I
didn't promise to return Nkrumah's body - President
Reform
goes to Congress next February
Wednesday
declared first day of Ramadan
All
Nations University starts at Koforidua
Failure
of institutions not be basis for privatisation
Family
of late Amponsah demands fresh autopsy
Abodakpi,
Selormey to have summary trial
Ministry
of Education says it is on track
Chiefs
attend HIV/AIDS seminar
I
didn't promise to return Nkrumah's body - President
Accra (Greater Accra)
05 November 2002- President John Kufuor on Monday denied promising to return
the body of the first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, to Nkroful during 2000 electioneering
campaign.
"The late
president belong to the entire nation in particular and Africa as a whole and
that his remains must be left at its current place in Accra, which is an honour
to Ghana, his immediate family and the entire citizenry of Nkroful," he
said.
President Kufuor was
responding to a question by a journalist on his arrival from a two-week state
visit to the Far East whether he promised the chiefs and elders of Nkroful to
return the body of the late President if they voted massively for him.
He said, "I never
made any campaign promise to the elders and family of the late President at
Nkroful to return the body if elected President but I remember mentioning to
them the bad state of the road from Essiama to Nkroful, which I promised to see
to its rehabilitation".
That promise still
holds, said the President, "I will ensure that the road is rehabilitated
and would not make any political gains out of it," he added. The Elders
and family members of Nkroful recently alleged that President Kufuor made the
promise and were holding him to honour it.
The President who used
the visit to explore trade and investment opportunities to accelerate
development in the country was accompanied by the First Lady, Madam Theresa,
J.H. Mensah, Senior Minister, Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, Foreign Minister and some
government officials.
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Accra (Greater Accra)
05 November 2002- President John Kufuor on Monday, returned from a two-week
state visit to Japan and China at the invitation of the governments of the two
countries.
The First Lady, Madam
Teresa, J.H Mensah Senior Minister and Hackman Owusu Agyemang, Foreign Minister
and other government officials accompanied the President who left Ghana on
Friday, 18 October.
Briefing newsmen,
Owusu Agyeman, described the visit as beneficial and fruitful. He said the
Japanese Emperor and Prime Minister assured President Kufuor of support in
spite of Japan's decision to stop granting loans to countries under the Highly
Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative.
The Japanese Cabinet
also agreed to approve a grant of 86 million dollars for the construction of
the Kasoa - Yamorasa road. The Foreign Minister said, "its the first time
a loan had been converted to a grant by the Japanese government, which is an
indication of good faith in the leadership of President Kufuor's
administration".
Owusu-Agyeman said the
Niho University would soon begin cooperation with the Kwame Nkrumah University
of Science and Technology (KNUST) and the University of Ghana in the areas of
agriculture, engineering and medicine.
As first step, Niho
University had donated 300 computers to Engineering Department of KNUST. The
Foreign Minister said new high yielding rice varieties developed by a Japanese
agriculturist would be introduced to Ghanaian farmers.
He said that in China,
President Kufuor held bilateral discussions with President Ziang Zemin and
Prime Minister Chu Rongji and agreed to strengthen relationship between the two
countries dating as far back as the era of the late President Kwame Nkrumah.
Owusu-Agyeman said the
Chinese government recalled Ghana's vote at the United Nations in 1971, which
enabled China to become a member of the United Nations Security Council.
Significantly,
President Kufuor, then Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs cast Ghana's vote. He
said the Chinese government also agreed to send a team to assess Ghana's
railway system for improvement and the introduction of modern technology.
Three agreements
totalling about 30 million dollars for the construction of a portion of the
Accra-Kumasi highway, a Youth Training Centre in Kumasi and the rehabilitation
of the National Theatre were signed.
Vice President Alhaji
Aliu Mahama, the British High Commissioner, Rodd Pullen and officials of the
Embassies of China and Japan, the Inspector General of Police and the Army
Commander were at the airport to meet the President.
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Reform
goes to Congress next February
Accra (Greater Accra)
05 November 2002- The National Reform Party (NRP) will go to congress on 8
February 2003, according to a communiqué of the party released in Accra on
Monday.
The communiqué said
the congress, which would be held in Sunyani would review the reorganisation of
the party "and hopefully ratify a merger with, at least the CPP". It
said the reduced participation levels agreed in 2000 would apply and the
constituencies and regions would pay their delegates' way fully and would have
the option to determine the size of their delegations.
The communiqué said
the party reaffirmed its commitment to building a strong, united and
independent progressive party with the CPP and other Nkrumaist parties.
"This party must be committed to mass activism for social equality,
greater productivity and economic integration and greater capacity alongside
sister African countries to challenge the inequalities of the international
economic system."
The NRP said it sees
this in the short term as a viable alternative to both the New Patriotic Party
(NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC). It noted that some members of the
CPP want an electoral alliance with the NPP and said it hoped the CPP would
address the issue constructively, democratically and swiftly and arrive at a
firm position. In the meantime, it said, its members should start rebuilding
the party's structures.
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Wednesday
declared first day of Ramadan
Accra (Greater Accra)
05 November 2002- The National Chief Imam and the Ameer in-charge of the
Ahamdiya Mission, have authorised the National Hilal Committee to declare
Wednesday 6th November 2002, as the first day of Ramadan.
A statement from the
Hilal Committee of Ghana issued in Accra and singed by Sheikh M M Gedel, Acting
Chairman, said as late as 10 o'clock in the evening of Monday, no report had
been received from anywhere in the country about the sighting of the Ramadan
new moon.
It said Wednesday,
being the 30th day of the Muslim month of Shaban has therefore been declared as
the beginning of the Ramadan fast. The Committee expressed the wish that all
Muslims in Ghana and the world would have a successful fasting.
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All
Nations University starts at Koforidua
Koforidua (Eastern
Region) 05 November 2002 - A church service was held at Koforidua on Monday to
mark the official opening of the first academic year of the All Nations
University (ANU) with 50 pioneer students.
The university, which
has its infrastructural work still on-going, is being sponsored by the All
Nations International Development Agency (ANIDA), a non-governmental
organisation based in Canada.
Speaking at the
ceremony, the President of the University, the Rev Dr Samuel Donkor, announced
that the university was initially starting with programmes in Business
Administration, Computer Science and Biblical Studies.
He explained that the
curriculum had been designed to provide the students with the necessary skills
needed by industries and also to assist the Church in its "manifold
ministries in local parishes, para-church agencies and educational
institutions".
Rev Donkor said the
university, with affiliation with the Karunya Institute of Technology, an
engineering college in India, would also offer faculty exchange as well as
student exchange programmes for an enriching educational experience.
He noted that the
challenges of the 21st century makes education embedded in
innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship very important, saying however,
that, "this should be pursued in an environment of Christian truth and
integrity."
Rev Donkor hoped ANU
would provide its students with the kind of education that would equip them
with "world class" education to be able to compete successfully in
the global market.
He stressed the need
for the future leaders of the nation to be given the opportunity to acquire
quality higher education for them to be prepared adequately to lead the
country.
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Failure
of institutions not be basis for privatisation
Kumasi (Ashanti
Region) 05 November 2002 - Kwasi Adu-Amankwaah, Secretary-General of the Trades
Union Congress (TUC), has asked the government not to use failure of public
institutions as basis for privatisation.
He said other options
to make more viable and efficient to respond to the needs and interest of
society should be explored and considered. Adu-Amankwaah was addressing the
fourth annual Ashanti Regional Council of Labour meeting at the Ghana National
Association of Teachers (GNAT) Hall in Kumasi on Monday.
He re-affirmed the
TUC's total opposition to the government's proposed water privatisation policy
and said it was based on a narrowed reform option. "Water should be put in
the realm of national security and we have to do everything to control sources
of our water."
Adu-Amankwaah rejected
accusations that the TUC was kicking against the water privatisation because it
was engaged in selling water to people as "simplistic, diversionary and
dishonest."
The TUC
Secretary-General said increased cost recovery could reduce access to potable
water adding that it was imperative for civil society organisations to make
sure governments listened more to the people.
Adu-Amankwaah, leading
a discussion earlier on the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy, called on the
people to openly speak out against policies they see as not being in their
interest to give meaning to the country's democracy.
He said it was by so
doing that they would be leaving no room to pretenders proclaiming to be
'political messiahs' to capitalise on the people's discontent to create
instability. The meeting identified ineffective leadership, the lack of
enduring vision, misguided policies and indiscipline as some of the factors
that had held back the socio-economic progress of the nation.
It also expressed
concern about the poor work ethics that had resulted in low productivity and
called for a positive change. The Regional Council of Labour unanimously
demanded for a more vigorous national campaign to promote the patronage of
made-in-Ghana goods.
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Family
of late Amponsah demands fresh autopsy
Sekondi (Western
Region) 05 November 2002 - The Sekondi Community Tribunal on Monday adjourned
until November 18 this year a murder case involving a couple, Nathaniel Eshun
and Naomi Hagan, implicated in the death of 26 year-old Richard Kuuku Amponsah.
In an application for
adjournment, the prosecutor, Police Inspector Joe Hedidor, said the family of
the deceased had raised objections to an autopsy from the Effia-Nkwanta
Regional hospital.
Consequently, the body
has been transferred to the 37 Military Hospital in Accra for a fresh autopsy
to be conducted, he said. Inspector Hedidor said the trial could proceed after
the new report had been made available to the prosecution.
He also asked the
tribunal not to grant bail to Eshun until the outcome of the autopsy is known.
The tribunal upheld his application. At an earlier sitting, the tribunal
granted ¢20m bail to Naomi Hagan to enable her take care of their children.
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Abodakpi,
Selormey to have summary trial
Accra (Greater Accra)
05 November 2002- An Accra Fast Court trying the former Minister of Trade and
Industry, Dan Abodakpi and a former Deputy Minister of Finance, Victor Selormey
on Monday ruled that the two men would have a summary trial.
Stephen T. Farkye, an
Appeal Court Judge, who is sitting as an additional High Court Judge, therefore,
dismissed an application by Kobla Senanu and Barima Manu, representing Abodakpi
and Selormey respectively, which sought to ask the court to try their clients
by indictment.
The application was
overruled on the grounds that the court was not empowered to try the offenders
by indictment. Farkye noted that counsel wanted the court to try the offenders
by indictment so as to have fair trial.
However, he said, the
two former ministers already have fair trial. They have been granted
self-recognisance bail, they have counsel and have freedom to call witnesses
whether in Ghana or outside, if a prima facie case is established against them.
The defence team
declared its intention to exercise its rights under the law by appealing at the
Supreme Court against the ruling. Anthony Gyambiby, Principal State Attorney,
who spoke for the prosecution, led by Osafo Sampong, Director of Public
Prosecution, argued that interlocutory appeal was not meant to stay proceedings
and therefore prayed the court to proceed with the case.
Abodakpi and Selormey
are being tried on seven counts of conspiracy to commit crime, defrauding by
false pretences and wilfully causing a total loss of ¢2.73bn to the State.
They have denied all
the charges and are currently on self-recognisance bail in the sum of three
billion cedis each. The court adjourned the case to Monday 11 November at the
instance of the defence team when Senanu pleaded with the court to extend the
adjournment, because his client is a parliamentarian who had to attend sessions
through the working days.
Immediately after the
ruling, the first prosecution witness, Kwame Akaba, Operations Manager of the
ECOBANK Ltd., was put in the box. In his evidence, he told the court that he
became associated with Selormey when the bank was managing the Trade Investment
Project (TIP) Fund.
Led in evidence by
Gyambiby, witness said in all, a little above 2.7 billion cedis was transferred
into the accounts of Dr Fredrick Owusu Boadu. Akaba contended that after
payments into the accounts, there were withdrawals made by cheques and that Dr
Boadu instructed that treasury bills should be purchased.
Witness said as
operations manager, he received two letters authored by Selormey on 10 August
and 21 December 2000, which instructed the bank to disburse funds for a
feasibility study on a Science and Technology Community Project.
Akaba said Dr. Boadu's
account was opened around April, 2000 and that the transaction was a cedi
account. He stated that there were three trenches paid into the accounts of Dr.
Boadu. On 18 October 2000, 250 million cedis was lodged with the bank, on 3
November 2000, 300 million cedis was lodged and on 15 December 2000, 115.6
million cedis was lodged.
Akaba explained that
beneficiaries in respect of withdrawals of the fund were Decons Development
Company (190 million cedis) and Hydrostatic Mechanical Workshop (115 million
cedis.) He tendered in evidence the two letters and Dr. Boadu's balance sheet.
Answering questions
under cross-examination by Senanu, Akaba agreed with counsel that he was not in
a position to tell the court what letter specifically instructed him to do at
the bank.
Witness told the court
that he could not be in a position to tell the credit balance, if any, of Dr.
Boadu. He said there was no occasion between August and December that the
account was overdrawn, adding that some of the monies were in treasury bills.
He agreed with counsel
that this year, Dr. Boadu has not made any withdrawals. Kaba said in the middle
of last year, the Secretary of the Bank of Ghana wrote to freeze the accounts
of Dr Boadu and he could not tell how much was in the account at that time.
He agreed with counsel
that Abodakpi did not have anything to do with the letter, but it was copied to
him. During a cross-examination by Manu, witness agreed that the withdrawals
were not from the main TIP accounts, but from the interest accrued.
Earlier, Gyambiby had
told the court that between May and December 2000, the accused persons
allegedly transferred 4,000 dollars into the local bank account of Dr Fred
Owusu-Boadu, a consultant, through ECOBANK (Ghana) Limited.
He said the monies
whose transfers were authorized by Selormey, were to be used as fees for
feasibility studies towards the establishment of the project. Gyambiby told the
court that the project contract was supposed to be witnessed by the Legal
Officers at the Ministry of Trade and Industry or the Attorney-General's
Department, but this was not done.
Gyambiby told the
court that the transfers had no official correspondence whatsoever between Dr
Owusu-Boadu and either the Ministry of Finance or the Ministry of Trade and
Industry.
The Principal State
Attorney said what was purported to be a contract was signed by both Abodakpi
and the consultant but there was no witness. Additionally, he said, the
contract document was not initialled page by page as required.
Gyambiby said the
contract lacked the detailed information required in a feasibility study, such
as market analysis, financial projections and analysis to determine the financial
viability and risk analysis of the project.
The Principal State
Attorney told the court that there was the highly irregular use of letterheads
from a Texas University, with bills amounting to $300,000 when the University
was not a party to the contract.
Selormey is currently
serving an eight-year prison term at the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons after
being found guilty of wilfully causing financial loss to the State in the Court
Computerization Project.
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Ministry
of Education says it is on track
Accra (Greater Accra)
05 November 2002- The Ministry of Education on Monday said it was on track in
the programme to provide quality education and make it more accessible at the
basic level.
"The Ministry is
working feverishly to meet the conditionalities, that qualify countries to take
advantage of the Fast Track Initiative." The initiative, which is a
collaborative activity involving the Ministry, World Bank, European Union,
UNESCO and the Multilateral Development Banks is aimed at accelerating the pace
of progress on quality and accessible education at the basic level.
A statement signed by
Ahmed Ayuba, Special Assistant to the Minister of Education mentioned a key
component of the condition as, the development of a sector-wide plan for the
entire education system.
Additionally, it said
the Ministry, after consultation with the World Bank had decided to use in the
final development of the sector plan, reports of the Presidential Review
Committee and the Ministry's Internal Review Committee.
"The reports of
the two Committees are ready and the Ministry is in the process of
incorporating relevant sections into the sector-wide plan." It said recognising
the importance of the whole process, the Ministry has tasked the Chief Director
of Education, Ghana Education Service (GES) and Development partners to ensure
the necessary processes were in place by January 2003.
The statement debunked
earlier media reports that the country was on the verge of losing funds of the
Ministry's inability to reach benchmark necessary for accessing funds under the
Fast Track Initiative.
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Chiefs
attend HIV/AIDS seminar
Amasaman (Greater
Accra) 05 November 2002- Traditional rulers in the country have been called
upon to use festive occasions to educate the people on the HIV/AIDS menace.
Nash Kwadjo Abbey,
Senior Co-ordinator of the National Youth Council, in the Amasaman District,
made the call at a day's seminar organised for chiefs at Botiano.
More than 70
participants, mostly chiefs drawn from Botiano, Opah, Tuba, Amanfro, Kokrobite
and Englishie in the district took part in the seminar, which discussed the
spread of HIV/AIDS and preventive methods such as abstinence and the use of
condoms.
Mrs Emelia Dzang,
President of the Women Federation for World Peace, organisers of the seminar,
said the Federation was ready to pay school fees for more needy but brilliant
orphans in the district to enable them complete their education.
She said the
Federation had spent ¢12m on the purchase of school uniforms and also paid
schools fees for 12 children at Opah adding that the assistance would be
extended to other communities. Nii Kwaku Bibini II, chief of Oblogo, who
chaired the function, commended the Federation for their gesture.
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Accra (Greater Accra)
05 November 2002- The Adjabeng Community Tribunal on Monday discharged Dr Sri
Yogi Ram Beckley, a medical practitioner and occultist, who was charged with
assaulting and kidnapping a class three pupil.
Dr Beckley's discharge
followed advice from the Attorney-General's office recommending the
discontinuation of the trial. Immediately after the pronouncement, sympathisers
of Dr Beckley clapped and started making noise in the court. But their
jubilation was halted when the court clerks shouted, "order, order."
The excited doctor
smiled and interacted with his relatives and sympathisers when he left the
court. At Monday's sitting, Superintendent of Police Patrick Sarpong, the
prosecutor, announced that they have received a letter from the AG's office
recommending discontinuation of the trial of Dr Beckley.
The tribunal chaired
by Mrs Elizabeth Ankomah after reading through the letter said: "Based on
the letter from the A-G's office with reference number SA 276/02 dated 27
September 2002, especially last page, the accused is hereby discharged."
Defence Counsel,
Akwasi Bosumpem expressed his gratitude to court. Meanwhile efforts to get a
copy of the letter to ascertain its content proved futile. Dr Beckley had
pleaded not guilty to the charge and was granted five million cedis bail by a
Regional Tribunal on 25 June after the Adjabeng Community Tribunal refused him
bail.
The facts as presented
by the Prosecution were that on 12 April Beckley was said to have lured a girl
to his house under the pretext of buying some vegetables she was selling. In
the house, he tied the girl to a tree overnight without water and food, until
her stepfather was informed and he raised the alarm.
Police on April 14
arrested Dr Beckley for abducting two teenage girls, one aged 13 to his
residence at New Gbawe on Friday evening. The girls, said to be selling
tomatoes were allegedly contacted by Dr Beckley, who offered to buy all of
their wares if they would follow him to his residence in his car.
The children allegedly
joined Dr Beckley to his residence. He was said to have tied one of the girls
to a tree in the house and then dragged the other into a room in the house.
Police said on Saturday, the 13-year old girl, whose name was not disclosed,
heard the noise of a passer-by and shouted for help.
The passer-by, who was
an old man, entered the house and approached the girl. After seeing the girl's
plight, he untied her from the tree and she gave the old man 1,000 cedis. The
police said the girl then left for home and narrated their ordeal to her
parents. The parents then reported the matter to the police, who later went to
Beckley's house and arrested him.
A police search at his
residence, however, failed to produce the other girl, who was dragged into one
of the rooms of the house. Police mounted a 24-hour guard at Dr Beckley's
residence to prevent angry youth in the area from attacking and setting the
house on fire but they eventually did.
Hundreds of people
besieged the residence and stoning police and Fire Service personnel at the
site. Dr Beckley, a few years ago came in the news when human parts were found
in his residence after which the angry youths in the New Fadama area set his
house on fire.
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