GRi Press Review 15 – 05 - 2003

Labourer mans border post in Volta Region

SSNIT boss writes to President Kufuor

Travel Agents owe Ghanair ˘7bn

Personality clash threatens Chamber of Commerce

Ex-Minister faces US Court

 

 

Labourer mans border post in Volta Region

 

Ho (Volta Region) 15 May 2003 – The Immigration desk at Menuso border post in the Kadjebi district of the Volta region is controlled by a cleaner/labourer. This came to light when a Chronicle reporter visited the border post during the Easter holidays.

 

Menuso is a few minutes' drive from Kadjebi and the immigration officers in charge of the border post reside at Kadjebi and spend just about three hours from 10.00a.m. to 1.00 p.m., each day, at the border, leaving travellers at the mercy of the labourer.

 

People in the village see the behaviour of the immigration officers as a protest action since all the available accommodation are occupied by personnel of the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS).

 

After a traveller goes through the customs check point, he or she is left at the mercy of this labourer. Last week, a scuffle nearly ensued between the labourer and some students when the he demanded a bribe from them before allowing them to cross to Togo since some of them had no passports.

 

The CEPS officers intervened, but they refused to mention the name of the labourer to the students, after revealing to them that the guy is the janitor and that he sleeps there and clean the offices for the immigration officers. He therefore takes the opportunity to deceive travellers that he is an immigration officer in mufti.

 

The CEPS officers themselves hinted that on Saturday 12 April, there was confusion when the janitor attempted to prevent a group of Muslims from crossing to join their counterparts in Togo for a religious ceremony. It took the intervention of the CEPS officers to save the cleaner/labourer from the wrath of the Muslims who nearly beat him up.

 

Sources at the border say this has been the order of the day for sometime now, since the labourer has been harassing travellers, and the earlier something is done about it, the better. - Ghanaian Chronicle

 

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SSNIT boss writes to President Kufuor

 

Accra (Greater Accra) 15 May 2003 - The Director General of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), Kwasi Osei has briefed President Kufuor on the Obotan Developers Projects (christened ''Eden in the heart of the city''). SSNIT sanked $2.224m into the project, intended to develop the Independence Avenue into a residential area, but up to date, it has not been commenced.

 

Steps are being taken by the Trust to retrieve the money. In his briefing, the SSNIT Boss informed the President, in a letter dated 7 April 2003 that after its findings, the Serious Fraud Office had recommended that certain individuals and companies should prosecuted under S. 23(1) of the Criminal Code, Act 29(60) for conspiracy and Fraud.

 

In addition, the former Director General of SSNIT, Charles Asare should be prosecuted for causing financial loss to the state.

 

The individuals and companies include Enterprise Insurance Company, SSB Investments Limited; Obotan Developers Limited, Ken Ofori Atta and Ekow Awoonor, both Directors of SSB Investments Limited; George Otoo, Director, Enterprise Insurance Limited and Daniel Seddoh, Director, Obotan Developers Limited.

 

Kwasi Osei told the President that ''in discussions with the Acting Executive Director of the SFO soon after the submission of the report on 7 October 2002, the latter indicated that a case document has been prepared and forwarded to the Attorney General’s office for further action''.

 

Meanwhile, Obotan Developers Limited is allegedly seeking an out of court settlement of the impasse between it and SSNIT.  - Crusading Guide

 

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Travel Agents owe Ghanair ˘7bn

 

Accra (Greater Accra) 15 May 2003 - It has emerged that at a time that Ghana Airways was in dire need of funds for its operations and resorted to excessive borrowing at high interest rates from both local and foreign banks, local travel agents were indebted to the tune of over ˘7.8bn.

 

Forensic Review of Internal Control Systems Management Processes and Procedures by Messrs Worldwide Investments Company has revealed that the amount was outstanding in the airline’s books as of 31 August 2002.

 

Though the forensic auditors did not give the names of the local travel agents who collectively owe the airline that colossal amount, another part of the report specifically mentioned the names of some travel agents in connection with some Ghanair tickets which cannot be accounted for, though the tickets were issued from their point of sale.

 

The forensic auditors state that ‘‘these tickets were picked out of about 500 tickets/coupons for test check. One could imagine the percentage of unaccounted for tickets if each month has approximately 36,000 tickets/coupons for a period of two-and-a-half years''.

 

The forensic auditors add that this, as well as other separate stinking debts and other malpractices came about as a result of the refusal of the airline to pay for a ticket accounting software costing US$600,000. - Independent

 

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Personality clash threatens Chamber of Commerce

 

Accra (Greater Accra) 15 May 2003 - A personality clash between the President of the Ghana-British Chamber of Commerce and the head of Commerce at the British High Commission is threatening to break up the chamber. The President of the chamber, Nii Adamah Morrison, has accused the first secretary in charge of commercial at the High Commission, Kevin Lynch, of trying to sabotage his efforts to run the chamber.

 

According to Nii Adamah Morrison, even though Lynch is only an ex-officio member of the chamber, he always tries to influence decisions of the chamber. He also alleged that Lynch disrespects him and ''talks to me anyhow''.

 

Nii Adama Morrison told Joy FM in an interview that he has reported this development to the British High Commissioner for redress since it has the potential of breaking up the chamber.

 

But Lynch denied the allegation in a follow up interview with Joy FM. He acknowledged the position of Nii Adamah Morrison as President of the chamber. But he said he only acts as a guide during deliberations at the chamber bearing in mind the legal implications of their decisions and actions.

 

He however, gave the assurance that the High Commission is interested in the success of the chamber to emulate other vibrant chambers in the country. – MyJoyOnLine

 

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Ex-Minister faces US Court

 

Accra (Greater Accra) 15 May 2003 – Mrs Grace Coleman, a former Deputy Minster of Finance and Economic planning, has been indicated to appear before a United States District Court in Greenbelt on Tuesday 20 May 2003, on charges of conspiracy to engage in illegal slavery.

 

Also to appear with her is her daughter, Barbara Coleman Blackwell and son-in-law Kenneth Blackwell. According to investigation conducted by the “Evening News”, Mrs Coleman received the summons last week to appear before the court in the case in which seven witnesses are expected to be called by the prosecution.

 

Our investigations further revealed that Barbara Coleman Blackwell has been suspended by her employers as a result of the case. The supposed victim of the slavery, Margeret Owusuaah, a first cousin of Mrs Coleman, according to our investigations, is also demanding $150,000 as compensation.

 

When contacted, Mrs Coleman confirmed the story but said the US court, instead of writing to her, wrote to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, demanding her extradition. She said extradition has procedures, which must be followed without any circumvention.

 

The former Deputy Minister said she could only be extradited to the US if the state charged and tried her in Ghana first. That, she said, had not been done but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is trying to persuade her to go to the US and face trial. She said the US court initially impressed upon Barbara Coleman to plead guilty or else more charges would be preferred against her.

 

Mrs Coleman said it was when Barbara refused to budge to the demands of the court that she (Grace Coleman) was added as having conspired with her daughter and son-in-law. Grace Coleman and her daughter can be jailed 20 years each if convicted, and fined $250,000. Kenneth Blackwell also faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, if convicted of all the courts.

 

The three people were in October last year indicted for allegedly sending a Ghanaian woman to the US illegally and enslaving her, using her as an unpaid domestic servant for over 17 months. The Washington Post newspaper post published in the US that a Federal Grand jury on immigration and conspiracy charges indicted Kenneth and Barbara.

 

The indictment charge further stated that Mrs Coleman used forced labour, confiscated Owusuaah’s passport and visa and made false statements to the US officials. It continued that in February 2000, Mrs Coleman, working with her daughter Barbara, fraudulently obtained a US visa for Owusuaah by knowingly submitting a visa application with false information.

 

In February 2000, when Owusuaah arrived in the US, the indictment said Mrs Coleman took her passport ad Barbara hid it and the visa to prevent her from leaving her Takoma Park home. The two women, according to the indictment, used intimidation to make Owusuaah provide domestic labour and childcare for little or no pay and threatened her with deportation. – Evening News

 

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