Murder of Judges still remains a mystery
Private neuro-surgical centre dedicated
Asantehene's trip sparks accusations of misspending
Corruption costs Africa billions
Ghanaian elected to Swedish Parliament
Prophecy on Rawlings comes true
Accra
(Greater Accra) 19 September 2002 – The reason for the gruesome murder of three
High Court judges and an army officer on 30 June 1982, has for years remained a
mystery.
The
victims were Mrs. Justice Cecilia Koranteng-Addow, Justice Fred Poku Sarkodee,
Justice George Agyepong and Major Sam Acquah, a former director of Personnel at
GIHOC.
It
has been suggested that Lance Corporal Amedeka, who was tried and sentenced to
death in absentia in connection with the judges' murder is the only missing
link as to who gave the order or instigated the abduction and the cold-blooded
murder of the four at Bundase, a military range near the Kpone barrier.
It
was there that the charred bodies of the three High Court judges and the senior
army officer were discovered after a night's drizzle had prevented the complete
burning of their bodies into ashes.
Speaking
in an exclusive interview on Peace FM recently, (Wednesday, 2 September 2002
Kweku Baako Jnr., the editor-in-chief of the Crusading Guide, who was then a
member of the Movement on National Affairs (MONAS) said he believes that
Amedeka is the only one who can tell Ghanaians the truth and unravel the whole
mystery surrounding the judges' and the army officer's murder.
According
to him, he was at the Koforidua prisons together with Amedeka, where Amedeka
allegedly told him a lot of things including the murder of the judges and the
Army Officer.
According
to Kweku Baako, the very first day Amedeka was transferred from the Nsawam
prisons to Koforidua, he confessed that "I thank God, we didn't kill you
guys, otherwise who would be looking after me here?" adding, thank God I
didn't get you people killed".
"I
was with him. That very day there was an announcement that the Special
Investigations Board (SIB) had concluded its work and that those indicted would
face the Public Tribunals, Amedeka immediately went into tantrums. He couldn't
believe it. He thought something had gone wrong. He muttered all sorts of
things", recounted Baako.
Question:
"Did Amedeka confess to you who ordered the killing of the judges?"
Answer:
You know what? I will tell you something. I pray to God Amedeka is alive. But
because he is a fugitive from justice as of now, I would pray that there would
be a peculiar dispensation to allow him and others to come and tell their
stories to the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC)". Baako intimated
that he happens to have had very close collaboration with Amedeka at the
Koforidua prisons where he assisted Amedeka to write unofficial letters to
certain persons in the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) and the wife
of the PNDC chairman.
The
Crusading Guide editor asserted that although Amedeka had just come to the
prisons, he asked him to write letters addressed to leading members of the
PNDC, including Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings, Captain Kojo Tsikata and Mrs.
Rawlings.
According
to Baako, Amedeka told him that Mrs. Rawlings was the one who was helping him
(Amedeka) while he was in custody at the Bureau of National Investigations
(BNI). "Amedeka was worried about one thing- he kept suspecting that
someone wanted to betray him", claimed Baako.
He
continued that the day the SIB report was made public, "Amedeka flew into
tantrums, saying someone had planned that after his trial at the Public
Tribunal, he would be eventually killed and that he would not allow that to
happen.
"He
kept on telling me that that was not going to happen", revealed Baako.
"This is because Amedeka intimated that he had been assured by the powers
that be, that he would not be killed".
At
this juncture, the interviewer prodded him to let out the names of the said
power(s) that be. In reply, Baako said "forgive me if I don't qualify my
language", adding that that was why he was asking for a situation where
there would be a peculiar dispensation to let people like Amedeka come and
talk; even if for record purposes".
Who
and who were to be extra-judiciary disposed of for being MONAS members? Lay-by
for this gripping story. You've read the rest, but the ones yet to come are
even more revealing. Stay tuned! - Daily Guide
Accra
(Greater Accra) 19 September 2002 - Ghanaians doff their hats to the management
and workers of Unilever Ghana, for the unique role the company has been playing
to sustain the economy of the country. Apart from earning handsome foreign
exchange for the country, through its export trade, the company has provided
wide employment avenues for many professionals and skilled
Ghanaians.
By
this, the company is solving the nagging problem of unemployment in the country.
In addition, the company makes sure that it does not leave any room for the
importation of any item that it produces. The company adequately fills any
available vacuum that may necessitate the importation of any product as a
substitute to any product they are producing in the country. When in the early
eighties some sub-standard washing soap were introduced into the market,
Unilever sat down and planned well to intensify its efforts to flush those kind
of soap from the market by introducing 'Key Soap' into the market.
Since
then, the "Key Soap' as its name indicates, has stabilised its position in
the market so much that the sub-standard kind of soap, has vanished and nobody
knows where that kind of soap is at the moment. In the edible segment of the
company's products, Frytol has pushed all other cooking oil from the market,
except those that are smuggled into the country from neighbouring countries.
This is yet another plus for Unilever Ghana. The establishment of the raw
material base of the products of the company, is another achievement that
Unilever Ghana should be proud of.
This
is yet to be equalled in the industrial history of this country. By this, no
supplier can hold the company to ransom by delaying the supply of raw materials
to cause artificial shortage. The production programme is therefore always on
schedule and no deliberate delay could be applied to cause disaffection to the
company and its customers. Unilever Ghana, being an off-spring of UAC Ghana
Limited is known throughout the Gold Coast and Ghana as an efficient company in
its transactions. It is no wonder, therefore, that the company has over the
years been chalking successes.
This
vividly brings to mind the invaluable contributions that the company has over
the years been making towards the communities that it operates. It has been and
continues to contribute to education and providing social facilities. Its
recent institution of 'professoral chairs' in three of the country's
universities cannot escape mention when the history of Unilever comes to be
written. The 'professoral chairs' would attract a total of $45,000 for research
work. This is a challenge to other companies in the country, whether they are
local, foreign or joint enterprises to take a cue from Unilever. It is a moral
obligation since most of their employees who are in sensitive positions were
trained at one time or another in those institutions.
The
Daily Guide is aware that there are some companies in the country such as
National Cash Register, (NCR) the Ashanti Goldfield Company (AGC) Mobil Oil
Ghana Limited and some others are in various ways contributing to the academic
advancement of the country. They are awarding scholarships to deserving
university students who are pursuing causes relevant to the problems of the
country.
The
paper says though some efforts are currently being made, there are many other
companies operating in the country that are in better economic positions to
emulate the shining example of Unilever, but they have not yet caught the
spirit of patriotism. -Daily Guide
Accra (Greater Accra) 19 September 2002 - Prof Isabella Quakyi, Head of the Immunology and Micro-Biology Department of the School of Public Health, University of Ghana, on Wednesday said the fight against malaria is enormous and that a multi-molecular vaccine to combat the parasite at its various developmental stages is being developed.
Prof Quakyi said the ability of the parasite to adapt to its environment made it difficult for scientists to develop the appropriate vaccine to combat it. "There is light at the end of the tunnel however, for the development of the multi-molecular vaccine."
Prof Quakyi was speaking at the opening of the second annual research meeting of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR).
The two-day meeting, which is under the theme; Control of Endemic Diseases - Bridging the Research-Policy Divide, Special Focus on HIV/AIDS and Malaria, is being attended by about 50 researchers, medical students and policy makers.
Prof Quakyi said it has been discovered that malaria parasites have local identity, therefore African parasites are different from Asian parasites. "Government must therefore, be committed to capacity building in the research sector through the training of more local research scientists to study the environment and develop vaccines to combat local parasites," she said.
Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, Director of Health Service, called for the establishment of a National Medical Research Council (NMRC). He said such a council would co-ordinate medical research activities in the country and also create the platform for effective collaboration between policy makers and researchers to facilitate efforts at combating endemic diseases.
The meeting would bring to light strides made in the research towards developing vaccines to combat malaria parasites at the various stages of its development and formulate strategies on how to inform national policy.
Prof Akosa noted that it is imperative for national policy to be adequately informed by reliable medical research, if policies were to adequately address the medical problems in the country.
This, he said, calls for collaboration between researchers and policy makers to ensure that the latter have adequate information on medical problems of the country and formulate appropriate policy to address them.
He said the national policy as it stands now has virtually relegated medical research to the background as scientific research focuses mainly on agriculture, industry and technology. "Discussion about constituting an NMRC is long over due. It is time we moved from talking to establishing the council," he said.
Prof Akosa alluded to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), saying, "the name of that council alone shows that very little medical research goes on there and this does not favour medical research in the country.
"We are currently studying the example of Nigeria, Kenya and other countries to enable us to write a paper on the need to establish NMRC soon. Medical research has come of age in Ghana and it demands consistent public funding."
Prof Akosa said his outfit intends to make a case for public funded medical research. He said the days when researchers waited for funding from overseas before undertaking research should be a thing of the past. - Accra Mail
Asantehene's trip sparks accusations of misspending
Savannah,
Georgia (USA) 19 September 2002 - Savannah State University has been accused of
misspending thousands of federal dollars by bringing an African king and his
entourage to campus and flying nine students to China.
Savannah
State paid a $21,657 reimbursement to the U.S. Education Department on 12 July
and acknowledged some fault for misspending Title III funds, which have been
given to historically black colleges to make up for decades of inadequate and
unfair state funding.
The
money was meant to be used to create educational opportunities for as many
students as possible, but the school used it for a variety of other purposes,
the department said Tuesday. University President Carlton Brown said he
believed there was educational value in bringing King Osei Tutu II, leader of
the Ashanti Nation, to the school.
About
$20,000 was spent to fly the king of the Ashantis and his 16-person delegation
to a campus symposium in 2001. The Education Department questioned what role a king
plays in international education. The costs included a caravan of limousines,
rooms at an inn and an honorarium for the king.
The
Education Department also cited a July 2000 trip to China that cost $15,912 for
nine students. The Education Department denied a request to fund the trip, but
an auditor found the university used Title III money for it anyway.
"There
were some instances where it was determined that expenditures were excessive
and unallowable," according to a U.S. Department of Education review from
October 2001.
"What
happened was the faculty, feeling it expedient, simply signed the student
checks a nd put them in the account for travel, which is not what's supposed to
happen," Brown said.
Brown
blamed the unauthorized spending on a former professor who coordinated the
trip, even though two administrators had to sign off on every expenditure and
plan for the program.
"We
also acknowledge institutional error in other findings though we must state
that the actions of faculty in several instances were in contradiction to our
instructions and intentions," Brown wrote in his remittance letter.
Savannah
State's nine other Title III programs were found to be acceptable by the
Education Department. Those programs spent money on computers and a marine
science research center.
Associated
Press
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Salt Lake City (USA) 19 September
2002-President J. A. Kufuor has asked Ghanaians studying abroad to return home
on completion of their studies and get actively involved in the daily struggles
to improve on the quality of life of their compatriots.
He said that there are many examples of qualified Ghanaian professionals who
have forgone the luxuries and comfort of life in developed countries and are
now sacrificing to facilitate the process of national development in spite of
the difficulties in the country.
President Kufuor made the remarks when responding to questions during an
interaction with the Ghanaian community in Salt Lake City, the capital of Utah
State of the USA, on Tuesday.
He said that as Ghanaians, they have the responsibilities to their fellows who
are suffering from diseases and poverty, as well as other deprivations in the
country.
President Kufuor said that there are other nationals, who for the love and sake
of humanity, visit Ghana and use their energies towards alleviating poverty,
and ensuring healthy lives in the rural communities.
He stated that the government was making every effort to make life better for
Ghanaians in the face of all challenges and difficulties.
President Kufuor briefed the Ghanaian community about efforts being made by the
government to address issues such as armed robbery, education, stable currency,
how to promote business and private sector development.
On crime, the President said that the police are being equipped with vehicles
and communication gadgets to check the rate of armed robbery. He disclosed that
by the end of December, this year, the government would have provided as many
as 600 vehicles to the Ghana Police Service to enhance their capability to
ensure crime prevention.
President Kufuor explained that the government has set up the Ministry of
Private Sector Development to promote small and large -scale businesses. He
advised Ghanaians in Salt Lake City to be law- abiding citizens and assured
them of government’s support in their endeavours.
The Foreign Minister, Mr Hackman Owusu Agyeman, said that the government is
conscious of the contributions of Ghanaians abroad to the country’s economy.
According to him the government is working
to ensure the implementation of the Dual Citizenship Act, which was passed
recently. He said that beginning from next October, the government would
undertake massive infrastructure development, which would include the
construction of roads.
The Foreign Minister said the six -lane road from Kwame Nkrumah Circle to
Achimota in Accra, as well as the Accra to Cape Coast, and Accra to Aflao road
projects are being initiated.
Ghana’s Ambassador to the US, Mr Alan Kyeremateng spoke of Ghana Equity
Investment Fund and Ghana Credit Union projects, which are being implemented to
provide avenues for Ghanaians abroad to invest in the Ghanaian economy.
He commended President Kufuor for his
leadership and the ensuring peace and stability in the country. In a related
development, President Kufuor has appealed to American businesses to invest in
the Information Technology (IT) and salt industries in Ghana and gave them the
assurance that their investments will not be in vain.
He said that Ghana’s democratic
dispensation under a liberalised economy human resource capacity provide a
favourable investment climate and makes the country a better investment
destination in Africa.
He was speaking at a luncheon meeting with representatives of corporate
businesses in Salt Lake City. President Kufuor took advantage of his maiden
attendance at the United Nation’s General Assembly last week to embark on an
investment promotion tour of the Salt Lake City.
So far, he has visited Convergys, an IT company, Morton Salt and Magnesium
Corporation, all in Salt Lake City. The President also paid separate courtesy
calls on the Governor of the State, Mr Michael Okerlund Leavit and President of
the Church of Latter Day Saints, Mr Gordon B. Hinckly, at their residence and
office respectively.
President Kufuor told the America businessmen and women that it would be easier
for them to make additional revenue of $1 million if they invested in Ghana
rather than in America and Europe.
He said Ghana has a tremendous human resource potential and indicated that the
experiences of some American companies in the country have established that the
attitude and competence of the Ghanaian worker is comparable to that of the
American.
He noted that the Applied Computer Services (ACS), an American IT company
established in Ghana two years ago, has become successful and urged the
businesses to be encouraged by the ACS experience to set up enterprises in
Ghana, since their investments will yield mutually beneficial results.
President Kufuor said that Ghana is rich in salt and has a viable tourism
sector and indicated the government’s preparedness to welcome investments in
these areas.
A Special Assistant at the office of the President, Dr Sam Somuah, who made a
presentation on investment opportunities in Ghana, said that Ghana has a more
favourable investment climate than other countries elsewhere in Africa.
He said that the economic indicators and peaceful democratic situation make it
far less expensive to invest in Ghana. Dr Somuah said that the 1992 Fourth
Republican Constitution provides enough guarantees to protect foreign and local
investments.
He said that although there are some risks in investing in developing
countries, such as Ghana, the benefits of investing in Ghana outweighs the
risks involved. Dr Somuah observed that Ghana is open for business as the
government is supportive and the time for the American investors to invest in
the country is now.
Mr Marcos Southwood, a senior official of Sentries Financial International
Incorporated said a number of financial institutions exist to provide
assistance for businesses that want to invest in countries such as Ghana and,
therefore, urged corporate America to take advantage of those institutions to
reduce the risks involved in investing in Ghana.
He said that the Sentries Financial International Inc. has so far provided $200
million to businesses to establish outfits in Ghana and expressed the
willingness of the company to assist American businesses that are willing to
invest in Ghana. – Daily Graphic
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Keta (Volta Region) 19 September
2002-Residents of Kedzi and Vodza in the Keta District of the Volta Region are reluctant
to relocate to pave the way for the reclamation of lands by the contractors
working on the Keta Sea Defence Project.
They are demanding a written undertaking from the government that they will not
be left to their fate after they have left their present abodes.
The standoff has affected the progress of work on the project being undertaken
by the contractors, Messrs Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company, USA.
The contractors have reclaimed the land at Adzido as the people have moved into
tents which have been erected to temporarily accommodate them.
The objective of the project is to protect both the existing and the planned
development between Keta and Horvie from erosion, the construction of a sea
defence structure, land reclamation of Keta Lagoon site, and a seven kilometre
facility at Kedzi for lagoon flood control, as well as bird habitat islands.
An additional benefit to be derived from the project is the availability of an
eight kilometre long dredged channel from Keta to Havedzi for water transportation,
reclaimed lands for industries, hospitals, markets, accommodation and others.
The residents have made it clear that for them to make sure that “the
government does not abandon us to our fate after moving to the new site, we
wish to request a written undertaking from the government to the effect that we
shall be provided with permanent resettlement in the near future.”
This was contained in a letter made available to the Graphic and signed by Mr
D.M Kuwornu on behalf of the residents and addressed to Madam Theresa Tagoe,
Deputy Minister of Works and Housing.
The residents described their decision to move to the newly reclaimed site as
painful and said 80 of their houses and a school, would be affected, by the
reclamation exercise.
In another letter, they said, following a meeting with Conterra, the employers’
representatives and the residents, the residents requested that, the government
should give them title to the plot of land they are supposed to occupy
temporarily in the event that that government is unable to fulfil its
resettlement obligation and prefers cash compensation.
It said apart from the families displaced on the sea frontline, 15 other
families were displaced solely due to dredging activities.
Each of the families affected are also demanding financial assistance to move
their belongings to the new site and salvage a few other items.
Meanwhile, during a visit to the site by the Minister of Works and Housing,
officials of the ministry, the contractors and journalists, it was observed
that residents of Adzido are residing in tents erected by the National Disaster
Management Organisation (NADMO).
There are about 12 temporarily constructed
homes and 28 tents in the reclaimed area where some residents are settling.
Togbi Kporku III, the Project Director of Conterra Limited, the employers’
representative and Mr Gary H. Schack, Project Manager of Great Lakes conducted
the minister and his entourage round the project site.
Togbi Kporku disclosed that 60 per cent of
work on the project has been completed.
After the tour on the project, Mr Barimah expressed satisfaction with the
progress of work.
He stated that the government is committed to the welfare of the people and is
doing all it can to solve the problem once and for all.
He said that, “a lot of investment has been made on the project and the
government will go every length to ensure the success of the project and the
resolve of the problems of the affected residents.”
Mr Barimah indicated that some investors from South Africa, Germany and Italy
have expressed interest in investing in the area and their proposals are being
studied by the government adding that “within weeks, there will be concrete
evidence of government’s commitment to the provision of accommodation for the
residents.” – Daily Graphic
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Accra (Greater Accra) 19 September 2002-The
management of Kruger Brent Security Company has explained that the company is
not being investigated for its complicity in the Apenkwa Mobil Filling Station
robbery last week.
Reacting to a banner headline story in the Daily Graphic of yesterday, the company
said that the headline created the erroneous impression that the company
actively participated in the robbery.
Mr Henry Osei, Managing Director of the company said in a statement that, his
company was not under investigation by the police or any security agency. It
made it clear that the complicity of one bad nut who, was employed two weeks
ago as a trainee does not mean the company as a whole is involved in the
robbery.
The statement said that when the robbery case was made known to the company it
initiated attempts to arrest all the culprits as a deterrent to potential
robbers who would want to enlist in private security companies to perpetrate
their evil deeds.
“It must be clearly noted that this company re-arrested our own guard who had
been hurriedly released in a police enquiry bail, which raised our suspicion,”
it said.
According to the statement, “after hours of interrogation in our offices, it
turned out that the two sureties of the bailed security guard were also
accomplices. The arrest of these three led to the arrest of the rest of the
gang. This, the police did not even know.”
It explained that when the company was faced with “how to arrest the gang from
their hideout at Nsawam, we called the Police/Military patrol team, which
readily came to our assistance.”
It added that “we are not implicated, we are not being probed, neither are we
under any investigations. We did not hide any fact from the police concerning
our worker, otherwise how could we then re-arrest him, which led to all the other
arrests”. – Daily Graphic
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Accra (Greater Accra) 19 September 2002-
Bribery and gratifications are a way of life in Africa. Corruption in Africa is
costing the continent nearly $150bn a year, according to a news report. The
African regional body, the African Union (AU), has drawn up a convention to
stamp out malpractices, which the study said are hitting the poorest the
hardest.
Corruption is illegal everywhere in Africa, but everywhere it is woven deep
into the fabric of everyday life. From the bottle of whisky slipped under the
counter to speed a traveller's way through customs, to the presidents and
ex-President’s living way beyond their declared means, it results in an
assumption that no business will ever get done without a present changing
hands.
The report before this week's meeting of the African Union in the Ethiopian capital,
Addis Ababa, makes no attempt to excuse these "gratifications" as
part of the culture. It says that corruption is costing Africa more than $148bn
a year, increasing the cost of goods by as much as 20 per cent, deterring
investment and holding back development.
The AU's proposed solution is a convention, which would provide countries
signing up to it with a blueprint for tackling the problem. It proposes that
all public officials should declare their assets when they take office, that
governments should take powers to seize bank documents where necessary, and
that those convicted should have their assets confiscated.
Signatories would also have to agree to extradite those charged with
corruption. The proposed convention reflects a growing awareness of the damage
Africa's corrupt reputation has done. The continent's more forward-looking
leaders are in the process of trying to build a new partnership with investors
and overseas donors, and accountability and transparency are very much part of
that deal. – Daily Graphic
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Sekondi (Western Region) 19 September 2002 - The Western Regional Minister, Hon. Joseph Aidoo, smarting under charges of contempt of court at a Sekondi High Court has been lashed by a vacation judge, Justice K. K. Acquaye, for refusing to appear before him.
Commenting on the action of the minister, Justice Acquaye is quoted to have said in court that his conduct and that of the Western Regional police commander was disgraceful, to say the least, because they are people who have been put in authority and are supposed to set good examples for the public to emulate.
Justice Acquaye also cited the conduct of the two as akin to the kind of indiscipline that the Vice President had launched a campaign against in recent times. He added that the two public officers had treated the court with contempt and had greatly embarrassed him as a judge.
Justice Acquaye said that if the regional minister did not give respect to him, as a judge, then he should also not expect any respect from him. The regional minister, the police commander and the Attorney-General’s (AG) department have been cited for contempt for their alleged involvement in the continued imprisonment of Odeneho Brentum IV of Dadieso, and 19 others who are standing trial for conspiracy to murder, even though they had been granted bail by a regional tribunal.
The AG’s department was represented by a certain Mr. Akuffo who was the only person in court. It was the opinion of Justice Acquaye, that no matter the reason for the non-appearance in court of both the regional minister and the police officer, nothing prevented them from either writing to the court to explain their absence or sending a high-powered delegation to plead with the court.
Justice Acquaye was on the verge of issuing a bench warrant for the arrest of the minister when lawyers at the bench got up and pleaded with him to tamper justice with mercy and rather give the minister a severe reprimand.
In response to the plea of the lawyers, Justice Acquaye ordered the minister and the regional commander to appear before him on Monday, 23 September this year. The background of the case is that, in July this year, the regional tribunal granted bail to Nana Brentum IV and 19 other suspects who had been named in a conspiracy to murder case which occurred in Dadieso in the Western Region.
Contrary to the court order, the Prison Service which said it was acting on instructions refused to release the suspects to go to court and sign their bail. The suspects are still being held in prison custody.
It is being alleged that it was on the instructions of the RM, the police commander and the A-G’s Department that the suspects were not released from prison. Counsel for the suspects, Bafour Jyumah, filed an application at the High Court in Sekondi to cite them for contempt of court.
Last Monday was fixed by the court for hearing but the regional minister and the police commander were not in court. Only the A-G’s Department was represented in court. According to legal opinion, once somebody is cited for contempt, the one must appear in person and cannot send a representative. If the person refuses to appear before the court, a bench warrant is issued for his arrest.
Counsel for Nana Brentum, therefore, asked the court to order the arrest of the two. Counsel argued that no one is above the law and so if the two have refused to appear before court then the court had no option but to order their arrest.
He went on to say that the failure of the court to order their arrest would send a wrong signal to those in authority that they are above the law. Speaking to the Chronicle in an interview as to why he was not in court, the regional minister said that the President had delegated him to inaugurate the district assembly at Jomoro, in his region.
He said that as Member of Parliament he
enjoys immunity and cannot be arrested just like that. “As MP, I enjoy
immunity” he told the Chronicle. He added that he had been informed about the
case. According to him, the state attorney at the A-G’s office, Mrs. Amartey,
had called in connection with the court case but he had not had time yet to
listen to what transpired at the court. – The Chronicle
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Accra (Greater Accra) 19 September 2002 - Ghanaian born Swedish resident, Kojo Joe Frans, has won a seat in the Swedish Parliament. Frans is 39 years. For the first time in the history of Sweden, an African has been elected to the Swedish Parliament.
He is a communications director for the Vice Mayor of the city of Stockholm. As such, he has been instrumental in laying out the strategy for the Vice Mayor’s campaign. Joe Frans won a grand slam. His Social Democratic Party won back the majority of the city of Stockholm and he himself won a seat in Parliament.
In a statement released Tuesday this week, he said, “This is a collective victory for all of us. I am deeply humbled by the enormous show of support. I will do my best to meet the expectations of the thousands and thousands of people who have voted for me.
I will bring to Parliament the case of the marginalised, the poor and the needy for our societies to invest in our kids. My first motion in Parliament will be on education. I will promote international co-operation and make sure the fight against malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS stays on the agenda”.
Roll call will be on 30 September, and the Swedish king, Gustav V, will open the new Parliament on 1 October. In an article presented in Sweden’s largest evening paper, “Expressen”, on Tuesday, speculated that Joe Frans had been short-listed for even bigger duties within the party, something he refuses to comment on. Joe Frans was born in Takoradi. He was raised in Cape Coast and Kumasi and attended Adisadel Collage before he travelled to Sweden to study communication and sociology.
GRi…/
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Accra (Greater Accra) 19 September 2002-A former assembly member of the Tema Municipal Assembly (TMA), Mr David Sabuare, has said that it was erroneous for the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Sheikh I.C. Quaye to clear the TMA Chief Executive of any wrongdoing in the award of three contracts which amounted to ¢1.2 billion.
This is because the general assembly of the TMA was yet to rectify the contracts which were awarded in November, last year. Mr Sabuare was reacting to a letter captioned, "Stop harassing TMA Boss," which was published in the 12 September issue of "The Evening News" and authored by Mr. A.B. Okyere.
He noted that the previous assembly members could not endorse the contracts during their two general meetings held before their tenure of office ended because of the tension that characterised the meetings.
According to him, the Regional Minister also erred in clearing Mr Evans Ashong Narh since the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) had taken over the investigations and was yet to publish its findings. Mr Sabuare said he saw no reason why the Chief Executive of the TMA should have by-passed laid-down guidelines to award the ¢802 million fumigation contract under a certificate of emergency.
He explained that it was unfortunate that the public had been made to believe that the fumigation project was inevitable under the circumstances.
He said the use of hand spraying machines (tagged fumigation) to spray the Kpone refuse dump every two weeks was being done without a contract document. He added that whilst the contract did not pass through tender, the whole amount had been paid to the contractor.
Mr Sabuare, therefore, cautioned Mr Okyere, who authored the letter not to throw dust into the eyes of the public. He noted that previous assembly members had worked hard to build the TMA into a model assembly, as declared by Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, during his first meeting with the TMA.
He said, "the former Chief Executive, Nii Armah Ashietey, who appeared before the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament in 1999 and was twice audited by special audit task forces in 2000, and exonerated by the present government, left the assembly with a lot of projects including three libraries, toilet facilities, school renovations, new school buildings and an amount of ¢1 billion in its account".
He alleged that what the current Chief Executive had succeeded in doing was to politicise the assembly and had surrounded himself with incompetent party patrons.
According to Mr Sabuare, one issue which
needed to be investigated was the construction of the "three sides dwarf
wall" around the Tema Manhean Post Office, which Mr Narh claimed he used
the MPs Common Fund for. He challenged Mr Narh to produce documentary evidence
to support the claim that the wall was funded through the MPs common fund. -The
Evening News
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Accra (Greater Accra) 19 September 2002 - All is not well at the Police Forensic Laboratory at the Police Headquarters, following the promotion of Chief Superintendent David Appeatu to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) by the government.
Currently, DCOP Appeatu is said to have the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Academy in the USA. According to sources close to the Police Headquarters, he is likely to become the new Criminal Investigations Department (CID) boss when he returns to Ghana.
The sources said Mr Sam Awortwi, Commissioner in charge of Legal and Prosecutions, has been assigned temporal responsibility as the acting CID boss. It said Mr Appeatu the second in command to the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mrs Sarpong Mensah, who is in charge of the Police Forensic Laboratory.
Mr Appeatu's sudden jump form Chief Superintendent too DCOP is said to be creating uneasy calm at the Forensic Unit. According to the sources, petitioned the Police Council through the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Nana Owusu-Nsiah, for redress.
It said some political considerations had been read into the promotion of Mr Appeatu to DCOP by the government since his jumping straight from Chief Superintendent to Deputy Commissioner violated promotions code in the Police Service.
It said the government could have promoted Mr Appeatu have Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) and not (DCOP). Again, if any person was promoted to DCOP he or she must go for the police command course and be interviews, both of which were not done.
The sources said continuous government
interference in the appointment of officers and undue promotions in the Police
Service was going to create unhealthy relationship and undermine
professionalism in the Service. - The Evening News
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Accra (Greater Accra) 19 September 2002 – You the Akans have a proverb that goes this. “Biribi annka ka mpapan a ennye kerede” which goes like this in the English language, “if nothing touches the palm-branch it will never make a noise.
Now ex-President Rawlings the immediately past President of this country has been pushed to the wall to reveal certain things he would normally not have come out with. And just a fortnight ago after he had inaugurated the NDC’s Council of Elders, he told our reporters including two other that he feels President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe had been vindicated about a statement ago. You can call it a prophecy.
He said President Mugabe once told him that
he will not “take risk like me to relinquish power for the same power to be
used to ridicule and humiliate me” He said looking at how he is being
maltreated and ridiculed by the NPP Security apparatus, the NPP government and
the deliberate fabrications against him, he thinks the Zimbabwean President is
right after all because he could not read into the future when President JAK
promised that he would treat Ex-President Rawlings as how he wishes to be
treated after he leaves office. –The Ghanaian Voice
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Accra (Greater Accra) 19 September 2002 – The Copyright Society of Ghana (COSCA) has put nine restaurant's who have persistently defaulted the payment of royalties before an Accra High Court.
The restaurants are Blue Gate restaurant, Blue Ribbon Restaurant Afrikiko Restaurant, Ritz Restaurant, Dynasty Restaurant. Golden Lily Restaurant and Home Touch Restaurant. According to statement signed by Mr Bosomprah each of the nine restaurants has defaulted in amount of ¢175,000.00, for 1997, ¢500,000.00, 575,000.00 in 1998, ¢632,500.00 in 2000, ¢27,375.00 and ¢ 3,375,000.
These total up to ¢5,984,875 standing in the name of each defendants. These came up when the Graphic Showbiz had a chat with Mr J.A Larkai, the acting Executive Director of COSCA in Accra last Friday.
According to Mr Larkai, COSCA has been forced to assume a tough stance in the collection because music users are just not co-operating with the society to make the exercise smoothly. He said apart from these nine there are a good number of other defaulting restaurants.
The acting Executive Director said other bodies who are likely for the wrath of the society are drinking bar operators and other music users. He commended the Hotels and spinners association who have not only agreed to collect the royalties on behalf of COSCA but are currently doing very well.
He however, reminded them that they should endeavour to meet the September deadline, as that would put them in a good stead. Mr Larkai was not happy with the private broadcasting companies because COSCA's negotiation with their associates could not yield any mutual acceptable compromise forcing COSCA to deal with them on individual basis.
He remindful all music users to respect the rights of composers since it is of similar behaviour in the past that were responsible for the poor financial standing of most composers. The acting executive director said the society intends to change this tread and nothing would stop them.- Graphic Showbiz
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