Casely-Hayford Hall denies media report
Accra (Greater Accra) 26 February 2002- The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Minority in Parliament on Monday restated its confidence in the judiciary during a meeting with the Chief Justice E. K. Wiredu, who gave the assurance that, that arm of government would not surrender its integrity and independence to any other body.
At a meeting with the Chief Justice and seven justices of the Supreme Court, a delegation of the Minority, led by Mr Alban Bagbin assured the judiciary that it would help its efforts to secure the requisite funding to facilitate the implementation of projects such as infrastructure, refurbishment and automation of the courts.
The meeting was sought by the Minority as a follow-up to its press statement, which expressed misgivings about the recent meeting Mr. Justice Wiredu and some members of the judiciary held recently with President John Agyekum Kufuor at the Castle.
The NDC statement said, "it considered the recent meeting held in camera as an act of serious indiscretion on the part of the President and the Chief Justice (CJ) with real potential of casting doubt on the integrity and independence of the members of the Judiciary."
Mr. Bagbin told the meeting that the Minority felt uneasy about holding that meeting behind closed doors because leading government officials including the President had created the impression that the Executive was aware of the eventual outcome of political cases pending before the courts.
He cited an example where it said the President stated "confidently in the media that the NDC will not win the cases it had brought against the government on an interview programme on the national television."
Mr Bagbin said a similar comment was made by the Senior Minister, Mr J. H. Mensah at the last NPP Congress that the NDC would cease to exist by the time the cases brought against former officials were completed.
The Minority Leader said having been assured by the Chief Justice that the meeting with the President was not on any issue unfavourable to the Minority, he and his colleagues in Parliament would continue to work on matters in Parliament that would guarantee the independence of the Judiciary.
He suggested that problems confronting the Judiciary in the discharge of its duties, which are matters of public interest, should in future be discussed with the involvement of the Legislature, which had the mandate to approve the budget of the Judiciary.
Justice Wiredu described the suggestion as laudable and said the Judiciary had also scheduled a meeting with the Parliamentary Select Committee on Legal Affairs before it went to see the President about its budget.
"We had to meet the President urgently because we were told that the Ministry of Finance had given us a ceiling of about 49 billion cedis, when we needed more than 150 billion cedis for our programme," he said.
The Chief Justice stressed that it was unconstitutional for the Ministry of Finance to give it limitations on its budget. They, therefore, went to inform the President, who had the power to make recommendations on the budget and also to stop the Finance Minister from that practice.
Mr Wiredu said he did not envisage the problems raised by the Minority, adding that to avoid such suspicions in future, it would consider means of ensuring that such meetings involved some members of the Legislature.
"I urge you, however, to have faith in me and the Judiciary since we would carry out our duty with the conviction that our judgements are for posterity. Any individual member who would act otherwise would have himself or herself to blame."
Mr John Mahama, ranking member for Communications, thanked the Chief Justice and the justices for understanding their concerns as politicians and the cordial manner in which the meeting was held. He also pledged the Minority's support to strengthen the independence and the integrity of the Judiciary.
Mrs Justice Joyce Bradford Addo, Mr Justice A.K.B. Ampiah, Mr Justice F.Y. Kpegah, Mr Justice E.D.K. Adjabeng, Mr Justice William Atuguba, Ms Justice Sophia Akuffo, Mr Justice T.K. Adjoe and the Judicial Secretary and his deputy attended the meeting. On the Minority side were Mr I.K. Adjei Mensah, Mr Doe Adjaho, Mrs Ama Benyiwa-Doe and Mrs Edith Haizel.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 26 February 2002- The National Democratic Congress said on Monday that Mr Mohammed Abass, a tutor at Bimbilla Training College, has been elected to contest the Bimbilla parliamentary seat in next month's bye-election.
A statement signed by Alhaji Huudu Yahaya, NDC General Secretary, said Mr Abass was elected at a well-attended Constituency Conference held at Bimbilla last Thursday. The Electoral Commission conducted the voting.
"Now that Mr Abass has been elected as our candidate for Bimbilla, the NDC is all set to do battle at Bimbilla, to ensure that the Bimbilla seat is retained and stays with the NDC where it properly belongs."
The statement said delegates of the 103 branches of the party in the constituency, the youth and women's wings, members of the Progressive Alliance and other observers attended.
The statement said Members of the National Executive Committee, including Alhaji Yahaya and Dr. Obed Asamoah and NDC regional executives in the region attended.
The seat became vacant after the MP, Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, resigned following his election as Executive Secretary of the Economic Community of West African States.
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Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 26 February 2002-The Deputy Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Miss Gloria Akuffo, has stated that the government would ensure fair trial and justice for all former government officials and individuals involved in various cases of financial malpractices pending before the Fast Track High Courts.
She explained that the inability of the courts to dispose off cases as quickly as expected by many Ghanaians was to ensure that fair opportunities were given to the accused persons to defend themselves beyond any reasonable doubt.
Miss Akuffo stated this when she inaugurated the Central Market branch of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) women's wing in Kumasi on Sunday. She noted that hasty and unfair trials over the past two decades had denied justice to many Ghanaians who were now aggrieved and were seeking avenues for redress.
Miss Akuffo said the government believed in the rule of law and would ensure that it is entrenched in society. She reiterated that the establishment of the Reconciliation Commission was to ensure that victims of human rights abuses were adequately compensated and made to reconcile with the offenders.
The Ashanti regional women's organiser of the NPP, Mrs Georgina Osei-Tutu, warned against the formation of illegal splinter groups in the party and urged all those wishing to form groups and branches to consult the regional secretariat of the party for advice. She commended the women for coming together and urged them to work extra hard to win more souls for the party.
The Ashanti Regional Secretary of the party, Mr Sam Cudjoe, advised Ghanaians to exercise restraint to enable the government put the economy on a sound footing. A nine-member executive chaired by Madam Afua Mprengo was sworn into office.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 26 February 2002 -Over 30 women who delivered at the Maternity Block of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital but could not afford the fees have been detained until they pay.
The Ghana News Agency said it found this out, on Monday, when the Women's Fellowship of Faith Foundation International, donated assorted food items valued at 1.5 million cedis to women on admission at the Block to commemorate the second anniversary of the association.
Nurses spoken to said the women were owing amounts ranging from 400,000 to 1.5 million cedis and appealed to the government, non-governmental organisations and churches to go to their assistance.
They also expressed concern about their poor working conditions and shortage of health staff. Over 60 per cent of the Hospital's full complement of nurses, have left for greener pastures in Europe and elsewhere over the last two years, they said.
The Maternity Block, which should have about eight nurses at post everyday, now had two caring for over 40 pregnant women and those who had delivered, said a staff nurse. "We are working under heavy stress and in deplorable conditions. The government and the sector Minister must adopt urgent measures to halt the brain drain," she said.
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Nsawam (Eastern Region) 26 February 2002- A 25-year old man, Nana Kesse Ntim-Adu on Monday arrived in Nsawam after completing the first phase of a 200-kilometre Anti-AIDS campaign walk aimed at creating awareness about the deadly disease in the South Akwapim District of the Eastern Region.
The walk which took him through 325 towns and villages begun at Brekuso in the region on February 10 where he had stops to preach against the disease. He was welcomed to Nsawam amidst the sounding of a siren and a crowd lined the streets with a number of placard bearing school children who gathered at the forecourt of Ghana Education Service office where he later addressed them.
Nana Kesse, who is the director of Save the Future Foundation, an NGO said he was motivated to undertake the walk following the declaration of the District as the second highest in the prevalence rate of the disease in the Eastern region. Kwabibrim was first in ranking.
He attributed the spread of the disease to promiscuity that takes place during wake-keeping when people were sometimes drunk and were left off guard. Nana Kesse has therefore, urged the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs to place a total ban on wake- keeping in the region, especially in the Akwapim South district as a means of checking the spread of the disease.
He said during interactions with the communities, it came to light that people were not going for voluntary testing because they feared the cost involved. Voluntary testing was free and that one only had to pay, if a doctor or an institution requested for it, he said.
Nana Akua Okyerewah I, Presiding Member of Akwampim South District Assembly, in her welcome address said people who contracted the disease should be treated humanely.
She urged the pupils not to make a mistake of falling in love at their tender age to be lured into other undesirable acts such as sex. Nana Okyerewaa also urged barbers and hairdresser to always were gloves when working to avoid contacting and spreading the disease in the course of their work.
She told the women, "Do not put yourselves into compromising situations that could lead to rape", "Do not encourage children to go hawking since they could be enticed during such times into engaging in undesirable sex that could lead them to contract the HIV/AIDS."
Dr Emmanuel Tinkorang, a Deputy Director, Public Health said the reported cases of HIV Aids in the country currently stands at 47,000 for the year 2001, adding the Ministry of Health however, believed that over 450,000 cases were not being reported to the health institutions. The Assembly later presented Nana Kesse with a cheque for 300,000 cedis to support him in the educational walk.
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Ho (Volta Region) 26 February 2002- Thirty-two citizens of Peki-Wudome in the Kpando District on Monday filed a motion for interlocutory injunction against the Attorney-General and four others in respect of the Agbate Settlement Farm Land.
The motion, which was filed on behalf of the plaintiffs by Mr. Kofi Asare and Mr Jonathan Goli both citizens named the Land Valuation Board, Land Commission, Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) and Equitorial Ventures Limited (EVL), the investors as the others.
Arguing the motion, counsel for the plaintiffs, Mr Dick Anyadi said steps so far taken by the defendants, state agencies to turn-over the land to EVL contravened Article 20 clauses five and six of the 1992 Constitution.
According to clause five of the Article, "Any property compulsorily taken possession of or acquired in the public interest or for public purpose shall be used only in the public interest or for the public purpose for which it was acquired."
Clause six states that, "Where the property is not used in the public interest or for the purpose for which it was acquired the owner of the property immediately before the compulsory acquisition shall be given the first option for acquiring the property and shall on such re-acquisition refund whose or part of the compensation paid to him as provided by law or such other amount as is commensurate with the value of the property at the time of the re-acquisition."
Mr Anyadi argued that the Agbate Settlement Farm Lands, which were compulsorily acquired by Executive Instrument (EI) 12 in 1975 for the Ghana-German Settlement Farm project became defunct for several years as admitted in a letter from the Volta Regional Director of MOFA.
Counsel said though compensation was paid to the land owners, the original purpose for which the land was acquired no longer applied, for which reason government ought to give to the land owners the first option to re-acquire it instead of turning it over to EVL.
Mr Anyadi contended that the German government agent, which managed the farm under the original acquisition acted in public interest as its aim was to impart modern methods of farming to the farmers.
He said on the contrary the purpose of EVL was for profit and not public interest. Counsel said government acted in bad faith by turning-over the land to EVL in spite of the letter written by the plaintiffs indicating their interest in relation to the new arrangements with EVL, which has already been allowed to enter the land with equipment in addition to repairing of broken down equipment and construction of buildings.
Mr Anyadi said the plaintiffs would suffer great hardships if EVL is allowed to operate on the land and the plaintiffs should in future win their case. He contended that the land belonged to individuals and families of Peki-Wudome and are not stool lands or owned by groups of people from Peki who purport to represent the interest of Peki.
Mr Felix Nyalete, Principal State Attorney argued that following the publication of EI 12, the Agbate Settlement Farm Lands was vested in the President and "free from any encumbrance whatsoever in accordance with section one sub-section three of the State Land Act of 1962 Act 125."
Mr Nyalete contended that the purpose for which the Agbate Settlement Farm Lands was to be used by EVL is in public interest as the original purpose for the practice of modern farming. He said plaintiffs would not suffer from the arrangement of EVL because compensation was paid on the land.
He said on the contrary EVL stood to loose a great deal if the injunction is granted. Counsel for EVL, Mr Toney Essiedu associated himself with the submissions of the State Attorney. He said plaintiffs cannot admit to receiving compensation only to complain in 2002, saying, "you don't eat your cake and have it."
Mr Essiedu said the intended activities of EVL on the land was to give effect to the government's avowed policy of its "golden age of business," which is in the public interest as it would create jobs for people in the area.
The court, presided over by Mr. Justice Paul K. Gyaesayor, adjourned hearing to February 28, this year, to enable Mrs Felicia Otchere-Darko, Chief State Attorney in-charge of Volta Region to file an affidavit on behalf of the defendants.
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Ho (Volta Region) 26 February 2002 - Conflicts and infractions under the family law, including child maintenance and custody, denials of responsibility for pregnancies and inheritance topped the list of cases the Volta Region Legal Aid Board handled during the past two years, Mr Francis Afeavo, Regional Director said on Monday.
He told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that out of the 75 applications received between July and December last year, 15 of them representing 20 per cent fell under the family law while 13 of the 74 applications during the same period in 2000, representing 17.6 per cent also fell under the same category.
Mr Afeavo did not produce figures under the categories for the first half of 2001 and 2000 but said the trend was the same. He said about 70 per cent of unrecorded applications, which outnumbered those recorded were also on family law issues.
Mr Afeavo said applications regarding maintenance of children were mostly against recalcitrant fathers, some of whom insisted that the mothers of their children returned to them as wives before they met responsibilities towards their children.
He said second wives and mother-in-laws were also "a great factor to be reckoned with "as some prevented their husbands from giving moneys to the other woman" for the upkeep of children.
On inheritance, Mr Afeavo observed that the trend in applications showed that the refusal of brothers to allow sisters access to property of deceased fathers was rampant in the region. Mr Afeavo observed that "a sizeable percentage of applicants still regarded the Board as a court and came entreating the Director to sit over their complaints.
Mr Afeavo said distance was preventing people from the Northern sector of the region from benefiting from the services of the Board because the cost involved in travelling to have their applications processed and evaluated at Ho was beyond their means.
A Board document made available to the GNA showed that a total of 140 cases were recorded in 2001 as against 178 in 2000. The document stated that apart from family law, applications are put in other categories including insurance, land, matrimonial and contract.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 26 February 2002- A contingent of 245 soldiers forming Ghanbat 5 drawn from the army, navy and air force left Accra on Monday for Sierra Leone for peacekeeping duties.
It is made up of 51 officers and 194 other ranks and would be deployed in Kenema for six months. It would replace Ghanbat 4, which is expected to return home by mid-night on Monday.
The contingent, which is under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Opoku Adusei, commanding officer of the Third Battalion, would help maintain peace and take part in the disarming of civilians who still have small arms in their possession.
The exercise is dubbed: "Community arms collection and destruction programme". In a farewell speech, Brigadier George Ayiku, General Officer Commanding the Northern Command, told the soldiers to live up to the training they had received.
He said Sierra Leone was now preparing for general elections and urged the troops to assist the UNAMSIL to ensure a free atmosphere for fair elections. He cautioned them to live good moral lives and be wary of the HIV/AIDS menace. They should also respect the people of Sierra Leone.
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Cape Coast (Cape Coast) 26 February 2002- The leader of the seven accused armed robbers who shot and wounded an Anglican priest in the thigh and made away with 18 million cedis cash and other personal items on Monday wept uncontrollably in court.
Kweku Quaye alias Togbe, on their first appearance showed no remorse but rather waved at the teeming crowd with a comment that, " we are important that is why we have been able to pull such a crowd to the court premises." This time, he wept throughout proceedings until they were escorted out of the Cape Coast community tribunal where they made their second appearance.
The other accused persons are Peter Eshun, Kwesi Abiram, Mohammed Abubakari, Michael Quarshie, Anthony Mensah and James Debrah Mensah. Chief inspector Augustine Amonoo the prosecutor, prayed the tribunal to remand the accused persons in prison custody for two- weeks to enable the police to continue with their investigations.
He said the police were making efforts to arrest more suspects while the items and monies stolen are yet to be retrieved before the docket would be sent to the Attorney-General's office for advice.
The tribunal chairman, Mr Peter Asare- Duah said considering the nature of the case, the accused persons would continue to remain in lawful custody until investigations are completed.
The tribunal did not take their plea and the case was therefore, adjourned to Monday March 11. The facts of the case are that on February 9 this year armed robbers raided the home of Reverend Dawson Ahmoah and made away with cash of 18 million cedis and some items at Cape Coast. During a dawn operation by the police and the public the accused persons were arrested in their hideout and the priest identified one of them at the police station.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 26 February 2002- Students of the Casely-Hayford Hall (Caseford) of the University of Cape Coast on Monday denied a newspaper report that some of them were naked and demonstrated how to use the condom during a march to draw the public's attention to the HIV menace.
A statement signed by Mr Julius Amoshie Baba, Hall President, said the report headlined "Cape Vars Students Pull Their Rod" published by the Ghanaian Chronicle, an Accra daily, was to throw dust into the eyes of the public. "The entire hall wishes to let the reading public know that the allegation levelled against Casford hall has no basis."
The statement explained that the theme for the Hall Week activities at which the students were alleged to have exposed their manhood in a float was "Brain Drain and its Implications", saying this had no bearing on HIV/AIDS as stated by the paper.
"We therefore, had no materials on how to prevent HIV." The statement said investigations by the University authorities were on indecent dressing, adding as far as the hall executives were concerned no students demonstrated such behaviour as alleged by the Chronicle. "We did not write for permission to demonstrate but rather to go on float as recorded by the Chronicle," the statement added.
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