NDC condemns judgement on Quality Grain case
District Assemblies urged to invest in tourism
Re-entry of Olympio leads to temporary
closure of border
Tempers flare in court during cross-examination
Pro V.C of University of Ghana cries for assistance
Political Parties not allow to feed suspected rioters
Government will protect fishing industry
Chief appeals for calm in Dagbon
Quality Grain has positive lessons for public officials
Scientists and Technologists in President's Initiatives
Ghana determined to open a mission in
Spain-Kufuor
Ghana honoured by the visit of the Saudi Prince-Kufuor
Amend Ghana's Electoral Laws
On-line database for African universities
NDC condemns judgement on Quality Grain
case
Accra (Greater Accra) 30 April 2003- The National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Tuesday
said it appreciated the fact that public officials ought to be held accountable
for their actions but it should not be used as a weapon to witch-hunt political
opponents.
It said it was shocked and disappointed in the judgement
given in the Quality Grain case on 28 April by an Accra Fast Track High Court
in which former ministers in the previous regime were jailed for various terms
for causing a 20 million dollars loss to the State.
Dr Obed Asamoah, Chairman of the
NDC, was reacting to the judgement in a statement on what came to be now known
as the "Quality Grain Case" said the law under which the people were
charged was: "a complete novelty in the criminal history of the country
and ought to have been handled differently."
It said: "Indeed, the presiding judge Justice Kwame Afreh himself has stated on more than two occasions, and in
his judgement, that the Quality Grain Case is not a case of stealing, it is not
a case of embezzlement, it is not a case of illegal transfer of funds to an
account whether personal or belonging to another person, and it is not a case of
corruption.
"It is a case in which public officials are being
punished for 'error of judgement' framed on a charge known as 'wilfully causing
financial loss to the State.'" The statement said it was, therefore,
worthy of note that the Judge cleared the accused persons of theft, fraud or
any moral turpitude.
"In the circumstances, therefore, the sentences imposed
on them are considered rather harsh." The statement said short of total
acquittal, the NDC was of the view that having regard to the special
circumstances of the case, lighter sentences such as fines should have been
imposed on the accused persons rather than the custodial sentences.
"Furthermore, it is also a notorious fact that Mrs
Cotton, the Lady in the centre of the Quality Grain project, was convicted in
the
The statement said it was, therefore, cruel that victims of
a crime have to be penalised for what was committed on them for not having in
any way benefited from the transaction and yet were being made to suffer.
It described the sentences as "most unfair" adding
that Mrs Cotton had stood trial in the
"Ultimately, therefore, there cannot be any loss to the
State when the re-imbursement is made. In addition, international experts
in rice production have confirmed both the viability of the project and the
quality of the equipment."
The statement said the NDC viewed yesterday's judgement as
being unreasonable if the basis for it was that the State had suffered a loss,
as indeed the Ghana Government was to enjoy restitution.
It expressed surprise at the political turn the judgement
took as though the NDC was on trial when the former President J.J. Rawlings and
the former Vice President Professor Evans Atta Mills were virtually indicted by
his Lordship Justice Afreh in a case in which they
were not standing trial. "They were subjected to attacks and
vilification."
It said the NDC considered it most unfortunate and uncalled
for and gathered from the judgement that the ruling NPP Government was bent on
pursuing diabolical agenda to annihilate the NDC as the biggest opposition
party using the Judiciary as its instrument.
The statement added: "The judgement itself has set a
very dangerous precedent of both current and future political office holders,
as their actions and inactions are likely to be subjected to the same
test." In the court judgement on Monday Mr Kwame Peprah,
was jailed four years while Mr Ibrahim Adams was sentenced to two years
imprisonment both of them were former Ministers of Finance and Agriculture,
respectively.
Dr George Yankey, former Director of the Legal Sector,
Private and Financial Institutions Division of the Ministry of Finance, was
also jailed two years. Dr Samuel Dapaah, former Chief
Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and Nana Ato
Dadzie, former Chief of Staff at the Presidency, who
were jointly charged with the three others were acquitted and discharged. Their
trial lasted for two years.
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District Assemblies urged to invest in
tourism
Takoradi (Western Region)
Speaking at a meeting of the Shama-Ahanta
East Metropolitan Tourism Committee in Takoradi on Tuesday, he proposed the
development of a number of tourist sites to the Assembly to enable it tap the
enormous tourism potential in the area to support economic development.
Awere said one of the sites was Supomu, a four-kilometre square island in the middle of the
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Re-entry of Olympio
leads to temporary closure of border
Aflao (Volta Region) 30 April 2003- Togo on Tuesday
shut it side of the Ghana/Togo border at Aflao to
enable officials of that country to check the documents of Gilchirist
Olympio, a Togolese Politician.
It was the second time in four days that Mr Olympio crossed from
The border remained closed for two hours. Olympio was using a photocopy of his Ghanaian passport
because the Togolese officials took the original one from him for verification
the first time.
Togolese sources told the GNA that, Olympio
on Tuesday presented himself for medical examinations at the
The sources said Olympio, who has
no Togolese passport put in application for an identity card during his short
stay in
Hundreds of Olympio's supporters
some on motorbikes and in cars while others were running, accompanied him back
to the Aflao border at around 1630 hours on his way
back to Accra. Togolese Police holding shields and batons came along with the
convoy to the Aflao border.
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Tempers flare in court during
cross-examination
Accra (Greater Accra) 30 April 2003- Tempers flared at an Accra Fast Track
Court (FTC) between a defence counsel and a Witness over counsel's constant
suggestions to Witness on a name that appeared on a document, that was about to
be tendered in evidence on Tuesday, in the on-going trial involving Sherry
Ayittey and three others.
Madam Georgina Okaitei, the
Seventh Prosecution Witness in the Ghana Rubber Estates Limited (GREL)
Divestiture case, who was under cross-examination by Counsel, D.O. Lamptey, had repeatedly in an answer to a question,
disagreed with counsel that her name was Georgina Okaitei
Nunoo.
She explained that Nunoo was the
surname of her four children since her former husband was called Nunoo. The court is trying four persons for their alleged
involvement in corrupt practices during GREL's
privatisation. They are, Hanny
Sherry Ayittey, Treasurer of the 31st December Women's Movement (DWM); Emmanuel
Amuzu Agbodo, Former
Executive Secretary of the Divestiture Implementation Committee; Ralph Casely-Hayford, Businessman and Sati Dorcas Ocran, Housewife.
All the four were alleged to have influenced the DIC Board
to divest GREL in favour of Societe Industrielle Plantation Hevea
(SIPH) and they have denied their various charges. The Court, presided over by
Justice J. C. Amonoo-Monney, Appeal Court Judge, with
an additional responsibility on the case as a High Court Judge, has granted
each of them a self-recognisance bail.
Madam Okaitei said her marriage
was a customary one, saying the marriage fell on rock over 20 years now. She
was emphatic that her surname was Okaitei. When
counsel suggested further to Witness that her name was Nunoo,
because she signed a document, an affidavit attached to a motion, which bore
the full name of Georgina Okaitei Nunoo,
she stressed that her business partner had been writing the name on other
documents, including receipts that acknowledged payments to him.
Madam Okaitei said her partner,
Jacob Larbie, who was advised to desist from using
the name Nunoo for her, had earlier told her
(Witness) that he was using the surname because of her children. At this stage
when Witness could no longer tolerate constant suggestions on the surname, she
began to use words like "Oomale. Amalelor," meaning Lamptey
lied to the court.
Lamptey did not take kindly to
Witness' utterances and shouted on her ntil the Trial
Judge intervened. ustice
Amonoo-Monney told Counsel that Madam Okaitei was not to be treated as an accused person and that
she ought to be considered as a Witness in the case, whose assistance was being
sought to bring about social justice.
When the Trial Judge asked for the views of the Prosecution,
Osafo Sampong, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP),
said: "If you do not respect the Witness, do you think she would return
same?" The case was adjourned to Thursday, 8 May for continuation.
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Pro V.C of University of Ghana cries for
assistance
Accra (Greater Accra) 30 April 2003- Professor Ofori Sarpong, Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University, said the
university has of late faced a lot of constraints and might not be able to
carry out its mission in the future.
"Facilities are going down, research and teaching
quality are also in trouble' Professor Sarpong was
speaking at the re-opening of a renovated Museum for the Department of
Archaeology and the launch of a 158-page book titled: "The Bead Is
Constant."
Professor Sarpong said 90 per cent
of the University's subvention goes onto salaries, wages and teaching facilities.
He said the recent population of the university had also over burdened its
ability while the students were also demanding free tuition.
Professor Sarpong said the
renovation work and the book were funded by the US Embassy at the cost of
15,000 dollars and appealed to other embassies and benevolent organisations to
emulate the US Embassy and assist the University in its efforts to provide most of
its departments, halls with the necessary facilities.
He said much as the university needed books, it also needed
funds to computerise all its faculties. Mrs Mary Yates,
"We must work out a system of expansion, training,
refinement, classification, packaging, promotion strategy and export of beads,
he said. Okai said
He said the book introduces the reader to the origins and
emergence, creation and recreation of the bead. Okai said
Dr Yaw Bredwa, Dean of the
Department, said the museum used to be a teaching one but now it would be for
the public as well. He said with enough funds, it could be extended and the
Department would also continue to change the faces of the artefacts. Some women
and men from Manya Krobo
with knowledge in the bead trade and who volunteered information during the
research were given certificates.
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Political Parties not allow to feed
suspected rioters
Tamale (Greater Accra) 30 April 2003 - The Tamale Municipal Security Committee
(TMSC) on Monday met with butchers to resolve differences among them in their operations.
Ernest Debrah, Northern Regional Minister, told
newsmen at a press briefing that the TMSC was still having discussions with the
butchers to stop them from operating on political lines since that could lead
to further clashes in future.
Most of the butcher's shops in the Municipality have
remained closed in the aftermath of last Tuesday's clashes between some rival
groups believed to be NPP and NDC supporters. He said the TMSC was making
frantic efforts to bring them together to
operate in an atmosphere of peace, devoid of political or chieftaincy
undertones.
Debrah said the Regional Security
Council also met with some executive members of the NDC who requested to be
allowed to provide food for their supporters in prisons custody. He said the
REGSEC turned down their request since there were other political party
supporters among the detainees. However, they could do that through charitable
organisations or as individuals, Debrah said.
He said the NDC Executives have promised to talk to its rank
and file to maintain peace while efforts were being made to resolve the issues.
Brigadier George Aryiku, General Officer Commanding
the Northern Command, said the military tradition did not allow political
parties to be visiting its installations. "The military is above political
parties," he said, and urged the people to observe the rules and
regulations of the military.
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Government will protect fishing industry
Elmina (Central Region)
He said this had become necessary following reports that
vessels, which were licensed to do deep-sea fishing, were operating in shallow
waters thereby obstructing artisanal fishing. Hutchful was speaking at a forum organised by the National
Commission for Civic Education as part of activities to mark the third annual constitution
week at Elmina.
The forum, which was attended by chief fishermen and a cross
section of the public, was on the theme: "strategies for poverty reduction
- the Ghanaian fisherman" and was aimed at educating the people,
particularly the fishermen on their civic rights and responsibilities.
Hutchful said the government was
aware of the poverty level in the country and was doing everything possible to
reverse the trend. He said plans were far advanced to introduce extra
income-generating activities for fishermen to minimize the pressure on fish
stocks.
Hutchful also said measures were
also in place to establish small-scale industries near the fishing communities
to create jobs for the youth. He urged the fishermen to form cooperatives to
enable them to benefit from financial assistance.
Larry Bimi, Chairman of NCCE,
called on Ghanaians to show interest in the nation's democracy by questioning
the activities of people in authority. He said it was when people begin to
question the work of leaders that they would sit up.
The chairman said for true democracy to be consolidated,
citizens must be interested in the nation's governance by participating in
day-to-day running of government instead of leaving it to those in authority
alone.
Bimi entreated the people to
acquire copies of the 1992 Constitution to enable them to contribute
meaningfully to nation building. He said: "You will not be able to
contribute meaningfully towards good governance without studying the
constitution".
Bimi asked them to honour their
tax obligations, adding that, "it is when you pay your taxes that you
would have the courage to question people in authority how they have been
spending the money."
Nana Ato Arthur, District Chief
Executive of Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem, commended
the NCCE for organising the forum and urged them to help the various district
assemblies to form civic clubs. The fishermen expressed concern about the
activities of vessels on the sea and urged the government to safeguard artisanal fishing in the country's shallow waters.
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Chief appeals for calm in Dagbon
Kpembe (Northern Region)
He explained that by engaging in conflicts, the people were
destroying the area's human resource and development and that this might affect
their children in future. The Kpembewura made the
appeal when the out-going Minister of Trade and Industries, Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku paid a courtesy call on him at his palace on Monday.
Dr. Apraku was at Salaga in the East Gonja District to commission a 200
million-cedis Trade Facilitation Centre, initiated by the Member of Parliament
for the area, Boniface Abubakari Saddique.
Chief Harruna urged Dagombas
to forgive one another and try to uphold brotherhood and allow development to
come to the people, saying, "to err is human and
to forgive is divine."
He called on the government to be dedicated to governance
and remain positive in decision-making to improve the economy. The Kpembewura urged the government to make the welfare and the
development of the youth its priority.
He called for credit support for farmers to increase
agriculture production to feed the industries. Dr Apraku
announced that a sheabutter extracting factory would
be established at Salaga soon to help the women to
process the crop for export. He advised the youth to go into agriculture to
produce more food to feed the industries that government would be establishing
in their area.
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Quality Grain has positive lessons for
public officials
He said the trail should also remind public officials of the
high level of responsibility placed on them in the disbursement of public
funds. Speaking to the Presidential Press Corps at the Castle, Osu, Agyepong,
who is also the Presidential Spokesman, debunked the notion that the trial and
ruling were politically motivated.
He said it was also not true that the ruling was tended to
criminalise the exercise of administrative discretion in the performance of
duties of public officials and would stall initiative. An Accra Fast Track High
Court presided over by Justice Dixon Kwame
Afreh on Monday sentenced three former top public
officials to various terms of imprisonment.
The Court found them guilty of conspiracy and causing
financial loss of 20 million dollars to the State in a rice project at Aveyime in the Volta Region, with the connivance of an
American woman, Mrs Juliet R. Cotton.
The Court Richard Kwame Peprah,
Former Minster of Finance, was sentenced to four years' imprisonment. Ibrahim
Adam, Former Minister of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) and Dr George Yankey, a
Former Director of Legal Sector, Private and Financial Institutions of the
Ministry of Finance, were sentenced to two years' imprisonment each.
The court acquitted and discharged Nana Ato
Dadzie, Former Chief of Staff and Dr Samuel Dapaah, Former Chief Director of MOFA. It had earlier
acquitted and discharged Kwesi Ahowi, former Chief
Executive of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) because the
Prosecution failed to establish a prima facie evidence against him.
Agyepong said the fact that three
out of the six officials were convicted indicated that it was not a political
trial, because all due processes of law were followed for the two years that
the trial lasted and they exhausted all legal discourse in their defence.
He said the imprisonment of three Ministers of the previous
government out of the about 80 did not mean that the previous government was
put on trial. "The law under which they were prosecuted was not made by
the NPP government; it was an existing law in the criminal code and Mallam Issah, a member of the NPP
government, had suffered a similar fate." Agyepong
said information and documents available indicated that the accused persons had
sufficient advice and caution not to pursue the project but they were all
ignored.
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Scientists and Technologists in President's Initiatives
Accra (Greater Accra) 30 April 2003- Professor Jerome S. Djangmah,
former head of the Department of Zoology of the University of Ghana, on
Tuesday, called for the involvement of scientists and technologists in all the
President's Special Initiatives (PSI) to ensure their success.
He said science and technology was the foundation of every
development and creation of wealth. And for the success of the President's
Special Initiatives, there should be a very strong involvement of scientists
and technologists to give technical advice and impact their knowledge as well.
"Government spends so much importing technical advisors
from other countries whilst the country has brilliant scientists and
technologists who could offer the same advice as their counterparts brought in
from other countries".
Prof. Djangmah made the call at
the opening of a two-day science colloquium for students and members of the
Faculty of Science as part of its academic activities for the year. The
colloquium under the theme: "The role of Science in the Wealth
Creation" would give members of the faculty the opportunity to discuss
some scientific research findings.
Prof. Djangmah noted that the
areas selected by the President as his special initiatives were very good ones
that would yield the government a lot of wealth if scientists and technologists
were involved to sustain them adding, "every
initiative should have a research development component".
"
He said scientists and technologists must also embrace the
initiative and move it forward instead of waiting for government to invite
them. "It is time for us to put an end to this awkward attitude if we want
to move forward in development as a nation". He urged government to ensure
that all sectors and ministries use the science and technology resources of the
nation adequately and create high value added jobs for science and technology
manpower. "The most important thing is for government to create funds for research
and development activities and place high value on science research as it is
done in most developing countries for wealth creation".
Professor Marian Ewura Ama Addy of the Department of
Biochemistry of the University, who spoke on the: "Science Education: Does
it Prepare us for Wealth Creation", said most student lose interest in
studying science to a higher level because of lack of practical resources.
She explained that the study of science in the country had
always been theory without relating whatever the students study in the classroom
to the environment. "An example is the study of
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Ghana determined to open a mission in
Spain-Kufuor
Accra (Greater Accra) 30 April 2003- President John Agyekum Kufuor on Tuesday
reiterated that government was determined to establish a permanent mission at
the Ambassadorial level in Madrid, Spain.
He said the renewed relationship between
The Ambassador is returning to
He said
He appealed to Corral to continue to be a very good
spokesman for
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Ghana honoured by the visit of the Saudi
Prince-Kufuor
Accra (Greater Accra) 30 April 2003- President John Agyekum Kufuor on Tuesday said Ghana was honoured to have the Saudi Prince, Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdul Aziz Alsaud, as a strategic development partner.
"We feel happy to have an honoured partner like you as
a strategic development partner for our mutual benefit". President Kufuor
made the observation when the visiting Prince paid a courtesy call on him at
the Castle, Osu.
The 48-year old Prince, who is leading a 22-member business
delegation on a three-day exploratory investment visit, is also the Chairman of
the Saudi-based Kingdom Holding Company. His business holdings cover Banking,
Estate Development, Hospitality, Telecom, Agriculture, Information Technology,
Broadcasting, Media, Entertainment, Travel and Automotive Manufacturing.
President Kufuor urged Prince Alwaleed
to consider offering assistance to revamp the Ghana Airways to retain its
status as a major airline in the Sub-Region, the education sector and research
institutions in the health sector to combat or reduce malnutrition among
children, malaria and the
HIV/AIDS menace. He said the visit had established a firm
foundation for the relations between the two countries, especially the Moslem
community and the assistance offered by the Saudi government to Ghanaian
pilgrims to
He said
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Accra (Greater Accra) 30 April 2003- Justice George K.
Acquah, a Supreme Court Judge, has called for an amendment of Ghana's Electoral
Laws to provide a forum for people wishing to challenge eligibility of
candidates to do so before the polling day.
He noted that it was proper and prudent to give an
opportunity to whoever desired to challenge the eligibility of a Parliamentary
or Presidential candidate before polls were cast to save the nation the pain
and cost that would arise out of a bye-election.
It is estimated that each of the six recent by-elections
cost the taxpayer not less than 100 million cedis, a figure the Electoral
Commission (EC) described as "moderate" when compared to the amount
of money spent on elections and by-elections in the West Africa Sub-Region.
Justice Acquah, who was speaking at a Roundtable Discussion
organized by the Electoral Commission (EC) and KAB Governance Consult on
Election Dispute and Adjudication, proposed that the period within which
nominations for Parliamentary and Presidential candidates were received and
closed should be extended to accommodate pre-election challenges.
Registered political parties, lawyers, academia and the
media attended the discussion aimed at initiating a national debate on finding
acceptable and agreeable terms for election disputes and adjudication.
Justice Acquah said: "There should be a Pre-Election
Eligibility Adjudication Committee (PEEAC) made up of either a district
magistrate or a three-member panel chaired by a magistrate or a lawyer of not
less than three years standing."
He suggested among other things that within three days from
the day of posting the list of contesting candidates, whoever had an objection
to the eligibility of a candidate should lodge same with the returning officer,
who should notify the candidate concerned and place the objection before the
Adjudicating Committee for hearing within seven days from the end of the
objection period.
"Where the PEEAC upholds an appeal to
a Pre-Election Adjudication Review Officer (PEEARO) who shall be a High Court
Judge or a lawyer of not less than 10 years standing. The decision of
the PEEARO shall be final," Justice Acquah said.
Justice Acquah said it was regrettable that as the situation
stood now, there was no justifiable forum for someone, who desired to challenge
the eligibility of a Parliamentary or Presidential candidate before the polling
day could do so except perhaps to lay his complaint before the Returning
Officer, "who may not be bold enough to entertain the complaint".
Nothing was also said in Regulation 7 (3) of the
Constitutional Instrument (CI) 15 about what the Returning Officer should do
after declaring someone unqualified or what the Attorney General should do with
invalid returns and the candidate too had not be given a forum to challenge the
Returning Officer's decision.
"Thus the above regulations are defective ... if the
elections are to be perceived to be free and fair." He argued that since:
"The Attorney General is a member of the ruling government and, therefore,
may not be accepted by the other political parties to be capable of being
impartial in such situations, especially if the rejected candidate happens to
be one of the opposing parties.
"If there is no adjudicating forum to challenge the
eligibility of a candidate before the polls, except in an election petition,
then whenever such eligibility actions succeed in an election petition, the
whole electoral process has to be repeated through a by-election to elect a new
candidate."
He noted that the money involved in conducting such by-election
alone made it imperative for the electoral law to provide a justifiable forum
to resolve eligibility challenges before elections. "As the law stands, it
is even doubtful whether the courts including the Supreme Court has
jurisdiction to entertain before the polls actions challenging the eligibility
of a candidate."
He cited the Ekwam versus Pianim and the National Patriotic Party versus the National
Democratic Congress cases in 1996-1997 and 2000, respectively, as major
examples. Other subjects discussed were the time for holding general election,
registration of voters and the cancellation of the certificates of registration
of political parties.
On the time for holding general election, Justice Acquah
said there was the need to have some time lapse of about a month, between the
final election and the time for the assumption of power by the incoming
government. Article 113 (1) gives Parliament a four year term while 113 (2)
empower Parliament, at any time when this country is actually engaged in war,
to pass a resolution by not less than two-thirds of its members, extending this
up to four years period for not more than 12 months at a time.
In the case of a President, article 63 (2) provides that the
Presidential elections shall be held so as to begin where a President is in
office, not earlier than four months nor later than one month before his term
of office expires; and in any case within three months after the office of
President becomes vacant.
Justice Acquah noted that whereas Parliamentary elections
were to be held 30 days before 7 January of the last session of the outgoing
Parliament that of a President should be held not earlier than 7 September and
not later than 7 December of the last year of the outgoing President.
"In the face of this, it appears Parliamentary
elections cannot be held earlier than 7 September of the last year, whereas the
latest date for the holding of Presidential elections should be 7
December," he said. Justice Acquah argued for article 112 (4) to be
amended, so that both the Presidential and Parliamentary elections were held on
the same day and the 30 days to read 60 days, so that both elections could be
held within the second week of November of the last term of the President and
Parliament.
"Such an early election would afford sufficient time
for the incoming elected President to prepare properly to take over," he
said. Justice Acquah said under section 27 of Act 574, the High Court may order
the EC to cancel the registration of a political party, which contravened the
provisions of Act 574, explaining that it was deficient since no provision has
been made for the defaulting party to be heard before the order of cancellation
was made. He said in each of the sections, the mere default in complying with
requirements therein was sufficient to enable the EC or the High Court, to
cancel a party's registration certificate.
Justice Acquah described the exercise of such cancellation
as unfair and arbitrary since the defaulting party would not have been given
the opportunity of a hearing. He said where the EC's decision was made to
appear like a High Court decision, it could only be appealed against at the
Court of Appeal, hence the need to ensure that the Commission's decision to
cancel was arrived at after a sufficient hearing.
Justice Acquah asked: "What becomes of MPs whose
certificate of registration is cancelled? Do they continue to be Members of
Parliament? And if so, as what?" He condemned the
time frame in determining election disputes, describing it as "inordinate"
and a major problem in adjudicating electoral disputes.
"The 1996 Ayawaso West-Wougon Constituency electoral dispute in the courts, at a
time when the life of that Parliament had expired was a sad indictment on the
performance of the Judiciary." And the Wulensi
Parliamentary Dispute, which took two years to dispose of
is no better if one considers that the life-span of the Parliament in respect
of which the dispute relates is four years".
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On-line database for African universities
Accra (Greater Accra) 30 April 2003- A two-day workshop aimed at facilitating
the establishment of an electronic database for the collection and
dissemination of theses and dissertations from African universities for
research purposes opened in Accra on Tuesday.
The workshop being organised by the Association of African
Universities (AAU) in collaboration with the
"With the advent of information and communication
technology, African scholars and scholarly output face a threat of
marginalisation, especially in a globalised world,
where review of research literature is increasingly being limited to review of
electronic literature."
The Vice-Chancellor said the AAU had since 1996, developed a
concerted approach to address the problem of production, management and access
and dissemination of research information through the establishment of DATAD.
He said the project would, among other objectives, create a
central source of information on the continent and improve accessibility to the
works of African scholars both within and outside the continent.
Madam Mary Materu Behitsa, Coordinator of DATAD, said 11 universities
including the
work.
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