electoral Area in the Lawra District of the Upper West Region and are causing serious destruction to crops.

The animals, believed to have migrated from neighbouring Burkina Faso, are said to have destroyed rice, maize, millet, guinea corn, sorghum and groundnuts, the cultivation of which is the main source of income for the people.

Mr Gregory B. Pecks, Assembly member for the area said at the third ordinary meeting of the second session of the Lawra District Assembly at Lawra, that the presence of the mammals in the area was also a threat to human life.

He appealed to the assembly to use all means to control the elephants numbering about 15, or take steps to drive them back to Burkina Faso.

GRi…/

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The Chronicle

Cecilia Johnson bares all: “We received Gov't loans”

Former Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Mrs Cecilia Johnson has admitted that the government of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) guaranteed loans for the 31st December Women’s Movement (DWM) of which she is the General Secretary.

The story, appearing in the Ghanaian Chronicle says, Mrs Johnson also added that she and members of the DWM have no fears of going to jail if at the end of investigations into some financial loans contracted by the DWM they are found to be irregular and fair trial is granted the suspects.

Mrs Johnson, reacting to certain recent pronouncements against the movement on Wednesday, debunked suggestions that the DWM is collapsing and indicated that it is only inactive because the executives are restricting their activities to the regional level.

According to her, the NPP government has withdrawn all teachers seconded to the DWM nursery schools because the government was paying most of them.

Asked whether Mrs Rawlings would have received the same facility if she had been an ordinary woman and not the wife of the former Head of State, she said the former First Lady stood the chance of being assisted by the NDC government because the DWM policy of development was tailored along that of the government's national development policy.

Mrs Johnson confirmed media reports that in 1997, the former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyemen Rawlings called for the auditing of the Movement's account.

More.../

Police hunt for pastor in fraud case

Both the Sekondi and Takoradi police have mounted intensive search for the pastor and leader of Word and Action Pentecostal Int. Church at Asorko Asaman, near Sekondi, Rev. Emmanuel Larbi Danquah for allegedly defrauding a number of people to the tune of almost 150 million cedis under the pretext of sending them to America.

His victims include people in the twin city and Wassa Akropong among others,

According to police sources, Rev. Larbi Danquah, who grew up at Bogoso in the Western Region, tricked his victims that he had composed a song entitled, "In God We Trust", which he claimed to have dedicated to the people of America.

The pastor is also alleged to have told his victims that he has been asked by the American government to bring along 30 people to come and launch the album in the US.

The prospective travellers thought they had got the opportunity and consequently paid various sums of money to the ‘man of God’ after he used fake documents to convince the people about the trip.

Having had the money, Rev Larbi Danquah who reportedly hails from Larteh Akuapem in the Eastern Region, started telling his victims stories.

This compelled some of them to realise that the pastor was up to something and consequently reported him to the police.

He was arrested and put before a court in Tarkwa, where he allegedly made part payment of 7 million cedis to the victim who caused his arrest. Another report by other victims caused his second arrest at Sekondi where he was put before court. Still, the remaining victims caused his arrest again at Takoradi, but he managed to convince three of his church members to bail him out of the ¢20 million bail bond.

Unknown to the church members, the ‘man of God’ was up to something, he ran away immediately he was granted bail, thus dumping both the courts and police enquiry bails.

The three church members who were sighted in court last Monday have now been given the ultimatum to produce their pastor or face the full rigours of the law.

GRi.../

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The Accra Mail

Ghanaian baby boom in Liberia

The issue of Liberian women bearing babies of Ghanaian soldiers and those of other West African peace-keepers in that country is a well known fact in military circles, yet the exact figure is not known, according to The Accra Mail.

A curious participant therefore posed the question during an African Security Dialogue and Research series at North Legon on Wednesday when the retired Brigadier Agyemfra took his turn to reflect on the civil war in that country.

The participant's rough estimate put the figure of Liberian women impregnated by Ghanaian soldiers at 6,000.

The Mail says, the Brigadier who did not dispute this, explained that although he could not say how many of such babies were delivered, the situation could even be higher with countries which had soldiers stationed permanently in Liberia.

He said the long periods of services compelled them to respond to the demands of the flesh, by going on a baby-making spree. Some countries are known to have left their soldiers in such situations for as long as four years.

The Brigadier, who served as Ghana's envoy in that country during the heady days of the civil war, disclosed that an NGO was formed to take care of the babies of the departing soldiers in Liberia.

GRi…/

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The Evening News

Ghana's low returns from ECOWAS Fund

The business community says it is concerned about Ghana's inability to benefit from the ECOWAS Fund since its inception about 19 years ago, writes The Evening News.

This is against the background that Ghanaians have over the years held senior and responsible positions in the Fund either on secondment or by direct employment.

A compilation of loans operations by the ECOWAS Fund Treasury Department (Loans Administration Division) indicate that out of a total of $80,469,942 that has been so far disbursed as loans to member countries, Ghana, a founding member, has a meager $660,127 to her credit.

Benin tops the list of beneficiaries with $14,108,356 followed by Burkina Faso, which has so far received $12,202,267.

Other beneficiaries are Cote d'Ivorie $8,191,192, The Gambia $2,993,961 and Guinea Bissau $1,421,512. The rest are Guinea, $7,369,906, Liberia, $967,934, Niger $384,650, Togo $435,459, Mali, $4,153,278, Nigeria $11,603,781 and Senegal $12,569,617.

Most of the loans have been given to nationals of the various countries for private investments.

Among Ghanaians who have occupied high status positions at the Fund Secretariat include Dr George Sipah-Adjah Yankey who is currently in a tussle with the Ghana Government over his continuous stay as the Managing Director, Dr George Appenteng who retired on Level 5 and Mr S.K. Apea, a former Board Chairman of the Ghana Commercial Bank.

GRi…/

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Daily Guide

National Lotteries reacts

The Department of National Lotteries (DNL) has reacted to allegations made against it by the Private Lotto Operators' Association (PLOA) that they (DNL) were behind the harassment that police meted out to them recently.

The DNL has denied its involvement in any activity between the police and the association.

In a reaction to allegations made by the PLOA at its press conference held in Accra on Tuesday September 18, the Public Relations Officer of the DNL, Mr Roland Sekyi, told the Guide on Thursday that though the DNL had arranged with the police to provide security for them, the company did not detail any police man to harass anybody on their behalf.

GRi…/

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The Dispatch

Ghana Water Company loses $28 million a year

An average revenue of $27,750,000 is lost annually by the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) as a result of overall inefficiencies of water supply to urban areas, reports The Dispatch.

According to a document entitled Water Sector Restructuring in Ghana: The Decision, The Framework, The Issue, prepared by the Water Sector Restructuring Secretariat in Accra, non-revenue water, which stems from factors such as burst pipes and illegal connections, is leading to the loss which is approximately equivalent to 51% of the annual revenue.

The document further revealed that the total GWCL's debt as at December 2000 is $367 million, equivalent to about ¢2.6 trillion.

The Ministry of Works and Housing, Mr Kwamena Bartels, as a result of this precarious situation organized a media encounter last Tuesday in Accra to explain why the Private Sector Participation (PSP) in the water sector expected to take off by 2003, is important.

GRi…/

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Weekend Agenda

NDC bought, sold & leased jet

The Weekend Agenda urges readers to forget the hype about the 'lease' of the Presidential Jet from Gallen Limited, the offshore company in the Cayman Islands.

According to the paper, follow-up investigations and analysis of documents on the jet presented to Parliament in November 1999 by Kwame Peprah, former Minister of Finance, have shown that the Government of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) actually bought the jet from Transair Trade S.A., a Swiss company based in Geneva, sold it to Gallen and then leased it back from Gallen at a premium.

The lease-back arrangement was presumably done to shore up the 'lease' story, the former government had told Ghanaians earlier, according to the paper, which concludes that the allegations of impropriety in the acquisition of the jet would therefore not be found in the agreement between the Government of Ghana (the leasee), Gallen (the leasor) and the HSBC Investment Bank PLC (which acted as the bankers) but in the earlier transactions between Transair Trade, the Government of Ghana and Gallen.

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The Ghanaian Times

Gov’t to resettle 10,000 in Keta area

The Ghanaian Times reports that the government will resettle about 10,000 people from Vodza, Adzido and Kedzi in the Volta Region after the on-going Keta Sea Defence Project is completed.

The project is also expected to re-claim, 272.5 hectares, out of which 213 hectares would constitute land for human habitation and industrial development.

The remaining 59.5 hectares will be used to create a habitat for the breeding of rare bird species and also promote tourism in the Keta area.

Torgbui Kporku 111, Project Director of Couterra Limited and the government representative on the Sea Defence Project, disclosed at Keta on Monday, when the Deputy Minister of Works and Housing, Miss Theresa Tagoe, and members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Works and Housing visited the project site.

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Fight on high seas

There was fighting between a Korean engineer of fishing vessel, “MV Lima,” and a Ghanaian crewmember on the high seas last week leaving the two with serious injuries.

Hong Gil Park, 47, the chief engineer, and Augustine Annan have both lodged complaints of assault on the high seas” against each other.

Narrating the incident to the ‘Times’ at Tema, a police source said at 7.50 pm last Saturday, Hong lodged a complaint of assault on the high seas against Annan.

Spotting a fresh cut on the left side of the head and other cuts on both hands, Hong told the police that at about 8 pm the previous day, while on board the vessel, he instructed Annan (the fishmaster) to repair some fish pans.

He said Annan started the work using a wrong hammer and when told to use the right one, Annan became offended and without any provocation, hit his head with the hammer.

Hong said that while he attempted to protect his head with both hands, Annan continuously hit his hands and head until he became unconscious.

Some crewmembers rushed him ashore and reported the matter to the police where he was issued with a medical form.

The police source said that Annan was arrested at about 8 pm but also lodged a counter complaint against Hong.

Annan, 39, also spotting marks on his neck, told the police that when he was instructed to repair the pans, he set down to work. When Hong came to inspect the work, he started shouting in the Korean language.

He said Hong kicked him from behind, held his neck and pushed him against a metal pole.

Sensing danger and fear of being killed, Annan said that he decided to use the hammer he was holding in self-defence. Later, he left the scene and went to sit some where for a rest.

It was then that the chief engineer called him before all the other sailors and before he knew what was happening, his neck was being squeezed by the Korean which made him scream, asking the other sailors to be witnesses.

The police source said that both parties were issued with medical forms.

Whereas Hong’s medical report indicated he had been assaulted with multiple lacerations on his scalp and both hands, Annan’s own showed that he had a stiff neck and general body pains.

More…/

‘Pregnant women can be held in prison’

The Prisons Service has said that pregnant women, like any other people are liable to be convicted once they fall foul of the law.

The public should therefore discard the erroneous impression that pregnant women cannot be convicted since they were not above the law.

“The law allows the imprisonment of pregnant women so long as they are convicted through the due process of the law,” the head of the Prisons Public Relations Directorate, Superintendent Solomon Antwi, said on Wednesday in an interview with the ‘Times’ in reaction to public concerns about the presence of pregnant women in the country’s prisons.

Supt Antwi explained that the only drawback in keeping pregnant women in the prisons was the lack of the requisite facilities there to cater for them during pregnancy and after delivery.

“At the time of delivery, convicted pregnant women are sent to government hospitals to give birth and their children are catered for by midwives until they are weaned,” he stated.

GRi…/

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The Weekend Statesman

Assiseh and 660m cedis District assembly fund

The Weekend Statesman reports that investigations have been launched into the irregular disbursement of 660 million cedis from the District Assemblies Common Fund to Vincent Assiseh, former Press Secretary of the NDC.

The money was paid to Conafric Limited, Assiseh's company, by the 110 District Assemblies for a place in "Ghana We Mean Business", a magazine published by the company and edited by Assiseh.

Each of the Assemblies was made to pay 6 million cedis for a two-page profile in the book with the money being deducted at source.

The paper’s search revealed that irregular payments made to Assiseh was one of the fallouts of the recent audit of the District Assemblies' finances, especially regarding the application of the Common Fund.

The audit reports, currently being studied by a committee appointed by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development reveal naked rape of the assemblies' common fund.

More.../

Central Region to organise mini "Home Coming Summit"

The Central Region Co-ordinator Council will organise a mini "Home Coming Summit" to enable all foreign-based daughters and sons from the region to help in the development of the area in March 2002.

Isaac Edumadzie, Central Regional Minister, who disclosed this in an interview with The Statesman, said a mini congress would be organised in the Ajumaku District as part of the preparations towards the summit.

GRi.../

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Kotoko Express

Joe Debrah rejoins Kotoko

Fans of Kumasi Asante Kotoko who have been yearning for more experienced hands to augment the present all-conquering squad of players now have their monies worth with news that prodigal son, Joe Debrah has rejoined the fold.

The Asante Kotoko Express reporting on the wizard dribbler’s comeback says it sighted Debrah training with Kotoko last Wednesday and management has confirmed it has had preliminary discussions with him.

Joe Debrah is presently seeking floating status at the GFA Status Committee.

GRi.../

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Hearts News

L-Sporto to kit Hearts at last

American firm, L-Sporto Kit Manufacturers, have finally clinched a deal to kit sponsor Accra Hearts of Oak, according to the club’s paper Hearts News.

Samples of the kits, which will be officially launched by November were outdoored during the epic encounter with Kuamsi Asante Kotoko in Kumasi last Sunday.

Although details of the agreement had been discussed between the US company and the Board months back, it was the marketing committee which was recently constituted that managed to conclude the deal said to be of good terms for the club.

“It is not an exclusive agreement as it allows other parties to join and has actually room to rope in many other parties to co-sponsor the club”, the paper said.

GRi.../

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