Sawla-Tuna-Kalba DCE Dead

Information reaching peacefmonline.com indicates that the District Chief Executive(DCE) of the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District in the Northern Region,Hon. Alhaji Shakour Bukari Alhassan has died.

He died when the vehicle he was travelling with from Bole to Sawla was involved in an accident in the afternoon of Saturday May 22.

According to reports received from Peace Fm’s Northern Regional correspondent,Kwabena Ntow,the DCE had his car somersaulting three times after he failed to control his steer at a top speed in a sharp curve.

The 32-year old DCE died with two(2) other National Democratic Congress(NDC) activists in his official ford vehicle on their way to his district on official duty.

His body has since been deposited at the Sawla Government Hospital Mortuary.

I stand for party's unity – Prof Frimpong-Boateng

Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, Flagbearer aspirant of New Patriotic Party (NPP), on Wednesday declared: “I stand for unity of our party, a pre-requisite for victory in Election 2012”.


He said NPP must reduce intra party antagonism, bickering and any negative tendencies that had the potential of derailing the party’s quest to regain power by electing a candidate who cut across any perceived divide.

“I am offering to lead our great party not because it is my turn but in order to secure a platform to transform the fortune of Ghana and Ghanaians,” Prof Frimpong-Boateng stated in Accra, as he officially launched his bid to contest for the Presidential primaries of the party for Election 2012.

He tagged the campaign as; “Forging Unity in the NPP Family in the Service of Our Great Nation; A Mission for Modernisation”.

Prof Frimpong-Boateng said: “ I want young people to have the education that would equip them with skills, vocation, knowledge and experience to enable them manufacture, fix and repair things as well as solve problems of this 21st Century”.

On ethnocentrism, he said his leadership would unite and work with all ethnic groups to help their rapid development to enhance livelihood of the citizenry.

Prof Frimpong-Boateng urged delegates to elect him as a flagbearer since he had the required technical skills to transform the nation’s economy in the fight against poverty, ineptitude, disease, drug abuse, filth, crime, indiscipline and incompetence.

“I am offering to lead our great party because I am passionate about healthy food, potable water, affordable housing, and reliable electricity and transport accessible to all,” he added.

Prof. Frimpong-Boateng promised to encourage women to participate more seriously in the socio-economic development of the country.

He said when given the mantle issues relating to corruption that cost the African continent about 148 billion dollars a year would be a thing of the past.

Prof Frimpong-Boateng said “If we are unable to deal with corruption in all its shades and sizes then we should as well forget about any dreams of achieving economic breakthrough.

“Ghanaians entrusted me all these years with their ailing heart. Surely you can trust me with the heart of our great party and the heart of our nation at a time when we all need healing”.

Africans look up to Ghana as a toast - Bagbin

Mr Alban Kingsford Bagbin, Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, on Tuesday observed that the rest of Africa was looking up to Ghana as a toast to move the continent forward. He said in order not to fail people on the continent, Ghanaians should strive to live on values and principles, and work hard to improve the lives of majority of the people.

Mr Bagbin made the observation when he paid his maiden working visit to the Tema Development Corporation (TDC) in Tema to interact with management and staff of the Corporation. He pointed out that the country would not develop if the citizenry continued to live in the culture of corruption. The Minister, therefore, advised Ghanaians to reflect soberly on their lives, and strive to lead upright lives devoid of corrupt practices. Mr Bagbin advised management of TDC to guard against gluttony and greed in the allocation of lands, since they were major drawbacks on the country's development efforts.

On encroachments, he pointed out that they were part of insanity and indiscipline in society, and appealed to the law enforcement agencies to assist TDC to enforce the laws on its encroached lands. He advised management and staff of the corporation to help reduce land litigations at the law courts, by ensuring that the right thing was done at the right time.

Mr Joe Abbey, Acting Managing Director of TDC, expressed worry about regular encroachments on the corporation's lands at Communities 23 and 24 by land guards, and urged the Ministry to help abate the encroachments. Mr Abbey suggested that a ministerial intervention was the only possible way of bringing an end to the impasse between the Corporation and the Tema Metropolitan Assembly on the issuing of land permits.

Bench Warrant for Anane, Others If…

The prosecution in the case in which the former Road Transport Minister, Mr Richard Anane, and three others are accused of causing financial loss to the state may request the Fast Track High Court to issue a bench warrant for the arrest of three of the accused persons if they fail to appear before the court today.

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Ms Gertrude Aikins, made the prosecution’s intent known following the inability of Dr Anane, Mr Kwadwo Mpiani, a former Chief Of Staff, and Dr Anthony Akoto Osei, a former Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, to appear before the court yesterday.

The fourth accused person, Sammy Crabbe, a former Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), was, however, present in court with his lawyers.

The four are expected to be charged with stealing, causing financial loss to the state and fraud regarding the roles they played in the formation of Ghana International Airlines (GIA) and the subsequent liquidation of Ghana Airways.

When the matter was called around 9.15am, only Crabbe stood up when his name was called, prompting the trial judge to enquire of the whereabouts of the other accused persons from the prosecution, but Ms Aikins could not explain their absence and further indicated that the three had been duly informed that they were expected to appear before court yesterday.

Counsel for Crabbe, Mr Kwame Boateng, said he and his client did not know which specific court was scheduled to hear the case and for that reason, they had to roam from one court to another before they finally got to know that the matter was before Mr Justice Bright Mensah.
Replying, Ms. Aikins reminded counsel that the matter was a serious one, especially when the accused persons had duly been informed about the court, which was billed to hear the matter.

According to the state, Dr. Anane allegedly misrepresented facts on GIA, which was then not in existence, to Cabinet and misled the then government to pay shares into a fraudulent company.

His action, according to the state, also led to the liquidation of Ghana Airways. Dr. Osei allegedly signed a loan agreement committing the government to a financial obligation of paying GH¢15 million to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT). The SSNIT gave the said amount to the GIA as a loan, without parliamentary approval and at a time when the minority shareholders of the airline had abandoned the company.

Mr Mpiani is alleged to have authorized the release of funds into the GIA, without parliamentary approval. According to the prosecution, which is yet to read the facts of the case to the court, Crabbe, who represented minority shareholders in the company, on June 27, 2005 withdrew $1.9 million from the government of Ghana’s account, without approval from the government (majority shareholder).

It said Dr Anane declared that four companies had expressed interest in the then Ghana Airways and later presented a letter of intent which was signed between the government of Ghana and the GIA to form a new company called the New Ghana Airways (NGA), although the GIA was at that time not in existence.

It said although Prince WaterhouseCoopers had rated the NGA, which had signed an agreement with the government to form the GIA, third beneath KLM and Ghanaair, two companies which had also bid for Ghana Airways, the NGA won the bid.

It said although the memorandum Dr Anane presented to Cabinet to sign was dated September 9, 2004, the GIA was not in existence as of September 9, 2004. It said GIA-USA-LLC was formed in Utah, USA, on September 10, 2004 and further pointed out that Dr Anane misrepresented those facts to Cabinet and fraudulently misled it to pay for shares into a fraudulent company.

According to the state, Mr Mpiani, on June 2, 2005, wrote to the chairman of the government task force on Ghana Airways Limited authorizing the task force to take all necessary steps to put the airline into formal liquidation. The GIA was subsequently formed as a joint venture between the government of Ghana and had its maiden flight on October 29, 2005.

Source: Daily Graphic/Ghana

MP apologises for 'wild' sex allegation

MP for Evalue-Gwira, Catherine Afeku has apologized for wrongfully accusing a section of women of being sexual appendages on sports trips.

In an interview with Joy News’Sammy Darko on Wednesday, the embattled MP said her assertions were to help curtail the exploitation of women in the country.

Mrs Afeku on the floor of parliament Tuesday alleged that one of the criteria for selecting the women delegation to Angola to support the Black Stars in their game against Egypt was their ability to provide sex to their male counterparts.

The women were part of some 440 government sponsored supporters who went to Angola on Sunday to lend support to the the Black Stars.

Even though she was made to retract the allegations for failing to provide evidence, the Evalue-Gwira MP has been heavily criticized for what is said to be an unguarded comment.

She told Sammy Darko after siting today that her comments have been misconstrued.

“It was a platform to bring to the fore the issue of sexual exploitation. The Angola incident that was attached and made the focus of my statement is quite unfortunate and the apology for those who travelled on the trip is easily rendered. I have absolutely no qualms at all.”

She hinted that some women have in the past agreed to travel with high profile personalities based only on their ability to offer sexual favours, adding her comments were targeted at those women and not at those who made the Angolan trip.

“I got up to speak as a woman that young women who are intelligent, bright and can travel [must do so] on their own merit without giving any sexual favours,” she explained.

She intimated that the issue of sexual exploitation is a reality and the earlier the nation addressed it the better.

Source: myjoyonline.com

Mills works from Jubilee House for first time

President Mills is working from the Golden Jubilee House for the first time today.

He is receiving letters of credence from various diplomats assigned to Ghana.

This will be the president's first official use of the palace since assuming office ten months ago.

And it follows several criticisms that the edifice built at the cost of $80 million was being left to go waste.

Joy News' correspondent at the presidency, Steve Anti, says the president is likely to return to the Osu castle once the ceremonies to receive the diplomats are over.

Meanwhile, the president has indicated he wouldn't mind sharing the Golden Jubilee House with staff of the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

The presidency was reacting to suggestions that President Mills may never relocate to the new edifice after it was allocated, albeit temporary, to the Foreign Affairs Ministry whose official offices were gutted some three weeks ago.

Presidential spokesperson Mahama Ayariga explains that the residence is big enough to accommodate both the presidency and the ministry.

"The use of that wing [at the palace] does not disturb the future decision to use that facility. In fact the edifice is so huge that the ministry can operate from there even whilst the president is there. The fact of the minister being there does not in any way preclude the president moving in there as and when he deems it fit," Mr Ayariga said.

Mr. Ayariga also dismissed concerns that the number of people visiting the Foreign Ministry while it operates from the Jubilee House may pose a security threat to the presidency.

Joy News sources at the presidency suggest some aspects of the president's operation might soon be transferred into the Presidential Palace.

Source : myjoyonline.com

Bagbin backs calls for ministerial reshuffle

The Majority Leader in Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has told Citi FM that a reshuffle in the nine-month old Mills administration will do the young Government a lot of good.He says there are weak links in the government which need tightening. Earlier, rumours of an impending reshuffle by President John Mills were brushed aside by government officials.The widely speculated reshuffle found footing in an earlier indication but nine months into the Mills administration, the Majority Leader tells Citi FM a ministerial reshuffle is critical towards strengthening the Mills administration.“There are weaknesses here and there…so I think there are areas that we need as a government to look into and maybe try and invigorate them with some new faces that could assist to get things going,” he said.Mr Bagbin also lent a limb to former President Jerry Rawlings’ open criticisms of the Mills administration.Mr Rawlings spares no punches anytime he gets the opportunity to lash at President Mills. He has on several public platforms attacked President Mills, accusing him of lacking what he terms “the revolutionary zeal” in his government.He has numerously questioned the reasoning behind President Mills’ decision to maintain some carry-over appointees from the Kufuor-administration.Mr Bagbin says there must be more of such criticisms from Mr Rawlings to put the Mills administration on its toes.“I think that it is good for the country, and I want to encourage the former presidents whether Kufuor or Jerry to keep coming up with criticisms because they have a store of experience and knowledge that is needed for the country.”
Source:Citifm

Journalists to benefit from GETFund

Ghanaian journalists can now access the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) for overseas training, a government minister said on Thursday. "Even though government does not wish to interfere with the work of the media, we have made it a policy to allow individual journalists to access the GETFund for overseas training if they so wish," Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Deputy Minister of Information, told journalists in Accra.He made the announcement at a press conference dubbed "Matters Arising" during which he spelt out the achievements of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government in the areas of education, youth in agriculture and the fight against narcotic drugs trafficking. As per the theme of the press conference it was to keep the public updated on what government has been doing over the past eight months on matters of concern to the public.Mr. Ablakwa said government would, from a distance, continue to assist both the state and private media to develop their capacities in order to ensure that the "fourth estate of the realm" remained dynamic and independent in the country.He said government preferred a strong and independent media to a praise singing one, adding "we do not want the kind of media that will sing our praises only for the public to tell us something different about ourselves at the elections".Touching on the substance of his address, the minister observed that the perception that powerful people in government may be collaborating with drug barons was now a thing of the past due to effective measures put in place by the government to stem the drug menace. Over the past few weeks some arrests have been made both at the air and sea ports, with various quantities of narcotics drugs seized, and the minister said structures had been strengthened to ensure that those seized exhibited did not either vanish or metamorphose into "kokonte" overnight.On education, the minister recaptured some of the measures mentioned in either the recent Supplementary Budget or in other addresses by sector minister in the Meet the Press series. Some of the achievements, he reiterated, included 50 per cent increase in the capitation grant per pupil, GH¢13 million for the School Feeding Programme, and over GH¢11 million for free exercise books and school uniforms.Mr. Ablakwa said government had also decided to pay full tuition fees for all teachers who would be pursuing further studies through distance learning, adding that the decision was to ensure that teachers stayed in the classroom to teach while learning. "Government has also confirmed its commitment to science and technology education with the introduction of 41,000 scholarships accessible by mathematics and science students across the country," he said.The previous government dissolved the Ministry of Science and Technology and made science and technology an addendum of other ministries, a move that the minister criticized as negligence that led to the near collapse of the sector. Concerning youth in agriculture, the minister said GH¢10.7 million had been invested into the sub-sector to ensure the cultivation of some 14,000 hectares of land and jobs for more than 20,000 people in seven selected regions - Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Central, Ashanti, Volta and Brong-Ahafo.Mr. Ablakwa said to ensure food security and poverty reduction, government was investing heavily in irrigation in strategic parts of the country. The irrigation projects include 5,000 hectares of land in the Accra Plains Project and rehabilitation of 70 dams in the northern regions to irrigate 360 hectares of land, adding the part of the irrigated land would be used for rice cultivation in the north. "In the fishing industry, government has also approved the construction of two fishing habours and 12 landing sites at the total cost of US$200 million," he said He added that six cold stores would be built in selected fishing communities with seven million euros Spanish government loan. Mr. Ablakwa said six speed boats had also been ordered, out of which two had been paid for and due to be delivered in December 2009 to assist the navy to protect the country's marine domain, protect fishermen and stem the activities of pair trawlers.
Source:GNA

Wereko-Brobby's counsel protests against procedure

The Counsel for Dr Charles Wereko-Brobby, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana @50 secretariat, Mr Akoto Ampaw, Wednesday told the Commission of Inquiry probing the activities of the secretariat that the procedure by which a witness gave his evidence-in-chief did not follow laid-down rules.He, therefore, appealed to the commission to ensure that the right thing was done.He said the commission gave witnesses the opportunity to rehash their evidence-in-chief after they had made their submission and had been cross-examined by counsel present.Mr Ampaw said the commission did that when it got to its turn to cross-examine the witnesses, a situation he said made him worried about the deliberations at the commission's sitting Wednesday.But the Chairman of the commission, Mr Justice Isaac Douse, quickly rebutted, saying that the probe was not a courtroom and that they had to play some advocacy role for witnesses who had some difficulty.The case in reference by Mr Ampaw was that of the Manager of Dorotpress Engineering Ser-vices, Mr Theophilus Pesseh, a witness, who submitted memoranda to the commission on an outstanding balance of ¢62.4 million in respect of work he had done for the secretariat.Mr Justice Douse said the memoranda submitted by Mr Pesseh was not clear because the language could not be read and understood so he was given an opportunity by the commission to submit his case in a local language of his choice.Mr Pesseh said he was .given an initial payment of ¢10 million by Dr Wereko- Brobby at the AU village while the remaining ¢62.4 million was not paid.He said Dr Wereko-Brobbey, through a contractor, called Arikamah and gave him contract to undertake plumbing works at the village.Mr Pesseh said he completed plumbing work on 13 houses at the village but Dr Wereko-Brobbey personally paid him only ¢10 million, which he took out of a polythene bag when he visited the site.He said Dr Wereko-Brobbey often visited the project site personally with polythene bag containing money to pay workers.Mr Pesseh said the workers including masons and carpenters normally formed long queues to receive their money on daily basis from Dr Wereko-Brobbey at the village. The witness was cross-examined by Mr Ampaw.On whether he had any document to show that he had entered into a contract with his client to render services to the secretariat, Mr Pesseh said he had no document to that effect but stated that orally he had a contractual agreement with Dr Wereko-Brobbey and that it was based on that that he (Dr Wereko-Brobbey) paid him ¢10 million.Mr Ampaw maintained that his client had no business with Mr Pesseh because he did not contract him to undertake any work for the secretariat.He, therefore, directed Mr Pesseh to contact the said Mr Ankamah for his outstanding balance.A member of the commission, Madam Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong, told the witness that he had a serious difficulty because he did not have any document to prove the fact that he was contracted by the Ghana @ 50 Secretariat to work for the secretariat.She, therefore, asked Mr Pesseh to provide the commission with names and contact addresses of witnesses, if he had, to enable them to ascertain the truth of his assertions.Mr Justice Douse told Mr Pesseh that if he could not provide witnesses to corroborate his claim then he had to contact Mr Ankamah who sublet that work to him for his balance.The Chief Executive Officer of Starship Ventures, Mr Felix Quartey, said he had obtained judgement in his favour against the Ghana @50 Secretariat to pay him his outstanding balance with interest totalling GH¢120,159.27.He said the outstanding balance was GH¢72,538, which the secretariat defaulted in paying, a situation which compelled him to seek relief at the court of law.The Manager of Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, Mr Kwaku Manu-Asiamah, told the commission that the Ghana @ 50 Secretariat owed two companies, Novotec and Adhro, that undertook the work at the park.He said Novotec provided air conditioners which were fixed at the memorial park but had not been paid his ¢ 150,300,000 while Adhro had an outstanding balance of ¢721,934,275 to be paid.
Source:Daily Graphic

Government to give up stake in GCB

Rumors are rife in media circles about government’s intended decision to sell off a significant portion of its stake in the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB), to raise badly needed revenue and to offer the bank full autonomy to run its operations.Government is expected to at least reduce its share holding from the current 2..% to aA Financial Intelligence source close to government relate that the issue has been topical within cabinet, and has come up for discussion at the Economic Advisory Council level.Even though the Finance Minister tells the FI there is no such intention, with Professor Kofi Afful, a member of the Economic Advisory Council denying any knowledge of this intent in an interview, evidence keeps mounting in support of the intended sale.Unusual price appreciations in the share price of the nation’s largest commercial bank on the Ghana Stock Exchange has raised eye brows that some insiders may be privy to some privileged information.From an all-year low of GH¢ 0.48, the price of GCB led a pack of recoveries in the past two weeks hitting GH¢ 0.82 before receding to GH¢ 0.81 at the close of trade last Friday. The stock has also been one of the most actively traded.There is also a corresponding attempt by government to clean up the debt sheet of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), and this is expected to be a move to free GCB’s loan portfolio of huge TOR debts to prepare the grounds for the intended offloading.As to the sale strategy, it has been speculated that government will trade off its stake in bits, in order not to violate the stipulation for the regulator’s approval before such trades in excess of 10% of total holdings are executed.It has also been said that government might off-load its stake to a strategic partner, a move that would require the bank to call for an extraordinary General Meeting before it is carried through.Should the intended offloading occur, many believe the bank could now be more profitable.Even though the bank is tauted as the country’s most widely networked bank with over 152 branches and agencies dotted all over the country, it has not returned much to its owners.Some industry experts however claim lending to government and governmental institutions has been one of the most secured investments for the bank since risk of default is low.Speculations are also rife that the unknown strategic investor could be using proxies in the current buy offs of GCB shares on the bourse.If this happens, the regulator could still find a lee way of reversing the trades if there is evidence of circumvention of any of the trading regulations.
Source:Financial Intelligence

GH¢5million Used On tea cups

Common Fund Administrator testifies at Ghana@50 Commission of Inquiry Accra, Sept. 8, GNA - Mr Joshua Magnus Nicol, Administrator of the Common fund on Tuesday said the "huge deductions" that District Assemblies claimed were deducted from their Common Fund allocations was on the instructions of the office of the President.Testifying at the Ghana@50 Commission of Inquiry, Mr Nicol said:"My Lord, I was only acting upon instructions from the Minister of Local Government, who received a letter from the Office of the President stating that the cost of the Ghana@50 plastic cups supplied to the Assemblies should be deducted from their Common Fund allocations".Coordinating Directors of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, who appeared before the Commission, complained of huge deductions made from their respective Common Funds in respect of the anniversary souvenirs.While some of the Assemblies claimed the deductions did not correspond to the quantity of items received, others said although they did not receive such souvenirs, deductions were made from their Common Funds.The allegations by the Assemblies compelled the Commission to subpoena the Administrator of the Common Fund to appear before it to offer explanations.Mr Nicol said his outfit received a letter from the Office of the President instructing him to deduct GH¢5,160,000 from the Assemblies' Common Funds in respect of 5.4 million anniversary plastic drinking cups with a unit price of GHp97.The cups were to be distributed to school children in the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDs) in lieu of the Jubilee celebration.He said acting on the directive, he wrote to the Ghana Education Service (GES) to make available the number of beneficiaries in each district after, which deductions were made in respect of the number of children per the unit cost of the cups.Mr Nicol told the Commission that payment was to be spread in four quarters and that after the deduction from the third quarter, his outfit, received complaints from the various Assemblies about the deduction.He said, the Assemblies were therefore asked to submit letters stating their grievances adding "But as I speak now My Lord, none of the Assemblies have done so. It is only Gonja West, which submitted a letter indicating that they had not received any cups".When the Commission's counsel asked Mr Nicol whether he sought the consent of the MMD's before the deductions were made, he said that he assumed the former Chief of Staff, Mr Kwadwo Mpiani had discussed the issue with them since the directive came from the Office of the President."My Lord, it was not my duty to do so. I was only acting on the directive from the Minister of Local Government," he said. When asked about what he intended to do with Assemblies that had not received the cups but saw deductions made to their Common Funds, Nicol said when confirmed that the Ghana@50 Secretariat did not supply the cups, government would give them (Common Fund Secretariat) the authorization to refund the monies.Mr Willie Odoi, Managing Director of F.Malawi Engineering Company Limited, said the company supplied to the Ghana@50 Secretariat the public address system that was used at the Independence Square on the day of the celebration.He said the company received part payment of GH¢44,137.45 from the Secretariat on February 4, 2007 leaving an outstanding balance of GH¢44,137.45.Sivnesh Kumar, General Manager of Interplast Limited, who also appeared, told the Commission that the Ghana@50 Secretariat owed it 49,687 dollars for windows it supplied for the 60 presidential houses built by the African Union Development Consortium Limited (AUDCL) projects at Ridge and the La AU village at Cantonment.The company was, however, asked to demand such claims from the AUDCL and not the Ghana@50 Secretariat since AUDCL contracted them to supply the windows.
Source:GNA

Zita testifies in Asabee's case

Mrs Zita S Okaikoi, Minister of Information, on Tuesday at a Fast Track High Court in Accra, testified for the prosecution in the case involving Mr Stephen Asamoah Boateng, former Minister of Information and National Orientation, his wife Zulieka Lawria, six other officials and a legal non-entity.They are being tried for allegedly conspiring to defraud the state of GH¢86,915.85 as a result of renovation works carried out at the Ministerial Block of the Ministry during Mr Asamoah Boateng's tenure. The other accused persons are Frank Agyekum, former Deputy Minister of Information and National Orientation and Dominic Aloysius Yaw Sampong, former Acting Chief Director of the Ministry, Kofi Asamoah Boateng, Chief Director of the Ministry, Kwabena Denkyira, former Director of Finance and Administration of the Ministry and Yasmine Domua and Prosper Arku of Supreme Procurement Agency Limited.The non-legal entity firm is Supreme Procurement Agencies Limited (SPAL).The officers are being tried for various counts of conspiracy to defraud the state, contravening the provisions of the Public Procurement Act, forgery of documents and uttering forged documents and deceit of public officer.They have pleaded not guilt at the court presided over by Mr Justice Charles Quist, which has admitted them to bail in the sum of GH¢10,000 each with a surety each.In her evidence in chief, Mrs Okaikoi said when was going through some files on assumption of office as a minister on June 5, she came across documents signed by Sampong requesting payment to Phlexicom Ventures for renovation works carried out at the Ministerial Block of the ministry. The minister said she quizzed Sampong as to why he should sign a letter for the release of funds without her consent and the knowledge of the two deputy ministers at the ministry.Mrs Okaikoi, who is also a legal practitioner, said out of her amazement over Sampong's conduct, she wrote a letter to the Ministry of Finance on June 8 halting any payment.The minister said she also sent a memorandum to the Chief of Staff informing him about the developmentAt a meeting held at the ministry, she said issues concerning Phlexicom ventures came up and Sampong apologized for his conduct. Mrs Okaikoi said Sampong told her that the renovation included the tiling of the offices of the Minster and Deputy Minister. According to Mrs Okaikoi, Sampong said the minister in 2008 could not effect payment because, Mr Lawrence Dzakpa, the Principal Accountant of the Ministry, refused to approve the payment for the renovations works. Mrs Okaikoi said Mr Dzakpa in his explanation stated that he (Mr Dzakpa) had two requests on his desk.The requests, the minister said, were payment in respect of renovation work to Phlexicom Ventures and payment for three vehicles acquired from PHC Motors.Mrs Okaikoi said Mr Dzapkpa told her that he had signed for the payment for the three vehicles from PHC but declined to pay for the renovation works because it lacked proper documents to facilitate payment.The Minister said she asked Mr Sampong whether he had rectified and regularized the contract.The witness said she was concerned about the payment of the GH¢86,915.85 because the Ministry had been given a ceiling of GH¢50,000 cedis for renovations under the Public Procurement Act. Mrs Okaikoi said soon after the management meeting, she expressed her displeasure over the signing of the documents and wrote letters to the Chief of Staff with copies to the security agencies. She said Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a Deputy Minister of Information, handed over the letters to the Bureau of National Investigations for further investigations.The minister said later Sampong came to her office to apologize for his conduct.The minister said while she was on admission at the SSNIT Hospital, she received a phone call from Sampong informing her about his (Sampong) retirement.According to the minister, she told him that he would call him to inform him about who he should hand over to.Meanwhile, lawyers of all the accused persons have responded to the charges preferred against their clients.Nene Amegatcher, who represented Asamoah Boateng and his wife, said the story of the prosecution was unsustainable and that could be seen in the way and manner the charges were withdrawn and substituted. Nene Amegatcher said Asamoah Boateng on assumption of office in May 2008 paid working visits to the Ministry's regional and district offices to find out the prevailing situation on the ground. During his visits, defence counsel said, one of the major problems he found was the poor and bad state of offices.This, counsel said, posed danger to workers of the Ministry. The problems included worn-out carpets, noisy air conditioners and poor urinal and toilet facilities.Counsel said it was Asamoah Boateng's vision to see to it that workers of the Ministry of Information worked in a "conducive environment".According to the lawyer, there was nothing criminal about Asamoah Boateng leaving a "lasting legacy" when he dealt with unhygienic conditions at the Ministry.Nene Amegatcher disclosed that it was at a directors' meeting that they unanimously agreed to improve conditions at the Ministry. Counsel denied that his client appointed Kofi Asamoah Boateng to the Ministry explaining that it was the Head of Civil Service that transferred Kofi Asamoah Boateng to the Ministry of Information. He also denied that Asamoah Boateng suspended all investment programmes and re-directed funds to the renovation of the Ministerial Block of the Ministry of Information (MOI).Nene Amegatcher said Asamoah Boateng did not fabricate any invoice or documents.In the case of Zuleika, Nene Amegatcher said she did not rob the state of the GH¢86,000 cedis because she was a self-made business woman.Mr Egbert Faibille, who represented Agyekum, said his client signed the letter so that government could not be sued. Mr Attah Akyea who represented Denkyira noted that charges preferred against his client were anaemic adding it was difficult for a contractor to conspire with Asamoah Boateng and Agyekum.Mr Daniel Asare Mintah, who represented Kofi Asamoah Boateng and Denyira, said they were dedicated civil servants who discharged their duties well.He said they were only waiting for what the prosecution would put across.Mr G.S.K. Babanawo, who represented Supreme Procurement Agency Limited and Proper Arku, said the agency since 2006 had successfully conducted consultancy businesses with some Ministries and Agencies without any hitches. According to him they had not conspired with anyone to defraud the state. The matter was adjourned to September 17.
Source:GNA

Palestinian group protest Israeli Foreign Minister Visit

The Palestinian Solidarity Campaign and its allies in Ghana have condemned the visit of Israeli Foreign and Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Avigdor Liberman to Ghana on Monday. A statement issued by Dr. Yao Graham, a member of the group described Liberman as a man whose actions and pronouncements stokes racist violence."He is a leading promoter of apartheid in Israel against non- Jews. Such is his hatred of Palestinians that he once offered to help drown the thousands of Palestinians in Israeli jails in the Dead Sea. That Ghana, a country that prides itself on being a model of democracy in Africa and has been in the forefront of anti-racism, anti-colonialism and peace in the international arena should host such a man raises questions about the principles guiding the foreign policy of the National Democratic Congress government," the statement said.The statement said Liberman's visit to Ghana was part of an offensive by the Benjamin Netanyahu- led government to find friends and allies at a time that Israel was facing pressure to respect international resolutions for supporting the creation of an independent and viable Palestinian state.It said Liberman was bitterly opposed to the key principles, which have been recognised by the United Nations and International bodies as basic elements towards the possibility of a just and lasting peace for the Palestinian people.It claimed that in May 2006, Liberman called for the killing of Arab members of the Israeli parliament who met the members of the Palestinian authority which was then led by Hamas. The statement urged all democratic and peace loving Ghanaians to denounce Mr. Liberman's visit to Ghana and communicate their displeasure to the government of President John Evans Atta Mills.

Govt should begin the anti-corruption drive from within- ICC

The International Council for Clergy (ICC), at the weekend called on the government to start the crusade against corruption from its ranks, in order to have the moral authority to stamp out the national canker without fear or favour.Archbishop Dr George Slezer Ofori-Atta, Presiding Archbishop of the ICC, who made the call in Accra, said corruption was inimical to the development of any nation."When allowed either conscientiously or inadvertently to operate in a free environment at whatever level, it becomes very destructive," he stressed.The Archbishop was giving a keynote at the 14th Public Ministerial Ordination and Consecration of nine members of the clergy. The ICC, which is an Association of Independent Ministers and Churches, is affiliated to the Council of Black Clergy in Philadelphia, USA.Archbishop Ofori-Atta's speech touched on five thematic issues covering Democracy, Corruption, Education, Justice and the Church. He noted that democracy is about the welfare of the people and so the overnight acquisition of wealth by politicians tends to raise a lot of public concern.Archbishop Ofori-Atta noted that democracy goes with leadership and accountability, adding that good leadership reflects the quality of life of the people and not necessarily policies. He appealed to the government to respect the independence of the Judiciary and strengthen institutions like the Ghana Police Service, the Bureau of National Investigations and the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice to improve on the country's justice system. "We (ICC) pray the government therefore to let equity, justice and fair trial for everybody thrive in our society."We have been witnesses of situations in this nation where the Executive arm of Government was seen getting involved in issues of the judiciary."Archbishop Ofori-Atta condemned the violence that was associated with the Akwatia parliamentary run-of and asked people aspiring to leadership positions not to entertain fisticuffs to achieve their political ambitions."The politician as a leader must be seen dong what is right and that means setting good example and not inciting people to fight."Touching on education, he said the current reforms of the educational system should be devoid of partisan politics. "The back and forth issue on the three or four years Senior High School (SHS) education should be devoid of any political colourisation." Archbishop Ofori-Atta said the debate should not be based on the duration of the SHS system but rather the viability of the reforms. He asked the government to motivate teachers to give of their best in order to arrest the poor academic standards, citing the abysmal performance of students of the recent Basic Education Certificate Examination as example.Archbishop Ofori-Atta expressed concern about the practice of some ministers of the gospel, who out of ignorance or sheer negligence append their signatures on marriage certificates and other government documents when they are not gazetted or authorised to do so. He said the sanctity of the Church was being undermined by members of the clergy who championed material acquisition and engaged in demonic activities to perform miracles.Bishop Floyd Hills of the US-based Advocate Give of Life Ministries, said no force on earth could stop ministers of God from fulfilling their divinely ordained mission on earth and asked them to move on if their calling is of God.Dr Richard Lewis of the Marvellous Light Church, also in the US was consecrated as Bishop at the ceremony. He observed that a minister of the gospel was greater than the President of the US and charged them to be truthful to their call.
Source:GNA

NDC demands $1.5 Billion from BOG

News available to The Statesman indicates that the National Democratic Congress is putting pressure on the Bank of Ghana to print extra money in excess of 2 billion Ghana cedis. This was contained in an unusual letter from the Minister of Finance to the Governor of the Bank of Ghana. But, The Statesman can report that outgoing Governor, Paul Acquah, is resisting every pressure to print such high amounts of cedis to worsen the country’s already bad inflationary pressures. Year-on-year inflation was 20.5 percent in July and government has even revised its end-of-year inflation target upwards by 2 percentage points to 14.5 percent.But, officials of the BoG are nervous that Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur, who takes over Tuesday, September 1, as Governor may succumb to the pressure from his party. He was a campaign aide to President Mills during his presidential bid.Ironically, he also served as Deputy Minister of Finance in 2000 when Kwabena Duffuor was Governor of the Central Bank. That year ended with Ghana’s macroeconomic indicators seriously destabilised, with inflation at 40 percent and interest rates at 50 percent, and the cedi losing its value to the dollar by 97 percent.The letter, requesting for the money, explains that Government is under pressure to pay off arrears owed to contractors and money is urgently sought for that purpose. In the past eight months alone, the NDC government has sourced out contracts valued at half a billion Ghana cedis. Checks made by this paper raise serious issues about the integrity of many of these contracts.Already, there were some one billion Ghana cedis worth of contracts performed but payments of which were suspended by the Mills administration. Reading his supplementary budget last week, Finance Minister Kwabena Duffuor made a controversial claim that Ghana’s budget deficit for last year has to be revised to 24.2 percent of gross domestic product. He got this figure by including debts of 1.7 billion cedis ($1.16 million).The compares with an earlier estimate of 12.1 percent (including divestiture receipts) and comes after “arrears and commitments had been taken into account,” Duffuor told Parliament.However, deficit is calculated as the difference between the money government takes in, called receipts, and what the government spends, called expenditure, each year. Debt, on the other hand, is an accumulated flow of deficits. Thus, whereas deficit is a flow, debt is a stock.When there is a deficit, the Finance Ministry must borrow the money needed for the government to pay its bills, usually by selling Treasury Bills or bonds. Yet, the NDC, by the letter to the Governor, seeks to have more money printed.
Source:Statesman

Ghana steps up measures to ratify ECOWAS Small Arms Convention

Government on Friday charged the newly constituted Board of Ghana National Commission on Small Arms (NATCOM) to end the proliferation of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) in the country. "The re-constitution of NATCOM Board is an encouraging sign of Ghana's readiness to work closely with other member states of ECOWAS to reduce the proliferation of small arms, which has stifled the economic and political development of the sub-region for almost two decades," Mr Cletus Avoka, Minister of the Interior, told the new board of NATCOM in Accra."You are mandated to put in place programmes of action to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade in SALW, educate and sensitise the public and provide information on the dangers of small arms in order to discourage their production," he added.Mr Avoka also charged the Board to ensure that deliberations under the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Small Arms Programme were complied with, including the ratification of the ECOWAS Convention on SALW.The Board, among other functions, is to advise the Minister on the formulation of policies and strategies as contained in the Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons and other relevant international conventions to which Ghana is a party. The Commission will receive and study periodic reports from the Ghana Police Service on the registration and licensing of arms. The Minister said the inauguration of the Board was a demonstration of the country's readiness to join forces with other sub-regional institutions and countries to collectively address the small arms menace.The 14-member Board is chaired by Lieutenant Colonel Ohene Asare (Rtd) and includes Colonel K. Appiah Agyapong and Lt Col. Charles Agyemang Prempeh both of the Ghana Armed Forces. Others are Mr Baffour Dokyi Amoa, President of the West African Action Network on Small Arms (WAANSA); Ms Nana Antwiwaa Dodoo, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Mr Kwaku Ohene Agyei, Ministry of the Interior; and Ms Gertrude Aikins, the Attorney General's Department. The rest are Mr John Dogbe, National Security Council; District Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Frank Adu Poku and DCOP John Kudalor, the Ghana Police Service; Mr Moses K. Gyamfi Ghana Immigration Service and Major Nicholas Darbo (rtd) CEPS. Squadron Leader Atta Egyir Fynn Mends and Commissioner of Police (COP) Mrs Jane Donkor (rtd) are Government's nominees.
Source:GNA

NPP stalwarts exchange blows

Blows were exchanged between two New Patriotic Party (NPP) stalwarts at the studios of Asempa FM on the station’s current affairs program, Ekosii Sen, yesterday, when tempers flared on certain pronouncements that bothered on the recent delegates conference of the party where major portions of the party’s constitution were amended.Michael Ampong, a youth activist of the party, had strong reservations about an article written by Mahama Haruna, a former presidential correspondent of the Statesman Newspaper, published on Ghana Web and the Thursday August 27, 2009 edition of the Ghanaian Lens Newspaper.The article, which became the subject of controversy, alluded to the fact that former President Kufuor and Alan Kyeremanten sponsored some supporters of the NPP to vote against the amendments of the NPP’s constitution.According to Mahama Haruna, those who lost that vote were not in tune with the pulse of the party.Michael Ampong, on the other hand, replied that Huruna's assertions were irresponsible.This incensed Mahama Haruna, resulting in a confrontation between the two NPP members; Haruna therefore threw a blow at Michael Ampong who had then held his shirt.Producers and other staff of Asempa FM had to rush to the studio to stop what had then degenerated into hefty fist cuffs.Listeners will recall events prior to the emergency conference of the NPP were characterized by sharp opinions on whether the party had to adopt the then proposed amendments which were ultimately accepted by the delegates.
Source:Kwadwo Asare-Baffour Acheampong/Asempa FM

142 APRM oversight committees inaugurated so far- Prof.Greenstreet

A member of the African Peer Review Mechanism Governing Council (APRM-GC), has formally inaugurated additional new APRM district oversight committees in Accra. Prof.Miranda Greentstreet who did the inauguration on Wednesday said “the inauguration of additional four district oversight committees today with each district constituting nine members will total the number to 142 with already 138 inaugurated”.

The need for the oversight committees is to make sure Government is fulfilling the National Plan of Action of the APRM at the grass root level and to also serve as watch dog since members at the National level cannot over see the participatory process. “This will make the process more technically participatory and non partisan, to help bring more on board”.
Prof.Greenstreet further added that, with the inauguration of the Accra Metro ,Ga east, Adenta municipal and Ga South districts, Ghana was moving forward steadily to achieving the targeted goals of the APRM National Plan of Action which was drafted after Ghana was peer reviewed in Sudan. “This plan of action was later drafted onto the GPRS program, in view of this it was possible that not all the targeted goals of the plan may be achieved”.
She reiterated that, it was important for fair selection of representatives to the committees in terms of gender to help address all concerns. Selected members were charged to live up to expectation and report fairly whatever happens at the grass root level to further help members at the National level to help meet targeted goals.
APRM is a self monitoring assessment mechanism adopted by African Heads of State to be peer review themselves. 16 members including Ghana signed to the APRM treaty also including countries such as Uganda, Benin, Mali and Burkina Faso among others. Ghana was peer reviewed in Sudan on January 2006.
Story: Michael F. Amedor

Mills to attend South America-Africa summit

President John Evans Atta Mills has accepted an invitation from the Venezuelan President, Mr Hugo Chavez, to attend the second South America-Africa Summit to be held in that country. Its aim is to advance development cooperation between the two continents.The President confirmed his participation in the summit when a special envoy of Mr Chavez, Madam Reina M. Arratia, called on him at the Castle, Osu, on Thursday to brief him on the upcoming summit to be held later in the year.Receiving Madam Raina, who is also the her country's Ambassador to Benin, President Mills expressed gratitude to Mr Chavez for being a trail blazer in championing closer political and economic collaboration between the two continents to enable them to chart a common course for development.He said Ghana intended to forge closer links with Venezuela in a number of areas with the intention of promoting dialogue and strengthening cooperation for the mutual benefit of the people of the two countries.President Mills was particularly gratified about the willingness of Mr Chavez to serve as a torchbearer in instigating ideas that can help the people of both continents to overcome their underdevelopment, saying Ghana would be fully represented at the summit in view of the anticipated impact it would make on the nation's development agenda.Madam Raina said the Venezuelan government valued its relationship with Ghana in view of the enormous development strides it was making, noting that the summit would serve as another trajectory in deepening the relations between the two countries in the economic and political spheres.The summit, she said, would bring people of diverse backgrounds to brainstorm on the way forward in promoting economic development on both continents within the context of south-south cooperation.This, she explained, would enable governments on both continents to engage their people in addressing common political, social and economic challenges that confront not only the individual nations but also the entire world.
Source:GNA

NPP Guru Blasts Alan & Nana Boys

Says they have nothing to offer elephant to capture power

The Subin constituency chairman of the NPP Alhaji Abdul Baba has noted that the struggle by the party to recapture power in 2012 would be an elusive dream if the perceived factionalism that exists among the supporters of stalwarts Alan Kyeremateng and Nana Akufo Addo is not promptly addressed.Alhaji Baba noted that, the perceived factionalism in the camp of the two stalwarts of the Party is a potential threat to their efforts to wrestle power from the NDC come 2012.The Subin Constituency Chairman said this during an interview with THE SUN at the weekend and stressed that, most Ghanaians are already fed up to the back teeth with the economic hardships they have experienced for the past eight months of the Prof. JEA Mills administration. According to him, they were therefore longing for the return of the NPP and as a result the Party needs unity to marshal all arsenals to wrestle power from the ruling government. He noted that the way some supporters of the two leading members of the party were behaving ever since the party went into opposition has made him believe that they have nothing at stake to offer the party to win power. The constituency chairman prayed that the supporters of the party, particularly those belonging to the two camps will bury their selfish aims and seek means of propagating the agenda of the party, instead of individuals.'We need to work in oneness to enable us to achieve the feat of dethroning the NDC because, the NPP has good policies for Ghanaians than any other political party,' he said.Alhaji Baba lauded the MP for his constituency Hon. Isaac Osei for his selfless efforts to make the constituency one of the best in terms of educational infrastructure.He said the MP has through his own resources purchased street lights for the installation in some sensitive areas in the constituency to strengthen security.Alhaji Baba was happy that, Hon. Osei is the only MP within the Kumasi Metropolis who has initiated a public platform on quarterly basis known as 'Meet Your MP', to brief the constituents on what transpires in parliament.'I wish all MPS would emulate the good steps by Hon. Osei to enlighten their people on activities of parliament, for their constituents to be informed and understand the position of the party', he said.
Source:THE SUN