Two customs men interdicted…Over loss of 28bnC revenue
Policeman exposed as leader of armed robbers
Peprah to bow out of office
Emergency? Take them to Ridge, 37
Army Commander lauds govt for military take-over
Ghana could have paid 14bnC less for presidential jet
Daily Graphic
Two customs men interdicted…Over loss of 28bnC revenue
The Daily Graphic reports in its lead headline story that two customs officers have been interdicted for allegedly assisting a clearing agent to defraud the state of 28 billion cedis in the operation of a bonded warehouse at Abelemkpe in Accra.
The two, Mr Alaine Ajongba, a chief Collector, formerly in charge of James Town Customs in Accra, and Mr D.E.N. Nettey, a senior collector, allegedly condoned and connive with Mr Godson Anagbo, managing director of Godka Group of Companies, a customs clearing house agent, to deprive the state of 28.875 billion cedis in revenue, between 1996 and 1998.
The paper quotes a source close to the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) as saying that Mr Ajongba allegedly allowed Mr Anagbo to have access to a duplicate key to the bonded warehouse.
The source, according to the Graphic, said the clearing agent was, therefore, able to clear goods without paying the appropriate customs duties Mr Ajongba is also alleged to have appointed Nettey, the warehouse keeper, as the area and zonal officer in order to facilitate the deal.
By this arrangement, the area zonal officers, who could have detected any deal earlier, were cut off, giving the clearing agent a field day.
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Policeman exposed as leader of armed robbers
The Ghanaian Times reports about the involvement of some security agents in armed robbery and says a policeman stationed at Techiman in the Brong Ahafo Region, has been arrested and detained for robbery.
The paper says in police grips with him is Asumah Baba, one of his three civilian accomplices. The two others are said to be on the run and are being hunted by the police. The Times quoting what it describes as ‘authoritative police sources’ said Corporal Alex Danquah, 40, and his accomplices on September 30, this year, allegedly waylaid an Accra-based trader and some of his relatives at the outskirts of Techiman, assaulted them and bolted with a bag containing two million cedis.
The paper says the following day, after depositing his booty in a safe place, Corporal Danquah reported for duty at the police charge office at Techiman. But unknown to him, the trader, Mr Kofi Nkebore, who had reported the robbery to the police, had returned to the charge office to find out the progress of investigations. Immediately Corporal Danquah arrived, Nkebore identified him as the gang leader.
The Times says Assistant Superintendent of Police, Mr Yendaw, in charge of the Techiman District, who had heard of the case and was at the charge office to verify, asked the Corporal whether he knew Nkebore. Corporal Danquah replied that he knew him at the Techiman market but the victim denied it and said their first encounter was when the gang robbed him of his money. Unable to defend himself, Corporal Danquah was immediately detained, the Times concludes
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Peprah to bow out of office
The Weekly Insight says there are very strong indications that Mr Kwame Peprah, Minister of Finance, is about to abandon his ministerial position.
The paper says sources close to the Ministry stated that Mr Peprah, who has become one of the main target of investigations into the divestiture of Ghana Oil Company (Goil), is angry over what he considers to be harassment by President Jerry Rawlings. According to the sources, Mr Peprah’s presence at the Ministry has been most irregular.
The Weekly Insight says at the time of filing this story, Mr Peprah had not been to work for five days and the speculation is that he is preparing to say goodbye to the government he has served faithfully since 1982.
The paper says the Minister could not be reached for his comments on the conflict between him and the President, but a source at the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said he complained bitterly about President Rawlings’ directive that the divestiture of Goil should be suspended pending investigations.
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Emergency? Take them to Ridge, 37
The Ghanaian Chronicle says three days after the military final take-over of the Ridge Hospital, the La and Mamprobi Polyclinics, all in Accra, with the hoisting of military flags at the premises, a major crisis has erupted which can result in more preventable deaths in the Greater Accra Region.
The paper in a banner headline story, says last Monday doctors at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital resolved not to handle emergency cases sent to the nation’s topmost referral health facility. According to the Chronicle, this means that patients who go to the 37 Military Hospital and are referred to Korle-Bu will not be treated. They should all be referred to the 37 Military and Ridge hospitals, which are designated as emergency centres under the military health unit .
The paper says the decision by the Korle-Bu doctors was taken at an emergency meeting of the Greater Accra Regional branch of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) to deliberate on the fate of over 30 doctors of the Ridge Hospital who were asked to leave the hospital premises y 12 noon, last week Thursday, on the orders of Brigadier Daniel A. Twum, Commanding Officer of the 37 Military Hospital.
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Army Commander lauds govt for military take-over
The Free Press says in spite of the controversy which has erupted over the militarisation of some of Ghana’s health institutions, Army Commander, Major-General Joseph Henry Smith, sees the take-over decision as the government’s appreciation of what he described as "good thing" the army and the police are doing for the nation.
The paper in a front-page screaming headline story, says the Army Commander was of the view that the Ghana Army could run the selected hospitals smoothly since it had done the same with the 37 Military Hospital in Accra, one of the largest health facilities in Ghana, for years.
The Free Press notes that obviously aware of the outcry against the government’s placing of the Ridge Hospital, the La and Mamprobi polyclinics under military administration, the Army Commander, who was visiting the Kumasi Garrison to assess the readiness of the army in the northern sector warned: "Anyone who tries to undermine the peaceful atmosphere would be made to face the law".
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Ghana could have paid 14bnC less for presidential jet
The paper says as Ghanaians await further details on the acquisition of the presidential jet, a ‘Gulfstream III’, investigations have revealed that if Ghana had been a bit more prudent in her negotiations, she could have saved between $53.3 million (14.8 billion cedis) and $59.7 million (18.4 billion cedis).
The Dispatch says Mr Kwame Peprah, the Finance Minister, in an interview with the "Ghana News Agency" published in the September 6 issue of the "Daily Graphic", said that Ghana had made a down payment of $52 million on a presidential jet recently acquired under a five-year lease, with an option to purchase at the end of the lease period.
Mr Peprah is reported as adding that Ghana would be expected to make semi-annual payments of $1.5 million over a five-year period. The paper says under the agreement, the government can exercise the option to purchase the aircraft at the end of the lease period for $2.3 million, making a total of $19.3 million. It says if Ghana had decided to purchase it outright, she would have paid $163 million.
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