Bagbin sues South African Airways
Accra (Greater Accra) 20 May 2003 - Mr. Francis Kojo-Smith,
a Constitutional and Human Rights Lawyer, has said that, ex-President Rawlings
can be prosecuted in spite of the indemnity clause in the 1992 constitution.
According to him, under the new United Nations International
Criminal Court (ICC), the law of immunity is no longer recognized or tenable.
In an interview with the Evening News in Accra, he said, “it
is a sheer folly and abysmal ignorance to assume that Rawlings cannot be
prosecuted for atrocities committed during the PNDC regime because of the
indemnity provisions of the 1992 constitution”.
He said under the Rome Statue that created the ICC, any
former ruler of a state whose regime is accused of violating the human rights
of his people can be arrested and brought to trial either in his own country or
outside his country regardless of the immunity laws imposed to protect himself
and members of his regime. - Evening News
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Accra (Greater Accra) 20 May 2003 - An interim report
presented by the Auditor General’s department has exonerated VRA Chief
Executive, Dr Charles Wereko Brobby (Tarzan) of some of the allegations leveled
against him by staff of the Authority.
Among the allegations were payment of unauthorized salaries
amounting to ¢350 million; claiming unapproved allowances in the form of
imprest for foreign travels and acquisition of computers and vehicles for the
Authority without following normal procedures.
But the audit found out that ''the CEO, Dr Charles Wereko
Brobby’s appointment took effect from 24 August 2001. That he was given a consolidated
salary of ¢221 million per annum which comes to about ¢18.416 million per
month''.
From the payroll, the investigators listed monthly salaries
and allowances paid to Dr Wereko-Brobby from August 2001 to March 2003. They
also examined the Ledger Detail Report of the senior staff salaries and related
it to the payroll.
''It was found that the figures which were on the Ledger
Details Report and which formed the basis of some of the allegations were the
aggregate salaries of the senior staff and not that of the CEO alone. Specific
figures of ¢350,033,508.95 and ¢56,501,010 which were cited by the staff were
the ''Salary Arrears-Accruals'' in respect of the anticipated increases for the
senior staff of which provision was made'', the report stressed.
The interim report signed by the Auditor-General, Edward Dua
Agyeman revealed that the VRA CEO had between November 2001 and December 2002,
a period of 15 months, undertaken 12 trips overseas at a total cost of US$122,247.86.
The Auditor General was however unhappy about the fact that
''none of the 12 travels of the CEO was approved by the President, the Ministry
(of Energy) or the Board'' and thus recommended that ''the CEO should obtain
express written permission from the Chief of Staff, Office of the President
before traveling abroad''.
Investigations are still ongoing into allegations of certain
disbursements made in respect of members of the Board as well as the award of
contract for the supply of computers and purchase of vehicles for the VRA. - Crusading
Guide
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Accra (Greater Accra) 20 May 2003 - Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Nana Akuffo Addo says his country will encourage normal political development in Togo. Any policy will be in line with the policy of positive engagement with all neighbouring countries.
He was speaking in an interview with Unique FM in Accra on events in Togo. Sections of the public have condemned Togolese President Eyadema’s decision to contest the Presidential elections in June, saying that it is a recipe for chaos. They have also condemned ECOWAS Chairman, President Kufuor’s silence on the issue.
But Nana Akuffo Addo said ''quiet diplomacy and not critical comments could be useful in containing the political situation in Togo''.
''Ghana has good ties with all her neighbours and it is not for Ghana alone or ECOWAS Chairman to decide on everything. There is always the need for collective efforts'', he added. Unique FM Radio monitored by GRi
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Aworowa (Brong Ahafo) 20 May 2003 - The Deputy Minority Leader, Mr I.K. Adjei-Mensah, has said demonstrations are constitutional and legitimate rights that the people employ to alert the public about obnoxious policies of their leaders.
He, therefore, reiterated that the recent peaceful demonstration by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) did not undermine constitutional rule and the work of Parliament, as was erroneously being peddled by sections of the public.
Mr Adjei-Mensah was speaking to the people of Aworowa in the Techiman District after donating ¢42 million from his share of the MP’s Common Fund to support development projects and victims of a recent rainstorm that hit Aworowa, Jama and Tuobodom.
The beneficiary communities are Krobo, ¢10 million for electricity; Aworowa SDA JSS, ¢6 million for a classroom block; Tuobodom and Aworowa, rainstorm victims, ¢5 million each; Jama, rainstorm victims, ¢2 million; Asunbingya, ¢ 4 million for electricity; Akonkonti, ¢3.4 million for classroom block; Buoryem Secondary School, ¢2 million for computer project and Krobo Islamic School, ¢2 million for classroom block.
He urged Ghanaians to reject the accusation that NDC parliamentarians are bent on undermining the work of Parliament by absenting themselves from Parliament to take part in demonstrations.
Mr Adjei-Mensah, who is also the MP for Techiman North, said the NDC is a government in waiting and respects the rule of law and will, therefore, not indulge itself in acts that will destabilise the peace of the country.
In another development, the MP for Nkoranza, Mr H.F Amoako, has advised supporters of the NDC in the constituency not to be demoralised by the recent resignation of some of the executive members of the party in the constituency.
He appealed to them to work hard to ensure a resounding victory for the party in the next general elections. Mr Amoako said the mass of the electorate who voted the NDC out of power have regretted their actions, since their social and economic lives have witnessed a massive deterioration.
The MP made these remarks when he inspected development projects being funded from his share of the MP’s Common Fund. They include electrification projects at Tanko, Ahyiayem and Banofuor, classroom blocks at Sikaa, Bonsu, Busunya and Nkoranza secondary schools, a borehole at Manso and a post office at Yeji. - Graphic
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Accra (Greater Accra) 20 May 2003 - A Senior lecturer at the University of Ghana, Alhaji Yakubu Iddrisu, has suggested the setting up of a trust fund from mining royalties to support indigenous entrepreneurs in mining areas.
He said the beneficiaries of the fund should be encouraged to create more wealth in those areas by investing in businesses which will outlive the mining operations.
He explained that the management of mineral wealth should aim at developing sustainable economic communities, even after the closure of the mines, to reduce over dependency on the mines.
Alhaji Iddrisu, who is also the Chief Consultant of Geological Management Consultancy, made the suggestion in a paper on “Promoting Policy, Practices and Structure for Good Governance in the Mining Sector” in Accra.
The forum was organised by the Institute of Economic Affairs, a public policy think-tank and attended by Ministers of State, Members of Parliament, representatives from the mining industry, mining communities and non-governmental organisations.
According to Alhaji Iddrisu, transparency in the management of the royalty funds will also go a long way to promote peace, harmony, stability and confidence within the mining communities.
He said the quantum of royalties paid is important but what is even more important is how the money is managed, with regard to the amount available for distribution and when it is paid.
He explained that the objective for distributing the money is to alleviate and mitigate the suffering and hardship of the communities that are directly affected by mining operations.
Alhaji Iddrisu intimated that the communities in the mining areas should have the right to know what is being done with their money and also have a say in how such royalties are spent.
He said mining can be described as the engine of growth of modern civilisation and explained that in order to attract investment into the sector, “we need to make laws and regulations such that the investor feels secure at all times so long as he goes by the rules”.
According to him, mineral development is a high-risk business on its own and the country’s risks need to be reduced to the barest minimum.
The Minister of Mines, Mrs Cecilia Bannerman, observed that the mining industry has contributed to the economy through employment, payment of corporate taxes, royalties, income tax on salaries and wages of employees and dividends declared.
She said in addition to this, mining companies contribute to mining communities by assisting in health delivery, provision of potable water, education, road repair programmes, among others.
She said the government’s policy is, therefore, to promote expansion in the mining industry but with appropriate regulations and structures to ensure that good governance is not compromised.
Mrs Bannerman said the ministry will also be working with the Administrator of Stool Lands to improve transparency in the disbursement of mineral royalties to mining communities.
A member of the Council of State, Nana Prah Agyensaim VII, suggested the publication of the accounts of royalties paid and for what purpose or projects they were used to enhance transparency. - Graphic
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Accra (Greater Accra) 20 May 2003 - A special intervention force is to be formed to play a stable role in dealing with conflicts in the West African sub-region. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, announced this when Ambassadors and High Commissioners to Ghana paid a courtesy call on him in his office in Accra yesterday.
They were Mr Mohammed Mahmoud Ben Labat of Mali, Dr Roderick A. Pullen of the United Kingdom(UK), Mr Jean-Pierre Bolduc of Canada, Mr Jindrich Junek of the Czech Republic and Archbishop George Kocherry, Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See.
Nana Akufo-Addo noted that the formation of the standing force is inimical and therefore, will be a major topic for discussion at the forthcoming Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) meeting on Liberia in Abuja in Nigeria next month.
Issues discussed at the meeting centered on bilateral and economic relations, the conflict situations in the West African sub-region and the African Union (AU).
The High Commissioner of the UK, Dr Pullen, who was the first to call on the minister, stated that the Prime Minister of UK, Tony Blair, recognises the vital role President John A. Kufuor is playing to ensure stability in the sub-region.
He also commended Ghana for its political stability and the democratic dispensation it has been enjoying for some time now and expressed the hope that President Kufuor will continue to play a leading role to bring peace and stability to the entire West African sub-region.
Dr Pullen gave the assurance that the UK will continue to support Ghana in its socio-economic and political development, saying, “The two countries can build a multi-cultural relationship for the development of their peoples”.
Nana Akufo-Addo, on his part, said Ghana-United Kingdom relations began 400 years ago, and expressed the hope that the friendship will strengthen the bilateral and economic benefits of the two countries.
He appealed to the UK to support the prevention and management of conflicts that have bedevilled the African continent.
The Canadian High Commissioner, Mr Bolduc, commended Ghana for ensuring democracy, the rule of law and respect for human rights, adding that the peaceful atmosphere that Ghana is enjoying now, will promote trade and investment.
Mr Bolduc pledged to market Ghana in Canada to attract Canadian investors into the country.
The Czech Republic Ambassador, Mr Junek, on his part, called for the strengthening of bilateral and economic relations between his country and Ghana.
Archbishop Kocherry gave the assurance that the Catholic Church will continue to offer its support towards the spiritual, educational and medical needs of Ghanaians.
The Malian Ambassador, Mr Ben Labat, held a special closed door meeting with Nana Akufo-Addo. He, however, delivered a special message from the Malian President Mr Toumani Toure, to President Kufuor. - Graphic
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Tema (Greater Accra) 20 May 2003 - The Meridian Hotel at Tema which was one of the defunct State Hotels Corporation’s chain of hotels in the first Republic and until the early 1990’s was a pleasant place for relaxation, is now a messy hideout for all shades of criminals.
Gone are the days when in the late 1960s and 1970s, people took pride in associating themselves with activities at any of the state hotels such as Meridian at Tema, Ambassador, Continental and Star in Accra, the Atlantic in Takoradi and City Hotel in Kumasi.
However, thirty years after those glorious days, all these hotels together with their Umbrella organization, the State Hotel Corporation have collapsed and those that still exist are just skeletons of their former selves through mismanagement.
The sorry story being told about Meridian Hotel now is that the place has become a den for drug pushers, prostitutes, armed robbers and all sorts of hardened criminals.
A visit to the place reveals that the hotel is now being
used as a refuse dump and a place of convenience by social misfits, generating
foul fumes, an act that is difficult to bear, posing the risk of an outbreak of
epidemic. - Free Press
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The Minority Leader in Parliament, Alban Bagbin has instructed his lawyers to commence legal action against South African Airlines for what he described as ''the highest degree of racism and unprofessional attitude of a white South African Flight attendant. The incident happened in Johannesburg when he went to greet President Kufuor.
Mr Bagbin who led an international delegation of MPs from selected countries to Harare, Zimbabwe was scheduled to return to Ghana on May 9. However, at Johannesburg, ''the South African Airline failed to fly us back to Accra because the Airline was full, even though eight of us (Ghanaians) had confirmed our flight''.
Mr Bagbin said all efforts to get the Airline to pick up their bills as a result of a stay over in Johannesburg yielded no result. He then told the operators of the Airline that he would institute a legal action against the company. The airline finally flew him to Ghana on May 12, after intervention by the Association of Parliamentarians.
The second incident occurred when Mr Bagbin went to greet President Kufuor who happened to be on the same flight with him from South Africa to Ghana. The President’s Personal Secretary, D.K. Osei drew the President’s attention to the Minority Leader who in turn approached the President.
But while speaking to the President, the white South African Flight attendant objected to the conversation and further made some racist remarks which led to an argument between the hostess, on one side and Mr Bagbin and Alan Kyeremanten on the other side. Mr Bagbin says the behaviour of the flight attendant is tantamount to discrimination and tramples on his liberty of freedom of movement as a passenger.
GRi…/
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Accra (Greater Accra) 20 May 2003 - A Nigerian Trader, Adejumo Bayo, 30, was on Saturday dawn arrested by the police at West Legon in Accra with two trunks full of fake United States dollars. His accomplice identified only as Tony is on the run.
Over 150 bundles of fake currency in 100 dollar units were neatly packed in the boxes and hidden in a room, ostensibly to dupe the unsuspecting public.
Bayo was arrested after some residents in the area went to Tony’s house to steal some of the money. The residents telephoned the police on realizing that the currency was fake.
When Tony realized that thieves were invading his house, he made a distress call to Bayo who immediately drove his car from Dome where he lives to West Legon to help cart the money.
On his arrival at Tony’s residence, Bayo went inside to have a discussion with him and his Ghanaian girlfriend, who is also on the run.
Tony managed to sneak out without informing Bayo when he realized that he was heading for trouble. After a while, when Tony was not coming, Bayo attempted to escape but the residents arrested him and handed him over to the police who had just arrived at the scene.
Before Tony’s escape, he had hidden the two trunks in a nearby
bush but some residents who spotted him alerted the police. - Times
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