Atta
Mills is not serious – Nkrabeah
Ajumako
(Central Region)
The
minister finally admitted to Chronicle after weeks of persistent tracking, that
Alhaji Rahama, the man he opened a constituency office of the NPP for, to
promote a cooperative -Rahama Cooperative- has shown a clean pair of heels
after collecting the cash from some locals.
But the
poor peasant farmers have no one to fight for them, as the bullying Edumadze is
a feared force in the area.
Trouble
began when the minister who is also a Member of Parliament, put his
considerable weight behind a farmers cooperative by personally inaugurating it
some time last year at a ceremony at Ajumako Enyan in rural Central region.
They were
promised a substantial capital on condition that they show commitment by making
contributions for seed capital themselves by depositing up to ¢50,000 each.
Because of
the stature of Edumadze as the president's nominated representative, the scheme
caught fire and, at some point, the contributions were upped to ¢70,000 a
figure that involved considerable sacrifice which sometimes took up to a year
to raise in those parts.
A bank
account was opened at Enyan Denkyira Rural Bank where the sums were deposited
and later moved to the National Investment Bank at
As the time
for the 'harvesting' of their investment came and passed, it was discovered
that Alhaji's 'legs had become shorter in the area'- in other words, he was becoming
less and less visible, until finally, all visits to the NPP office and his
house established that he had disappeared.
Edumadze
has gotten away with so much mess in the past that the farmers felt that he is
now above the law and no one could do anything to him. Desperation set in,
followed by feelings of desolation.
Chronicle
investigators were implored to 'come over and save us'.
Circumstantial
evidence of ministerial complicity was raised in the course of Chronicle
surveillance and investigations following these concerns from the poor hapless
farmers. It was detected that one of the signatories to the bank account was no
other than the trusted personal assistant of Edumadze, Ishaque Essilifie.
The others
are Kojo Odoom Ampiah Biney, the presiding member of Ajumako district assembly
and Nana Nketsia Afful, men who are vulnerable to the Hercules of the Central
region, notorious for physical manhandling.
'419
RACKET'
One of the
affected farmers described the entire episode as a fast 419 operation saying,
"that RAHAMA was founded to take away the little that we have, and we have
no one to turn to."
Edumadze
sent a pliant assistant to Chronicle when he heard that the paper was digging
the earth around the region, but when he was pressed for answers, he displayed
ignorance on many issues, until the minister reluctantly took time to meet this
reporter personally.
Edumadze
debunked the assertion that the society was founded to dupe the farmers.
Instead, he said, they had ¢48m from the farmers which was still intact and had
been transferred from Enyan Denkyira Rural Bank, where it was first lodged to
the National Investment Bank (NIB) at Cape Coast.
But
Chronicle sources close to the farmers suggested that about ¢100m was realized
from the farmers' contribution. He also disputed the number of farmers who
registered with the cooperative saying, "They were only 4,800
farmers" and not about 7,000 as suggested.
However, he
admitted that he was aware that beside the main registration, Alhaji Rahama had
registered other people even outside his constituency and had since vamoosed
with their money.
"In
fact for sometime now, we have not seen the Rahama man, because he has vamoosed
from the people, he was going around duping people," he confessed, but did
not explain how a whole minister in whom the president had reposed such trust,
could personally meddle with what is a private undertaking by an 'uncertified'
businessman.
Investigations
by this paper has revealed that only ¢10m of the said amount went to the Enyan
Denkyira Bank. Chronicle learnt that the money was first shifted from the rural
bank to SSB Bank,
The
minister offered the NPP's former constituency office to be used as office and
followed with massive promotion through the district assembly, even when
insiders had raised grave concerns about the use of the assembly as a conduit.
The role of
RAHAMA in the area, according to sources, has lowered the morale of the NPP in
the district. Chronicle gathered that at a certain stage, the assembly held
meetings to discuss Rahama, without the knowledge of the DCE of the area, under
the orders of the minister.
However,
Edumadze maintained that they had secured a ¢500m loan from the NIB which they
intended to disburse to the farmers in December last year.
The date
was rescheduled on the explanation that if the money were released to the
farmers at the time, being a Christmas week, the farmers would have frittered
away the money for the holidays.
He further
pointed out "in January when we were about to disburse the money, the then
DCE drew our attention to the requirement to seek the approval of the
ministries of Local Government and Rural Development and of Finance because it
had now become a district assembly thing.
But when
the special assistant to the minister for Local Government was reached for his
comment on the issue, he said he was not aware of that.
A source
close to Chronicle told the paper that they find it very difficult to see the
link between what was a farmer's society to a district assembly fund.
Meanwhile,
when asked to explain the entire RAHAMA saga, Edumadze said that he first met
Alhaji Rahama at Twifo Praso, where he inaugurated a similar farmers' society
founded by Alhaji Rahama.
He said after
the ceremony, he realized that it was a good thing and therefore he prevailed
upon him to organise it in his constituency. According to Edumadze, he
therefore offered Alhaji Rahama all the necessary support. He said the money
collected was first lodged at the Enyan Denkyira Rural Bank and later shifted
to the SSB Bank.
According
to him, negotiation was ongoing with the SSB Bank for a loan when government
took the decision to lodge all the assembly's common fund with the NIB.
However in
response to Chronicle's inquiries, NIB confirmed that the association indeed
opened an account with its branch at
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Appearing
before the NRC, the father of seventeen children said, "They battered my
penis and waistline with the butt of their guns until I started bleeding
profusely. As a result of this I have been rendered impotent."
Narrating
his ordeal at the NRC Dumhassie who used to have seven wives said after the
1981 coup, an announcement was made for people who wanted to join the Peoples'
Defense Committee (PDC) to report at the Ho barracks. He said he mobilized the
youth in Husuta in the Volta Region to form the PDC. He said this move brought
a division in the town since the chiefs in the area had already submitted their
application to the soldiers to form the committee.
He told the
commission that sometime in 1982 soldiers came to Husuta at a public gathering
to explain the concept of the PDC. His friend, Winfred Dzandu who was the
leader of the Student Taskforce, asked him to tell the gathering what ensued at
Ho Barracks.
Frail
looking Dumhassie said subsequently two soldiers who he named as Korkuvi and
Aboagye gripped him and started battering him. He said "they stretched me
on a bench and beat me with the hooks of their belts until the table collapsed.
They held my legs and hands and threw me away."
Dressed in
pink embroidered dress, he said in the presence of the chiefs and the town
folks the soldiers hit him with the butts of their guns in the groin and
waistline. He said his seven wives divorced him after they discovered that he
had become impotent. He told the commission he blamed his friend, Winfred
Dzandu who ordered him to address the gathering.
In his
testimony, Winfred Dzandu apologised to Dumhassie for the suffering he went
through. He said he had no fore knowledge of what befell his friend on that
fateful day.
Another
witness, Daniel Mensah Doamekpor in his testimony said he was shot in the head
in a commercial vehicle by a soldier, WOII Tornyeviadzi without any reason in
1987. He said although the police came to the hospital to take his statement,
nothing happened afterwards..
He told the
nine-member commission that since then he had been experiencing severe
headaches and is therefore asking for compensation to settle his hospital
bills.
WOII (Rtd)
Tornyeviadzi who was walking with the help of a crutch in his right hand could
not cross-examine his accuser because there was no counsel to represent him.
Kojo Ayigwa
another witness, in his testimony told the commission that his Mercedes Benz
bus was unlawfully seized by soldiers in 1984. He said he brought the vehicle
from the then West
Ayigwa said
soldiers then embarked on an operation code named, "Operation Drag
Net," to arrest employees of AGC who were pilfering gold.
He said in
the course of the operation the vehicle he gave to his brother-in-law was
seized. He said when he received the news he returned to
He said he
petitioned the Military Police in
He said
upon this warning he left the country to
Capt.
Adogodo who is now a Lieutenant Colonel denied ever giving a warning threat to
Ayigwa and denied using the seized vehicle for commercial purposes. He said
because the operation was not done by his outfit which is the Second Brigade
Headquarters and directed Ayigwa to the 4th Battalion Headquarters. –
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Nkwakubew
(Volta Region)
While the
aged and others past working age are dying of malnutrition and curable
diseases, the able-bodied ones are fleeing the resettlement towns founded for
them some 37 years ago when the dam was constructed.
Aside of
the premature loss of lives, the socio-economic burdens that the youth from the
settlements are likely to pose in the urban areas, where they drift in their
hundreds to, is expected to be considerable.
A survey
conducted last week by Chronicle in all eight resettlement communities created
by the Volta River Authority (VRA) in the Eastern region, painted these and
other sad pictures.
The largest
man-made lake, one of the many ambitious development projects initiated by
President Kwame Nkrumah in the
Those that
fall in the Eastern region include Nkwakubew, Apegusu, Npakadan, Adjina and New
Senche in the Asuogyaman district. The rest are Somanya in the Yilo and Adukrom
and Anyabone, both in the
Over the
last four decades, successive governments have failed to compensate the chiefs
and people whose lands were annexed for the resettlers, Chronicle learnt.
At the
Nkwakubew resettlement area, otherwise known as New Dodi, it was observed that
the one-unit bedroom structures built for each family are collapsing on the
occupants.
Most of the
structures, which are beyond repair, have actually collapsed, while others have
been left in the bush and reduced to havens for reptiles and other dangerous
animals.
Living in
these unit structures is very difficult, the occupants say, because they are
without kitchen, toilet and bathroom facilities; a situation that leaves
occupants with no choice than to do every house chore in the open.
In the
whole of the Nkwakubew community, the only public place of convenience was
closed down after it became a death trap several years ago. Good drinking water
is also hard to come by.
Currently,
the residents are drinking unclean water they collect from streams several
miles away, since the taps ceased flowing two years ago.
What will
surprise readers most is that these people who sacrificed their lives and
property for the generation of electricity for the whole country were not
enjoying electricity all these years until last 11 November when power was
extended to the resettlement after they threatened to go on a demonstration.
The late
Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, first president of
The farm
employed more than 360 resettlers who worked there to cater for their children
and parents. Unfortunately, it was closed down by the National Democratic
Congress (NDC) government which short listed the farm for divestiture in 1992,
rendering many people in the area jobless and poorer.
The lack of
employment has compounded the poverty in the area so much, and the standard of
education has fallen so low that parents are unable to send their wards to
school.
Chronicle
observed that due to this, the youths in the resettlement towns have joined the
rural-urban drift in search of white-collar jobs, which are not there.
Meanwhile,
several other youths who have not acquired employable skills just stay in the
resettlement area, doing practically nothing because of high rates in hiring
the arable land available for farming activities. Hence, there are some fertile
lands lying fallow in the resettlement areas.
One of the
residents who spoke to Chronicle on condition of anonymity, hinted that very
soon, they would march to the Castle to present their complaints officially to
the president, J. A. Kufuor, about the poor conditions of living in the
resettlement towns.
He did not
understand why they should be neglected for so many decades after sacrificing
their lives and property for nation-building.
When
reached for his comments, the Dodihene, Nana-Okore Awere, confirmed all
Chronicle's findings. He was not happy with the way some companies were exploiting
their old land,
The
Dodihene also disapproved of the denial of a place to a representative on the
VRA Resettlement Trust Fund Board (RTFB) set up to improve conditions in their
resettlement towns. The chief appealed to the government to reactivate the
(NRAF) to create employment for the youths to stop leaving for the urban areas.
Also, he appealed to the government to improve conditions in the resettlement
areas to make life worth living. - Ghanaian Chronicle
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 02 April 2003 - It is now known that pressure was brought to
bear on the Chief of Staff, Kwadwo Mpiani to issue a statement to the effect
that the Presidential Spokesperson, Kwabena Agyepong did not have the mandate
to speak on any foreign issue or policy, except the President.
Sources
close to the Castle told the ''Evening News'' that the outgoing Minister of
Foreign Affairs, Hackman Owusu Agyeman called the Chief of Staff to complain
that Kwabena Agyepong was granting interviews to radio stations on the
government’s policy on the US-led war against
The sources
said on so many trips abroad with the President, Owusu Agyeman had confronted
Agyepong whenever he tried to speak to the media. Owusu Agyeman once even
shoved off Agyepong from speaking to the media on any issue since he, being
substantive Minister, had the right and responsibility to speak on government
policy issues.
The recent
rumpus which generated a lot of rumpus started when Kwabena Agyepong was asked
to comment on a story published by an Accra-based newspaper - PALAVAR - that
President Kufuor called
The
Government spokesperson denied the story saying that
The sources
said after the President had listened to the tape on Kwabena Agyepong’s
response, he saw that it was in order, and therefore did not see the need for
the statement issued by the Chief of Staff. - Evening News
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Kumasi
(Ashanti Region) 02 April 2003 - The Ashanti Regional Co-ordinating Council has
expressed displeasure at reports carried on some local radio stations in Kumasi
that President Kufuor has reshuffled regional ministers.
The reports
believed to deceive the public as part of April Fools Day which falls today
suggested that the Regional Minister, S.K. Boafo has been moved to the Foreign
Ministry as Deputy Minister.
According
to the reports, former Youth and Sports Minister, Edward Osei Kwaku becomes the
new Ashanti Regional Minister.
However the
Public Relations Officer of the Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC), David
Owusu Amoah told LUV FM that it is improper for people to joke about sensitive
national issues. He described the joke as too expensive. Owusu Amoah said
officials at the office of the President have already heard the reports and are
unhappy about them.
Though he
could not name the radio stations involved, the PRO said the RCC is conducting
investigations to find the culprits and will in due course invite them to
answer for their action. – MyJoyOnLine
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Saltpond
(West Region)
Government
officials have refused to comment on the disappearance of the vessel. Officials
of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation are reported to have sent an
emergency call that the vessel had disengaged and was sailing away.
But the
ship with its Russian crew made away before it could be stopped by the Ghana
Navy. A statement from the Information Ministry said Interpol has been informed
and investigations have begun to locate the vessel.
The oil
well at the Saltpond Oilfields is a joint venture between the GNPC and Lushann
Eternit, a Nigerian company. Meanwhile, the minority in Parliament has called
for a full and thorough investigation into circumstances surrounding the
disappearance of the ship.
A statement
issued by the Minority group said the loss of such a colossal amount of crude
oil at a time when Ghanaians have been called upon to pay outrageously high
price for petroleum products is unpardonable.
The group
also wondered why security agencies such as the Ghana Air force and Navy were
not informed in time about the disappearance of the ship, to enable them track
the ship.
The
minority referred to the mid 70s when allegations were rife about the loss of a
ship load of cocoa on the high seas and called for urgent steps to be taken to
find the ship and its cargo as well as the persons involved in its
disappearance. – MyJoyOnLine
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Rather, he
is reportedly executing his own hidden agenda, and intimidating the five
signatories to the petition to retract it through the print and electronic
media.
The five,
all New Patriotic Party (NPP) elders in the Shai-Osodoku constituency, had in a
petition dated February 6 confirmed a report of ''The Heritage'' (15-21January
edition) that some NPP stalwarts, allegedly acting under the instructions of
DCE Agban, had collected ¢20,000 from each of the 300 women in Shai-Osudoku who
benefited from poverty alleviation loans from the Ministry of Women Affairs.
In the
petition to the Local Government Minister and copied to the Chief of Staff,
Castle, the Accra Regional Minister and the NPP Regional and National Officers,
the petitioners indicated their readiness to substantiate their claims, and
urged the Minister to investigate.
Apparently,
that is what Sheik Quaye has been mandated to do. However, reports reaching
''The Heritage'' from a meeting the Regional Minister Quaye held with the
petitioners - Mallam Adamu Yushau, Recon Atta Kwao, Daniel K. Hanson, Ebenezer
Obu - on 10 March indicate that he may not be interested if the claims in the
petition were true.
Apart from
ordering a retraction, the DCE whose alleged conduct is the subject of his
investigation, served as secretary during the Minister's meeting with the
petitioners.
Adamu told
''The Heritage'' in an interview that they were surprised at the Minister's
attempt to coerce them into lying to the whole country that the petition they
wrote to the Government last month was misleading.
Recon Atta
Kwao, one of the signatories to the petition, in an interview expressed
surprise at the fact that, Sheik I.C. Quaye instead of investigating the
contents of their petition to establish the truth or otherwise, rather has
resorted to some tricks to get them to throw dust into the eyes of the public.
"I.C.
Quaye was angry that we wrote the petition. He accused us of leaking party
information to the media and said the NDC would laugh at us," recalled
Atta Kwao.
Malam
Yushau Adamu on his part wondered why a Sheik would lie for political
expediency. When asked why the five of them did not protest at the meeting, he
said "we realized it was an orchestrated plan to favour the accused DCE,
so we kept quiet while the Minister did his own thing," said Malam Adamu.
Continuing,
he said, "I was more surprised with the presence of the accused DCE at the
meeting, especially when the accused was acting as Secretary to the meeting and
taking minutes of the proceedings."
Efforts to
get Sheik I.C. Quaye for his comments proved futile, even though The Heritage
sources at the Regional Administration confirmed the marathon four-hour meeting
held behind closed doors on March 10 between the Regional Minister and DCE
Agban on one hand and the five signatories on the other.
Three
personal visits to the Minister's office last week were met with the
response." He's at a meeting." Telephone calls to his office were
also not returned. - Heritage
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Kpong-Manya
Krobo (Eastern Region) 02 April 2003 – The Deputy Minister for Local Government
and Rural Development, Capt (rtd) Effah-Dartey has stated that all the mad days
are over, and that under President Kufuor, whoever abuses his office would be
prosecuted.
“The
district chief executives (DCEs), minister and even party executives are
constantly being reminded of consequences awaiting them should they abuse their
office,” he said. Capt. (rtd) Nkrabeah Effah-Dartey stated these at the third
district NPP rally at Kpong, near Odumase, on Sunday.
He offered
a piece of advice to the Ministers, DCEs and party executives that, whoever
wants to commit a crime should first of all, leave his post to avoid
prosecution.
According
to him, Professor John Evans Atta Mills is not serious by saying that he would
lead a big demonstration against the NPP government. “Prof Mills is not
serious. His MPs are resigning and he is not finding out why? He should go and
build his party before checking the nation and not disturb our peace”.
On the
issue of the resignation of Hon. Abraham Kofi Asante, former MP for Amenfi West
constituency, Effah Dartey held that he did so he did so because he wanted
democracy to take place in the NDC. Effah Dartey said observed that the NPP is
winning all the by elections because the party is not hiding the truth from the
people who have turned out to be ambassadors of the party.
He assured
all that the NPP would win the other two forthcoming by-elections, Gomoa West
and Amenfi West constituencies hands down because indications are clear that
the NPP will win.
The NPP
General Secretary, Dan Botwe, advised the supporters to be part of the NPP
development programme by giving their three parliamentary seats to the NPP come
the 2004 elections. He furthered assured that come 2004; the NPP is going to
take all three Krobo seats. – The Ghanaian Chronicle
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Kumbungu
(Northern Region)
This came
to light at a forum by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) for
stakeholders in the cotton industry in
The
companies intimated that countries like
He said
most of the farmers did not treat the industry as a business but rather as a
way of life. Adongo also identified unhealthy competition among some of the
companies and poor loan repayment by some of the companies to the banks as some
of the contributing factors.
He warned
that unless the companies paid back their loans, within the next three years to
the banks, there would not be money to support the industry. Adongo urged the
companies to adopt cost effective and suitable technology to help boost the
industry.
Dr. Abdel
Majeed-Haroun, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture indicated even though it
was the wish of the government to revive the industry, yet it could encourage
direct subsidy on the inputs. He said
Dr
Majeed-Haroun however said government would continue to render services like
extension services that would complement efforts of the farmers. He said a
study indicated that both farmers and the companies benefit only 40 per cent of
the product and the end user, the textile and marketing enjoyed the bulk of the
benefit. He therefore urged the farmers to endeavour to process other
by-products like seeds into oil in order to raise more money to sustain their
businesses. – The Ghanaian Times
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The first
sign of trouble came when the BNI requested for documents on a Honda Integra
Saloon car, which the Editor used for two years, from the Vehicle Examination
and Licensing Department (VELD).
The vehicle
with registration number GR 5343L belongs to the Editor’s sister-in-law, Madam
Charlotte Aba Pratt, now resident in
Following
the breakdown of Kwesi Pratt’s car, his brothers decided to make the Honda
Integra available for his use. Later, Kofi Kakraba bought a second Honda and
offered it to the Editor of Insight while the first one was given to his other
brother, Kofi Pratt, who is a priest of the Anglican church.
The Insight
says the BNI has already looked into the tax liability of ''The Insight'' and found
nothing incriminating. – Insight
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According
to the Statistical Service, the food and beverages sub-group showed an increase
of 7.5 per cent, an indication of a rise in food prices.
Transport
and communication registered an increase of 45.2 per cent; the Housing and
utilities sub-groups 43.4 per cent. These were attributed to the recent
increases in the price of petroleum products.
Other
sub-groups which showed increases were miscellaneous goods, 7%; clothing and
footwear, 4.9% and alcohol and tobacco, 4.6%. Sources at the Bank of Ghana
indicated that for the first time in many years, money supply has gone up by
50%. - Insight
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The letter
said ''accordingly, you are hereby requested to suspend your towing operations
on behalf of the assembly forthwith until further notice.''
Throwing
more light on the issue, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the AMA, Charles
Parker-Allotey, said the decision was taken after a general assembly session.
He said at the meeting, assembly members passed a resolution for the suspension
of the operations of the 24Hr Towing Service.
Parker-Allotey
further explained that the assembly members contended that the operations of
the company were unsatisfactory and inhumane. They, therefore, called for a
review of the contract, which was signed between the AMA and the company two
years ago.
He,
however, maintained that the issue was hotly debated by the assembly and the
majority won by a narrow margin.
That
notwithstanding, he said that the authority of the assembly is currently
holding discussions with the assembly members to rescind their decision while
it continues talking with the towing company to improve upon its operations. He
argued that the suspension of the operations of the company will promote
indiscipline on the roads.
He said the
authority is not happy with the resolution of the assembly, which led to the
drafting of the letter explaining that ''the assembly ''aim of decongesting and
bringing sanity into the metropolis will be undermined''.
He,
therefore, advised motorists not to take advantage of the suspension of the
company’s operations, since the AMA bye-laws still frown on unauthorised
parking. The Managing Director of the 24Hr Towing Company, Thomas Yentumi,
confirmed that his company has been instructed to suspend operations.
He said the
company has since grounded all of its towing trucks and explained that ''the
company is not responsible for the direct towing of vehicles that park at
unauthorised places''.
According
to him the company only provides the vehicle, fuel, a driver and clamping
equipment while the AMA guards and the police determine which vehicle to tow.
He further explained that due to the recent fuel increases, the company is
running at a serious loss. - Graphic
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The
commission is currently reviewing his responses which were contained in three
different letters, to facilitate further investigations into the allegations
made against him.
Dr Kenneth
Attafuah, the Executive Secretary of the commission, who disclosed this in an
interview, did not indicate whether or not the former President will appear
before the commission.
He
explained that when the Editor of the Crusading Guide, Kweku Baako Jnr,
appeared before the commission to give evidence in the Mawuli Goka case, he
mentioned the killing of Lance Corporal Sarkodie Addo and the torture of Tata
Ofosu at the Castle in the presence of former President Rawlings.
He said one
of the letters was to afford the former President the opportunity to respond to
the issues raised in the evidence given by Kweku Baako Jnr.
Dr Attafuah
said the other letters were in respect of two petitions submitted to the
commission by Squadron Leader Tagoe and Samuel Addae Amoako. When asked of the
content of the responses, he said, they were still being examined. - Graphic
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