Couple Burnt to Death
Driver fined ¢600,000 for killing 3 persons
Is Rawlings’ health in Danger
Don’t keep suspects in BNI Cells
Kwabena Essem sidelined
NDC’s ¢2.4 billion Gold Theft Headache
ECOWAS Parliament …President urges dialogue, consultation.
GNAT order members to suspend action
Hearts close to money zone
"Couple Burnt to Death" and "Driver fined ¢600,000 for killing 3 persons" are the two screaming headlines in the Daily Graphic.
The first story has it that in an accident which eye witnesses say can only be described as harrowing the lives of a couple ended tragically when their car skidded off the road, crashed and burst into flames.
The accident which occurred at a point near Duaya Nkwanta, in their Suzuki jeep in which they were travelling from Chiraa to Kumasi, claimed the life of Kwaku Frimpong 40, and his wife Yaa Nsiah 35. Frimpong is said to have mentioned his name and his hometown before the blaze consumed him and his wife.
On-lookers said it was agonising as the couple screamed for help but nobody could fight the blaze to rescue them.
The bodies have been deposited at the Sunyani Government Hospital Mortuary for autopsy.
The second story has it that the Central Regional Tribunal sentenced Ibrahim Karim, the Bank of Ghana driver who knocked down four persons at a spot near Pedu junction in Cape Coast, killing three of them instantly, to a fine of ¢600,000.00 on all five counts of careless driving and negligently.
In default, the Graphic reports, Karim will serve two years in hard labour.
The report gives a background to the case that on July 15, 1998, Karim, driving a Land Rover in a convoy of Bank of Ghana bullion cars from Takoradi to Accra, veered off his course at about 11.45am and run into the four persons who were standing by the road side.
The three of them, Dorcas Kumi, a ward assistance at the Police Clinic at Cape Coast. Efua Kyei a 20 year old pregnant woman and Rahatu Abubakari, a 12 year old school girl died on the spot. The fourth person, Janet Aidoo, 19 years is still on admission at the Koforidua St. Joseph’s Hospital.
"Is Rawlings’ health in Danger" asks the Guide. The paper reports that speculations are rife that the President J.J. Rawlings is not very well.
The rumour is said to have reached a point where he was considered dead and the Foreign Minister, Victor Gbeho, had to come out with a denial.
Sources close to the powerhouse however have it that President Rawlings is not well and has been experiencing black outs intermittently, says the paper.
The Guide’s sources are reported as claiming that the Presidents medical doctors have advised him to retrain from long public speeches and appearances.
The Guide says that suspicions about the President’s health are rising because of his absence from public functions of late, and his visit to the US recently, the third this year, which the paper speculates that the president takes time off during the trips to check out his health.
Political observers hope that President Rawlings keeps healthy for a smooth transfer of power in his own National Democratic Congress (NDC) party.
Many Ghanaians are of the view that should the unexpected happen to the President, that will most likely engender a Herculean power struggle within his NDC party and eventually destroy the stability the ruling party has enjoyed so far.
"Don’t keep suspects in BNI Cells" is another of the front-page stories in the Guide.
The paper reports that the trail of six suspects who have been accused of stealing between two to four billion cedis worth of gold took a dramatic turn, when the counsel for the accused persons, captain Effah Dartey and Mr. Nyamekye Baah protested against their clients being kept in BNI cells.
Effah Dartey told the tribunal chaired by Justice Charles Quist that since the accused persons were arrested, the BNI has denied them access to their clients.
The two defense counsel also asked the court to grant bail to the accused person because they have been in custody for one month, reports the paper.
They argued that if a person is arrested and is not tried within a reasonable period he must be granted bail.
Justice Quist is said to have rejected the bail, saying they have not been in custody for long in the light of the matter before the court.
He therefore ordered that the accused persons be put in police custody to reappear on May 28.
The paper has on its front page a story titled "Kwabena Essem sidelined." According to the story, the New Patriotic Party’s General Secretary, Mr. Dan Botwe has added a more complex twist to the trouble in the party by arrogating to himself the duties of Mr. Kwabena Essem, the party’s official Director of Communications.
The paper disclosed that Mr. Essem who threatened to resign his post has been completely sidelined and his duties being performed by Dan Botwe.
The paper added that Kwabena Essem is in a kind of fix as he is neither consulted nor invited to sit in meetings relating to how to plot the party’s propaganda strategies in the media and in the constituencies.
The paper concluded that the NPP is finding it difficult to kick out Mr. Essem because the Party owes him a fairly huge amount of money and it is finding it difficult to settle him.
The paper carries "NDC’s ¢2.4 billion Gold Theft Headache" as its banner headline.
The story states that the February 16, 1999 highway robbery of unrefined gold near Apam in the Central Region is assuming dimensions of international proportions, much to the embarrassment of the ruling party.
According to the story, it is not only the implication of some police and military personnel that is causing a headache to the government but also the arrest Andrew Inglis a retired British Royal Marine Corp who was in charge of security at West Coast Allied Service (WESTEC), the company responsible for the security of the eight boxes of unrefined gold at the time it was seized, nearly caused a diplomatic row between Ghana and Britain.
Mr Inglis was detained for about six weeks and was released only when the British took up his forcing the British High Commissioner to press government for his release.
The paper continued that a retired soldier Isaac Frimpong also known as Nii Baby Tei confessed to the involvement of Jack Beble, a former Police commando and a Rawlings aid, as one of the major brain behind the robbery.
The paper concluded that the incident has itself led to questions about whether increasing spate of armed robbery not being carried out with the connivance of some bad nuts from the security services.
The ‘Ghanaian Times’ headline story focuses on the West Africa Speakers of Parliament Conference currently underway in Accra with the headline: "ECOWAS Parliament….President urges dialogue, consultation". Accompanying the story is a picture of President Jerry John Rawlings and Mr. Justice D.F. Annan, Speaker of Parliament and convener of the meeting, interacting with some participants.
President Rawlings, according to the paper said that the conference has a noble objective that is relevant, of practical import as well as of global significance to all stakeholders for whom the unity, stability, security, peace and prosperity of the sub- region is important saying,
"Enormous investment would be required in terms of time, human and technical resources as well as organisational and institutional development, to see the establishment of an ECOWAS parliament," he said but was optimistic that the needed support will come from the international community .
President Rawlings, the paper says, reminded the speakers that their collective voices and intervention may strengthen efforts to curb the sub-region’s instability emanating from wars and political conflicts.
In another front page story headlined: "GNAT order members to suspend action", the Times says that the Greater Accra Regional branch of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has asked its
members to suspend all actions and agitations that will put pressure on the government in the implementation of the Price Waterhouse and Associates report on wage policy review for the public sector.
The story says regional chairman, Mr. Abednego Kofi Agyepong, in a statement issued by GNAT said government had accepted to effect payment of the universal salary structure from ending of next month.
Teachers embarked on a sit-down strike from April 7 to 12 last month to press for the implementation of the report.
The Graphic Sports in a front page caption "Hearts close to money zone", reports on the Accra Hearts of Oak – Villa SC of Uganda Africa Clubs Championship match which Hearts won by a 3-0 margin.
The paper says that a 22nd minute strike by Hearts Joe Fameyeh and a free kick expertly taken by Osei Kuffour was enough to secure a first 2-0 lead for the phobians who were playing at Home.
Defender and captain Jacob Nettey unleashed a terrific 25-metre shot past Villa’s goalie in the second half to raise the phobian’s goal tally to three and make the return encounter in Kampala in two weeks time, almost sewn-up.
The Graphic Sports has another front page story on the Kotoko-El Masry match played over the week-end with Kotoko running away with a thin 1-0 win.
‘We’ll beat Kotoko’ goes the caption of the story which says El-Masry’s coach Mohsen Saleh is bubbling with confidence and has predicted a 3-0 drubbing of the fabulous club when they meet in two weeks for the second leg encounter in Egypt.
Saleh is reported as saying that his team played with tactical excellence that saw them dictating the pace of the game adding that they played to a well-rehearsed defensive strategy to contain Kotoko that worked to perfection as they were able to neutralise Kotoko’s attacking machine.
Meanwhile the Graphic Sports reports of a call for calm by Kotoko’s Executive Chairman Mr. Herbert Mensah saying Kotoko’s qualification into the next stage is a must.
Coach Ebo Mends says even though the Egyptians are a good side, Kotoko did well to win most of the 50-50 balls which is an indication that their chances of qualifying to the next stage of the competition are very bright.
GRi…/