GRi Press Review 15 - 09
- 2003
Police alert on new fraud syndicate
Ghana rated B+ by World Bank and IMF - Min
How Security Chief was removed
"Fake" medical donations to Korle-Bu
Call Rawlings to order - Committee
Twelve Ghanaian drug smugglers sentenced in Pakistan
Attempt to gag unconstitutional - NDC Youth Organizer
Police alert on new fraud syndicate
Tema (Greater Accra) 15 September 2003 - The Tema Regional Police Command has cautioned the public against a new fraud syndicate operating along the lines of the '419' scam and believed to be operating from Kumasi and its environs. Since the beginning of this month, the syndicate has succeeded in defrauding people of a total of ¢111m.
Briefing of the "Times" newspaper on the gang's mode of operation, Inspector Yaw Nketia Yeboah, Regional Police PRO, said that a member would call his victim by telephone and introduce himself as a friend of the victim's relative leaving abroad.
The caller would mention the name of the victim's relative and claim that he was calling him on behalf of t he relative. The caller would inform the victim that his relative has shipped a car or cars in the victim's name through the Tema port, and then request the victim to contract a clearing agent (whose name and address would be provided) for assistance in clearing the vehicle(s).
In order that the deal would appear genuine, the caller would advise the victim to call his relative on a given number for conformation and further instructions. According to the Police PRO, the foreign number if called, would be picked up by another member of the syndicate who would sound like the victim's relative but speaking with a sense of urgency.
The supposed relative would confirm that the vehicle(s) were at the Tema port and instruct the victim to deal with the clearing agent and pay him any money that were necessary to facilitate the clearing. The supposed "clearing agent" after collecting the money would lead the victim to the CEPS Longroom at Tema where he would abandon the victim and disappear.
Inspector Nketia-Yeboah said that so far, three men (names withheld) from Kumasi, ¢46m, Obuasi (¢35m) and Yeji (¢30m) had fallen prey to the syndicates. He advised that anyone who receives such calls should contact the police before entering into any financial commitments. - Times
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Ghana rated B+ by World Bank and IMF - Min
Chicago (USA) 15 September 2003 - Honorable Joseph Henry Mensah, senior minister and Economic management team of the Republic of Ghana, announced in Chicago that Ghana is rated B-plus by a team of International Economists appointed by the world Bank and the IMF after reviewing the "books" of the Kufour administration.
J.H Mensah made the comments at a church service in his honor at 55oo S. Woodlawn by the Ghanaian community Church of Chicago. Ironically, this was the same Church the president, John Agyekum Kufour visited whilst on tour the United States in 1999 to garner support and raise funds to his then ailing party.
Present at the function were, Daniel Botwe, popularly known as Dan Botwe, Secretary to the ruling NPP government, Dr. Abdallah Yahaya, Ghana National Council president, Dr.Nyema Jones, former Minister of Mineral resources of the Tubman government in Liberia, Dr. Aaron Ohemeng, NPP North America President and a popular dentist in Chicago, Nana Owusu Bempah, former president of the Ghana National Council of metropolitan Chicago and many Ghanaians living in Chicago.
J.H Mensah, who was an honorary guest at NPP North America Congress in Chicago on Saturday, 12 September, informed the congregation that the branch came together to affirm their solidarity to the party and prepare to ask Ghanaians to entrust the management of the country to the NPP government for four more years.
He noted that in democratic dispensation power does not belong to individuals to but to everybody. As if conceding to the party's inability to deliver on the numerous campaign promises, the NPP guru stated that it is up to Ghanaians to Judge the NPP government on whether they have delivered or not.
Speaking in monotones and laying emphasis on each word as if to sink his comments into the minds of his attentive audience forever, J.H Mensah revealed that the NPP government assumed power at a time Ghanaians were demoralized, disorganized and has a very weak economy.
"For the past two and half years, we have tried to reorganize the country" he boldly said. In reference to the HIPC, Mensah noted to the audience that the program has enabled the government to infuse $150m into schools all over the country.
The National Reconciliation Council in the words of the senior minister "is recording for history things that ought not to have happened but did happen in our dear country."
"The constitution of Ghana separates the state from the church, like many democratic countries, but our country believes in God, so I ask prayers from all for the country", he faithfully requested.
In conclusion, the indomitable seasoned politician asked his audience to support the party of their choice, because that is a testimony of their belief in the democratic dispensation.
Dan Botwe, started his short comment with a praise to the Lord. He acknowledged that the NPP administration has not achieved everything in the past two and half years and cannot be expected to do so in that short period; he however emphasized that the government is in the right direction.
Dr. Nyema Jones, former Minister of Minerals in the dethroned Tubman regime of Liberia, used the occasion to thank Ghana for accepting Liberian refugees into the country and praised the role Ghana played in making peace a possibility in Liberia.
The president of the Ghana National Council of Metropolitan Chicago, Dr. Abdallah Yahaya, accompanied by his assistant Secretary, Ms. Patience Adigbli, appealed to Ghanaians to unite. "The name Ghana, makes us one people", he concluded. The service was led by Kwasi A. Yeboah, secretary of the Brong-Ahafo North America Association. - Reuben Hadzide
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
How Security Chief was removed
Accra (Greater Accra) 15 September 2003 - One of the two capos of the Ghana Prisons Service and the Ghana National Fire Service removed from office last week was informed of his removal via an unsigned memo sent to him earlier.
Deputy Interior Minister, Thomas Yaw Broni, sent the memo. The Concord newspaper gathered that whilst Fire Service ex-capo, Elias Adablanu, knew there were plans to ditch him because of an unsigned memo delivered to him, by Broni, former Prisons Director General, Richard Kuuire was unaware.
He had however been queried over comments made on radio after John Malm a.k.a Baby Nii's escape from the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons and could have guessed he was equally being pushed out.
Both Kuuire and Adablanu got officially signed letters removing them from their posts hours after the paper reported it. - Concord
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
"Fake" medical donations to Korle-Bu
Accra (Greater Accra) 15 September 2003 - A visit to the Supply Department of the Korle-bu Teaching Hospital seem to be casting doubts over interventions of so called benevolent organizations who receive huge doses of publicity for going to the aid of what is generally accepted to be the sorry state of health delivery in the country.
Their donations contain loads of undesirable expired products and equipment. According to the department, 60 per cent of items they receive through these benevolent institutions are either expired, non-usable or long abandoned medical equipment that end up creating embarrassment for the hospital.
Currently, the department is grappling with over 100 cartons of expired drugs and other equipment, which were donated to the hospital by the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints last year but would have to be transferred to an appropriate "mortuary" as its final resting place. - Network Herald
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Call Rawlings to order - Committee
Tamale (Northern Region) 15 September 2003 - The Interim Management Committee (IMC) of Tamale Metropolitan Assembly has cautioned the government to call former President Rawlings to order before he causes another mayhem in the Dagbon Traditional Area with his effusions.
The IMC stated that the utterances of Rawlings on the murder of the late Ya Na Yakubu Andani II and others as well as his comments on the Dagbon conflict are inflammatory and negative, which have the tendency of causing another explosion.
Dr. Obeng Adjei an IMC member announced this when the Deputy Minster of Local Government and Rural Development, Captain (RTD) Nkrabeah Effah Dartey paid a day's working visit to the Tamale Metropolis.
Meanwhile three IMCs of three District Assemblies, which fall within the Dagbon Traditional Area, have cautioned the government not to lift the state of emergency imposed on the people of the area.
They cautioned that any attempt by the government to lift the state of emergency would serve as a recipe for another brutal clash, which would be disastrous even more than what took place in the area last year.
The three are the Tamale IMC, the Savelegu/Nantong IMC and Tolon Kumbungu IMC. - Independent
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Twelve Ghanaian drug smugglers sentenced in Pakistan
Islamabad (Pakistan) 15 September 2003 - The government of Pakistan during the current National Assembly session presented a list according to which in the past three years 262 smugglers, including 12 Ghanaians, have been sentenced on drug smuggling charges.
According to details, 152 of the 262 smugglers sentenced are Pakistanis whereas the rest 110 are foreigners. The foreign smugglers include 66 from Nigeria, 6 from Tunisia, 12 from Ghana and Gani, 2 from Maldives, 3 from South Africa, 2 from Liberia and Australia, and one from Romania, Angola, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Sudan, Mozambique, Ethiopia and Belgium each. These smugglers are completing their sentences in various jails of Pakistan.
These smuggles have been given various sentences starting from one year jail to life imprisonment after drug smuggling accusations have been proved against them. They have also been imposed fines ranging from ten thousand rupees to ten lakh rupees.
Twenty-four smugglers have been sentenced for life out of which twenty-three are Pakistani and one foreigner. More than twenty of the sentenced smugglers include Pakistani and Foreign women.
All cases against these smugglers were registered by Anti Narcotics Force in Kohat, Peshawar and Haripur. - PakTribune
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Attempt to gag unconstitutional - NDC Youth Organizer
Accra (Greater Accra) 15 September 2003 - The decision by the NPP government to strip the former President John Rawlings of some of his courtesies with without the necessary democratic consultation proves NPP government's systematic policy to deprive the former President of what he is constitutionally entitled. It also amount to gaging him from his democratic views, which constitute ill-treatment to the former President.
Speaking at a news conference in Accra, National Youth Organizer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Haruna Iddrisu said government action raises a constitutional matter, as to whether the Minister of Foreign Affairs acting on his own or acting on the instruction of President Kufuor has the mandate to do so or was done at their whims and caprices.
"The fact that he is a former President does not derogate him his right under the constitution to freedom of speech and expression. He has every right to hold and express divergent and contrary view," he said.
He complained bitterly about the government's decision and said "We were witnesses to how the NPP government handled the matter concerning the former President's personal security, allocation of vehicles and his office and residential accommodation, soon after the handling over."
Haruna Iddrisu observed that this is an attempt to humiliate the former President. "We are aware of the frenzied and hysterical campaign by the NPP to denigrate and ridicule the former President. He accused the government of not having the respect for the constitution and for that matter the rule of law, describing the action of the government as fallacious. - Ghanaian Voice
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com