‘BoG Must Explain 9% Reserves Policy’ - Abbey
* Source: Daily Guide


Dr Joe Abbey, Executive Director of the Center for Policy Analysis (CEPA), has called for clarification from the Bank of Ghana (BoG) on its recent directive to commercial banks to keep a mandatory 9 percent of their total domestic and foreign deposits at the Central Bank in cedis henceforth.

In an interview with CITY & BUSINESS GUIDE in Accra yesterday, Dr Abbey noted: “The Bank of Ghana is now working at what is the cost of mobilizing 9 percent against dollar holdings. So, if the cedi doesn’t stop falling and the 9 percent directive remains unchanged, then more and more cedis would be needed to hold that account.”

He further posed a question to the BoG about the previous cost involved in backing those reserves with foreign exchange.

“What prevents BoG from taking 9 percent of their holding and changing that into cedis? BoG owes it to us to clarify why it is doing this. I assume BoG’s interest at this time is to screw down if not halt the cedi’s value from falling but, it still needs to come out clear for everyone to understand.”

Currently, commercial banks are additionally required to provide 100 percent cedi cover for all Vostro balances held by their foreign banks in the country at the Bank of Ghana. The measures follow a string of losses that has seen the local currency depreciate by 15 percent since the beginning of the year.

Already some commercial banks have started serving letters to their clients who have foreign accounts with them informing them of some monthly fees to be charged on all foreign currency deposits.

Meanwhile, some economic experts have called on the BoG to review its position on the matter and deal leniently with it in order to elicit a positive response.


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Minister orders police to confiscate galamsey equipment
* Source: GNA


Mr. Mike Hammah, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources on Tuesday directed the Police to confiscate the equipment of illegal miners at Bisicheim in the Western Region.

The directive forms part of measures to stop illegal miners (galamsey operators) from depleting the forest reserves and polluting water bodies.

He gave the order to the Police Commander in Prestea Huni/Valley District, Deputy Superintendent of Police Ben Wonkyi, when he and some members of the Minerals Commission toured some illegal mining sites at Prestea.

Consequently, some equipment including a tipper truck and seven excavators were seized and would be kept at the premises of the Prestea Police Station.

The illegal miners who were at work at the Golden Star Bogoso Prestea Limited’s concession, ran into a nearby bush when the operators of the machines were asked to hand over the keys.

Mr. Hammah expressed worry about the kind of heavy machines the illegal miners were using.

He said illegal mining had become a national crisis and traditional rulers needed to assist the government to curb by refraining from leasing stool lands meant for its indigenes and the public to individuals who mine haphazardly.

Mr. Hammah said judges and prosecutors needed to be engaged on the issue in view of the threat it posed to the future of the country and that the government would ensure that PNDC Law 218, which deals with mining without license, was enforced.

He said both the district and regional security councils would be involved in flushing out of illegal miners and special courts should be set up to deal with the illegal miners.

Mr. Hammah said his outfit would continue to sensitize chiefs and the entire populace on the need to desist from this harmful practice and appealed to Ghanaians to adopt positive attitudes towards the environment.

Mr. Ofori Amanfo, Public Relations Officer of a task force which monitors the activities of these miners in Prestea, said the illegal mining site with the equipment was owned by a Chinese citizen.

Mr. Amanfo said he had spotted the Chinese men on several occasions on the site that had been in operation for more than two years.

Mr. Nuhu Mohammed Mustapha, district secretary of Small Scale Miners Association in Prestea, said the association had written to GSBPL to release that particular land the foreigners were mining to them but it declined.

He said the association had even appealed to the Company to release the alluvia and hard rocks from the Ankobra Bridge through Tarkwa-Bremang, which were not useful to it to the local community to utilize but they had not been given that too.


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Former President Kufuor's Government is the best - Nana Akufo-Addo
* Source: GNA


Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Election 2012, on Monday said that the previous NPP administration of former President John Agyekum Kufuor was the best Government Ghana ever had.

He said the previous NPP Government created jobs for the youth of the country through schemes such as the National Youth Employment Programme and also implemented programmes such as the National Health Insurance Scheme and Free Health Care for pregnant women.

Nana Addo was addressing supporters of the NPP at the campaign launch of Lawyer Sara Adjoa Safo, the party’s Parliamentary Aspirant for Dome/Kwabenya in the Greater Accra Region.

He said the NPP was the only party which could improve the standards of living of Ghanaians and called on the people to vote massively for the party on December 7 to save Ghana from the payment of judgment debts instead of paying better salary to teachers.

Nana Addo said his policy for free education up to the secondary level and the improvement of the condition of teachers was achievable.

He said “former president Kufuor’s government was building a six-classroom block at 70,000 Ghana Cedis, but now it is 250,000 Ghana Cedis and a bag of cement is being bought for 25 Ghana Cedis. Where are we going?”

Former President Kufuor said jobs which were created under his Government had all collapsed under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Government led by President John Evans Atta Mills and asked the youth to vote for Nana Akufo-Addo for jobs and development.

He said the first year of his government was difficult, but hard decisions were taken by his Cabinet to manage the ‘broke economy’ which was left behind by the NDC.

Former President Kufuor said his administration which placed the country to where it was now would not have spent more than 420 million dollars on the payment of judgment debts.

Professor Mike Oquaye, Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Member of Parliament (MP) for Dome/Kwabenya, asked the constituents to remember the good work he has done and expressed hope that they would give Lawyer Safo the node to continue from where he would leave.

He said the NPP was a big political party that aimed at improving the lives of Ghanaians and also to develop the human resource and capacity of the country to meet international standards.

Prof. Oquaye also donated 4,000 Ghana Cedis to support the campaign of Lawyer Safo and called on the electorate to vote for her and the NPP to move Ghana forward.

Lawyer Safo said, the constituency has experienced a lot of infrastructural development under Prof. Oquaye and appealed to the electorate to vote for her to continue the good work of the MP.

She said that the NPP policy on free education up to the secondary level was the first ever in Ghana’s history.

Lawyer Safo said “the constituency is the World Bank of the NPP in the Greater Accra Region.


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Day 3 Of The Trial Of Alfred Woyome
* Source: Daily Post News


DAY 3 OF THE TRIAL OF AFLFRED WOYOME – The certified court proceedings

In The Superior Court Of
Judicature, In The High Court Of Justice Financial Crimes Court II Held In
Accra On The 22th Day Of June, 2012 Presided Over By His Lordship,
Justice John Ajet-Nasam

The Republic
vrs
Alfred Agbesi Woyomei
Accused Person: Present
Legal Representation:Cynthia Lamptey with Mathew
Amponsah, Yvonne Obuobisa and Evelyn
Keelson for the republic
Osafo Buabeng with Musah Ahmed and Chris
Koka led by
Robertson Kpatsa for the accused person

PW1 REMINDED OF HER OATH FOR
CONTINUATION OF CROSS-EXAMINATION BY COUNSEL FOR THE ACCUSED

Q: At the last adjourned date, you were
ordered to bring a memo, did you bring it.
A: Yes.
Q: Can I have a look at it.
A: Yes.
Q: The Legal Division of Ministry of Finance,
are you the head.
A: I am not
Q: Who is the head?
A: Mr. Paul Asimenu
Q: Will I be right to say that he is your
superior.
A: Yes
Q: Your Division worked on this issue.
A: Yes
Q: Look at this letter, it is coming from your
division.
A: It purports to be coming from the Ministry
and the Legal Division.
Q: That is Paul Asimenu’s signature.
A: It looks like it.
Q: I am putting it to you that it is a letter
from Ministry of Finance Legal Division.
A: It appears to be My Lord.
Lamptey: My Lord we object to the tendering of this
document. First of all, the witness says it purports and the signature looks
like that of one Mr. Paul Asimenu. She never said categorically that it is that
of Paul Asimenu whom she works under. The court had not been told that the
author of this document is not available to be called to tender his own
document. Thirdly, this is a photocopy and no foundation had been laid as to
why they wish to tender a photocopy. In view of this we object to the tendering
of the document.
Buabeng: In the first place, the original copy is
under the control of the prosecution i.e. the Republic of Ghana. Specifically
the office of the Attorney General. Secondly, all relevant evidence is
admissible except as provided in Section 52 of NRCD 323 (READ OUT). The
objection has not raised issue of undue delay etc. thirdly, the witness in the
box on oath says that it appears and it purports, later that it comes from the
Ministry of Finance. She has admitted that her Division is headed by Paul Asimenu,
the author of this letter. Again her Division worked on this matter. What is
more relevant for a document coming from the Legal Division of Ministry of
Finance. In response to that fact that we have not indicated that whether
Asimenu is available or not. For the simple fact that when proceedings under
Section 117 of the Evidence Act, it is the proponent of the hearsay evidence,
if the accused had been in the box and was seeking to plead hearsay evidence,
then he could rely on Section 117 as an exception to the rule and not where a
witness from Ministry of Finance and the same Division and were seeking to
tender this document through her. It is an official document, and I submit the
document is relevant and admissible.
Lamptey: See Section 118 of Evidence Decree, it is a
hearsay declaration.
By Court: The document that the defence intends to
tender through the PW1 is a public document, it is a photocopy and it is always
necessary for an original be compared with the duplicate before it will be
accepted in evidence. In this scenario however, it is a document which the
defence can’t have the original, the original will be with the Ministry of
Finance. As said it is an official record, and if asked for it is only a
photocopy that can be given to the person or entity that is requesting for it.
Under Section 126 of the Evidence Act 1975 NRCD 323, it provides “(1) Evidence
of a hearsay statement contained in writing made as a record of an act, event
or condition is made inadmissible by Section 117 if
(a)The writing was made by and within the scope of duty of a public officer.
(b)The writing was made at or near the time the act or event occurred or the
condition existed and
(c) The source of information and method and time of preparation indicate
that the statement contained in the writing is reasonable trustworthy.

(2) Evidence of a hearsay statement contained
in a writing made by a public officer who is the official custodian of the
records in a public place reciting diligent search and failure to find a record
is not made inadmissible by Section 117. With respect to Section 126 (2) even
the one in charge of public records can testify as to a writing or statement
made by a public officer if he can’t find the record after diligent search.
Such evidence by the said officer in charge of record can’t be made
inadmissible.
With the
above consideration, I am of the opinion that the document should be admitted
in evidence. The witness did not with respect deny categorically that she
doesn’t know the signature or even might not have chanced on such document in
her office. When the witness was been cross-examined on the issue of default
judgment on the last adjourned date, and a copy was shown to her, this was what
happened:
“Q: Look at this copy and see if it is a copy of
the default judgment that you received.
A: I actually don’t remember seeing this,
what I saw was something like a calculation.
Q: You are talking about entry of judgment
A: Yes I saw the entry of judgment, I didn’t
see this one.”

This reference is made to buttress
the point that the PW1 could be emphatic about
the signature or letter the defence
intend to tender but chose to use the words “it
looks like”, it appears to be My
Lord”.
In my considered opinion therefore, I
will admit the document in evidence.
Objection therefore overruled.
By Court: Exhibit
“7”
Q: This
is the memo you submitted to us this morning.
A: Yes
it is.
Q: It
was authored by you
A: Yes
Q: It
is a copy
A: Yes
Q: The
original will be with your Ministry
A: I
don’t know, but it should be.
Q: You
made the photocopy yourself.
A: I
did not
Q: How
did you come by this copy?
A: I
requested it from the Budget Division and I was given this.
Buabeng: My
Lord we wish to tender this document
Lamptey: No Objection My Lord
By Court: Exhibit
“8”
Q: You
are at that time the Deputy Director at the Legal Division
A: Yes
Q: There
are minutes on Exhibit “8”
A: Yes
Q: Who
and who made minutes on Exhibit “8”
A: The
Minister, myself and the Director of Budget
Q: The
Director of Budget, what did he minute on Exhibit “8”
A: I am not sure if this is the Director of
Budget who minuted, but the minutes from Budget says “Please process for
payment”.
Q: What of the Minister of Finance
A: It is cancelled out, that is the comments
Q: The Budget Director said process for
payment, Minister for Finance’s comments cancelled, what about you
A: “Please Director of Budget for your follow
up”
Q: But that is not cancelled
A: No
Q: The person writing the minute always has
his position on top of the minute
A: No, the person to whom it is addressed has
the name on top.
Q: Exhibit “8”, Deputy Director Legal
Division, what had been written by the Minister is what has been cancelled.
A: Yes.
Q: The memo, the last paragraph you
recommended payment of 2% of the amount to be paid.
A: It is not a recommendation, the routine
is, when you write a memo you submit it for consideration and the follow up
requested. That is what it is.
Q: When you wrote to the Minister that it is
for his consideration……….
A: I can’t instruct the Minister, but it is
for consideration.
Q: What do you mean by that?
A: As I indicated, the Attorney General had
written a letter asking the Ministry to pay an amount to Mr. Woyome. I
summarized the Attorney General’s letter, I indicated the amount that was
requested to be paid to Mr. Woyome and submitted it to the Minister for his
consideration and authorization to do the payment.
Q: Look at Exhibit “7”, the Ministry of
Finance in Exhibit “7” wrote to the Attorney General, paragraph 8, 9 and 10
justifying why the accused is entitled to 2% of the total amount.
A: That is what it seems.
Q: Can you read paragraph 8, 9 and 10 only of
Exhibit “7” written from your Division, and read also paragraph 12.
A: (8) Regarding the legitimacy of the claim
for financial engineering we would like to state that it is a cost that is
chargeable internationally and may range from 0.5% - 5% of the contracted sum.
The actual fee paid under international best practice however depends on the
type of project, its complexity and amount of work involved. This involved
retaining insurance companies to underwrite aspects of the cost of the
facility.
(9)
In the specific case of the financing in question, we have evidence on file
which shows that the negotiations leading to availability of the funds which Bank
Austria made available involved negotiations with the Multilateral Investment
Guarantee Agency (MIGA) of the World Bank Group and other financial
institutions.
(10)
It is pertinent to state that the amount of credit made available for the
Stadia Projects amounted to £764,117,646 for which the claim for financial
engineering is being made. It needs to be pointed out however that the
financial term sheet reviewed from Bank Austria included financing for other
projects namely; £329,411,765.00 for six hospitals and
£12,941,176.00 for a Cobalt 60 plant and tissue culture project. The grand
total of sums made available by Bank Austria through the Woyome led consortium
therefore amounted to £1,106,470,587.00.
(12) It is my considered c view given
the complexity of the work involved in securing the financing in question that
the claim of 2% is deemed legitimate.
Q: The Ministry of Finance from Exhibit “7”
agreed with the 2% being claimed by accused.
A: I can’t say the Ministry; it was signed by
Paul Asimenu for the Minister.
Q: Mr. Asimenu, is he still at post
A: Yes
Q: Do you still stand by your evidence that it
is because of the court judgment before the accused was paid.
A: Yes, no payment was made on this letter.
Buabeng: My Lord that will be all
By Court: Any re-examination
Lamptey: No re-examination My Lord
By Court: Case adjourned to 3rd and 4th July, 2012 for continuation.

(SGD)
JOHN AJET-NASAM
JUSTICE
OF THE HIGH COURT


***********************************************************


Two Sibblings Drown In Manhole
* Source: Daily Graphic


Two siblings who were returning from an errand drowned in a manhole at Manhea, near Amasaman in Accra, about 8:20 p.m. Friday.

The incident occurred when Emmanuel Owusu, 12, attempted to save his sister, Christiana Owusu, five, from drowning but ended up slipping into the opened manhole.

A friend of the siblings’, Alberta Amponsah, survived because she allegedly held on to a sugarcane plant after she had also slipped in an attempt to save Emmanuel.

The Public Affairs Officer of the Accra Regional Police Command, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mr Freeman Tettey, told graphic.com.gh that the deceased’s father, Mr Eric Owusu, had allegedly sent Emmanuel to collect some mosquito coils from a trader a kilometre away from their home about 5 p.m. on Friday, June 28, 2012.

The parents, Mr Owusu and Madam Yaa Anokyewaa, are said to have then left for church, leaving the children behind.

According to Mr Tettey, it was not until later in the evening that Emmanuel asked his sister, Christiana, and a friend of theirs, Alberta Amponsah, seven, to accompany him to collect the mosquito coils before his parents returned from church.

When the children got to the trader’s residence, she told them that she had already sent the items and asked them to go back home.

On their way, the children are said to have decided to use another route, which they later found to be very muddy.

According to Mr Tettey, Christiana decided to wash her feet in what she thought was a pool of water but, unknown to her, the pool was rather a manhole filled with water.

In the process of washing her feet, she slipped into the manhole and drowned.

He said in a bid to pull his sister out of the water, Emmanuel also slipped and drowned.

Mr Tettey said Alberta survived by a hair’s breadth, as she held on to a sugarcane plant growing near the manhole.


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Butcher Brutalises Son Over GH¢5
* Source: Daily Guide


A Damongo-based butcher, Alhassan Moro, believed to be in his early 40s, has allegedly assaulted his 11-year-old son over GH¢5.

He claimed he beat the boy to instill discipline in him.

Mr. Alhassan had purportedly been subjecting his son to severe beatings at the least provocation.

When the latest incident got into the public domain, a Good Samaritan made a report at the police station and Moro was arrested by the Damongo police.

According to the police, the suspect assaulted his son on 25th June, 2012, leaving the boy with various degrees of laceration and bleeding on the face, hands and back.

The police told DAILY GUIDE that careful checks on the boy’s body revealed several marks of previous beatings by the suspect, suggesting the kid had indeed been tortured by his father.

Information gathered from neighbors by DAILY GUIDE indicated that the boy was not the biological child of the suspect but a relative’s son who he had volunteered to cater for whilst the boy helped him with his butchery business.

In his caution statement, Moro claimed he had been receiving a lot of complaints from a scrap dealer about the nefarious activities of his son, including stealing his metals to sell to another dealer.

According to him, he warned his son on several occasions to desist from such acts but he did not heed his advice.

He also cited instances where the boy took his money and upon thorough interrogation, he admitted to the offence and was reprimanded.

As regards the latest incident, he claimed the boy took his GH¢5 which was in the pocket of a pair of trousers he hanged in their room.

After several confrontations, his son admitted to taking the money and was subjected to severe beatings, resulting in the multiple injuries. He was later rushed to the hospital.

He insisted the beating would serve as a deterrent to the boy and compel him to change.

Confirming the incident to DAILY GUIDE, the Damongo District Police Commander, ASP Ansah Dawuda, said the child was brought to the station by a concerned citizen of the town who could not withstand the ordeal the boy went through after seeing the various degree of injury on him.

He therefore caused the arrest of Moro who, on arrival, admitted to beating the boy.

According to the police chief, the boy had since been taken to the Damongo Government Hospital for treatment while the suspect was being processed for court.

He cautioned parents against maltreating their children, indicating that the law would deal ruthlessly with them if they were caught.


***********************************************************


More Die In Tamale Rainstorm
* Source: Daily Guide


It has now been established that the terrible rainstorm that hit the Tamale Metropolis and its environs last Thursday has claimed the lives of four persons at various locations within the suburbs.

The bodies of two of those taken away by flood waters have been recovered and taken to the Tamale Teaching Hospital morgue for autopsy.

The whereabouts of a number of school kids, according to some parents, were unknown as they were believed to have been swept away by flood waters.

The rainstorm caused damage running into several millions of Ghana cedis.

An estimated 700 houses got destroyed including government bungalows and private houses, rendering close to 10,000 persons homeless.

Speaking to the Northern Regional Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Alhaji Silimboma, he told DAILY GUIDE that the disaster had displaced a considerable number of persons within the city and its surrounding communities.

Ten schools, comprising eight primary schools, a junior high school and a senior high school, were also hit by the rainstorm.

The University of Education Winneba, Tamale Campus, was also not spared during the rainstorm.

Alhaji Silimboma disclosed that his men were still on the ground assessing the extent of damage caused to life and property, adding that the final figures would be sent to the NADMO head office in Accra for urgent relief support for the victims.

He noted that any individual or organization that wanted to donate items could take them to the NADMO office and they would be given to the victims.

The Minister of Roads and Highways, Joe Gidisu, in the company of the Northern Regional Minister, Moses Bukari Mabengba, visited the various suburbs to sympathize with victims.

According to them, the visit was to enable them to assess the extent of damage caused to properties and communicate it to Government for some form of assistance.

Mr. Gidisu expressed his condolences to the bereaved families, promising that government was not going to abandon them in their time of grief.

It would be recalled that the entire Tamale metropolis was hit by a disaster following a rainstorm that hit the area early Thursday morning, causing havoc to several lives and properties of some residents.

Over 700 private homes were destroyed as a result of the heavy storm.

The worse affected areas included Sakasaka, Moshie Zongo, Wurishie, Lamashegu and Jisonaayili.

High tension electric poles were also destroyed, plunging the entire city into total darkness, with fears that the situation could worsen if reports of more rains in the coming days were anything to go by.

Meteorologists disclosed that the quantity of rainfall recorded on that day was less than 10millimeters despite the havoc caused.

This is the first major disaster experienced in the region since this year’s rainy season started.


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Boy, 9, forced to work in galamsey pit for survival
* Source: JoyOnline


Nine-year-old primary three school pupil, Tengzor Yinbang has been forced to work as a labourer at an illegal gold mine to raise money for survival.

Little Tengzor, a pupil of Tindongo Primary School, is a victim of the recent ethnic clashes at Tindongo and Namolgo in the Upper East region during which nine people were killed and several houses were torched.

Tengzor Yinbang who lost all his belongings told Joy News he hopes to raise money to continue school.

Joy FM Upper East Regional Correspondent, Albert Sore reported poor Yinbang was living with some good Samaritans who became victims of the clashes.

Little Yinbang narrated the circumstances of his family amidst tears. The boy lost his mother before he learnt how to speak and his father did not live long after that.

He told Albert Sore he earns GH¢3 a day and saves GH¢1 daily, hoping to raise enough money to go back to school.


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Thanks for the light but we need roads; Bole residents tell Veep
* Source: JoyOnline


On a wet late afternoon at Bale, a farming community at Bole district in the Northern Region, a teenage girl with her younger brother strapped to her back defied the stubborn rain to witness the commissioning of an electrification project by Vice President John Mahama that will, for the first time, brighten the dark village she had known all her life. Memuna was one of many of the village folk who came to witness the historic ceremony.

She smiled innocently at the camera when I directed my lens at her. Probably shy, turned away but attempted to steal a glance at me.

Bale, her village, is miles away from the city centre in the Bole district. Most of the homes are made of mud and they are littered on a field surrounded by lush green vegetation.

The road network leading to the village is bad; it is untarred and bumpy. The cloud of dust from read earthed road fill the nostrils of commuters whose only means of transport are rickety vehicle.

Traveling on the road in an air-conditioned vehicle is deeply relieving.

Snaking through the road is almost like going through an unpaved road to hell. Mr. Mahama acknowledged the bad nature of the road and promised the residents it will be taken care of. On the provision of electricity, he was hopeful the people will put it to go use by way of taking advantage of the power to setup small businesses that require the use of electricity.

Bale is one of three communities where Mr. Mahama did the commissioning. The others were Tinga and Maluwe and all of them form part of nineteen other communities in the district benefiting from the power supply under the Rural Electrification Project. In all, 545 communities across the country are to benefit from the project estimated around to cost US$170 million. The money is a loan from the China Exim bank.

Wearing a grey suit over blue tennis shoes and green lace, the assemblyman for Bale David Sedema spoke on behalf of his people. He said the people were grateful the vice president for braving the rains to be “here with us.” Every word he uttered was received with applause. After the appreciation, he flipped through the next page of his soaked speech to list their problems. When he started listing the problems confronting the people, some members of the crowd, visible uncomfortable with him, desperately tried to talk him out of it by raising their voices to the disdain of some. But he was not bothered. He wanted more boreholes to be provided for the people because most of them compete with animals at the streams and rivers for water.

“It is sad to see people still drink water from streams and rivers in this 21st century just because they have no access to potable drinking water. The seven communities including Bale only have four boreholes which are insufficient for the entire population,” he lamented.

Mr. Sedema, probably in his late 20s or early 30s, once again, referred to the bad state of the road network and how it has affected them over the years. He said farmers continue to be priced out of their income because they are unable to transport their produce to a central location.

“The people of Bale and those of the other surrounding communities are basically farmers and need to transport their farm products to vantage points where they can get good market for their products. The road network however is very bad. Our appeal is that culverts be constructed around the Bale road to help solve this problem.”

He had barely started the next sentence when those who had earlier heckled him were at it again. But, this time around, they had to be shut down by some older women who had had enough of them.

Government recently sent some students on scholarship to study in Cuba. The scheme, according to officials, is targeted at bright students from deprived communities. The assemblyman however wondered why students from his community had not been drafted into the scheme. But Mr. Mahama was quick to point out to him that Bale is still on their score cards.

“One of the criteria we used was to select children from deprived districts, that was number one. The second one was to select children from areas with highest doctors to patients’ ratio so your community qualifies.”

His assurance drew a smile from the young assemblyman who punctuated each statement with “Your Excellency” as if he was quoting extracts from a letter handed out to him by a prisoner of war to be read to his unit.

On Thursday, he was joined by Roads and Highways Minister Joe Gidisu to cut the sod for construction works to start on the Fulfuso-Sawla roads. Money for the construction is coming from the Agriculture Development Bank in the form of a grant and estimated to be more than $30 million.

Mr. Mahama said he expected works to start especially when full compensation had been paid to the affected farmers. Venue for the ceremony, Larabanga in the Gonja district, is home to three of the most prominent tourist sites in the country; mole national park, mystery tomb stone and the oldest mosque.

Despite these important sites, the economic situation in the area is very depressing; most of the residents are highly impoverished and don’t make much from their farming activities. And though tourists often come to the historic sites, it takes enormous efforts to make a trip on a bumpy road to catch a glimpse of elephants, giraffe, monkeys and other animals at the park.

Mr. Mahama was upbeat tourists will stream to the town in their numbers once the road is fixed. And should that happen town folks like Musah Seidu, a town photographer whose business appears to be struggling, could make money taking pictures of tourists to the sites. For now he’ll have to wait for, at least the next thirty six months, for the roads to be completed to see the business growth he continues to dream about.


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NPP threatens to boycott two bye-elections
* JoyOnline


The New Patriotic Party says the Electoral Commission will be engaging in an illegality if it uses the old voters register to organize two impending bye-elections.

The EC in accordance with Article 112 of the constitution announced the dates for the two bye elections in Wulensi and Kwabre West following the deaths of two MPs.

But the NPP is challenging the EC to state which register it will be using to conduct the bye-elections.

The chairman of Electoral Affairs of the NPP Mathew Opoku Prempeh said it will be an act of illegality if the old register is used.

He told Joy News’ Beatrice Adu, the old register has been outlawed following a legislation passed in March 25, insisting the NPP will not be part of any illegality if it is the intention of the EC to use the old register.

Opoku Prempeh said the EC must use the new biometric voters register and a verification system to organize the two bye-elections.

“My party has already taken a position. The EC should come out and tell Ghanaians what register they are going to use for both the Wulensi and Kwabre West constituencies.

“If the EC cannot guarantee the biometric register which is the only legal document we can use to vote in a public election then I am afraid the EC cannot dabble in illegality.

“…There is nothing like an old register in the system. That has been completely cancelled by a law from the Parliament of Ghana.

“That is why I am surprised the EC continues to deceive Ghanaians there is something called the old register. That register has been cancelled as far back as March 25, 2012.

Asked if the party will take part in the bye-elections, Opoku Prempeh said the NPP is a party that respects the rule of law hinting no party worth its salt to be part of such an illegal election.


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EC Sets August 14 For Kwabre By-election
* PeaceFMonline


The Electoral Commission (EC) has fixed August 14 as the date for the by-election for the vacant Afigya Kwabre Constituency seat.

A statement released and signed by the Mr. Sarfo Kantanka, Deputy Chairman in charge Operations said “following the death of the Member of Parliament for the Afigya Kwabre constituency and in accordance with Article 112(5) of the constitution as amended by section 3 of Act 527, the Electoral Commission will hold a by-election in the constituency on Tuesday the 14th day of August, 2012.””

Hon. Emmanuel Asamoah Owusu-Ansah died at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital two weeks ago after a short illness.

According to the statement, the EC "will take nominations for the said by-election on Tuesday 12th and Wednesday 13th of July, 2012, at the district office of the Commission at Kodie between the hours of 8:00am and 12:30pm and 1:30pm and 5:00pm. Nomination forms may be obtained from the district office of the Commission at Kodie or at the Regional Office of the Commission in Kumasi.”

The EC therefore stipulates that all “Candidates for the election shall provide two recent photographs (bust) with red background on the submission of their nomination forms.”

“The filling fee for the election is Five Hundred Ghana Cedis (GH¢500.00). All interested individuals and political parties are to take note and act accordingly.”

In a related development, all is set for the Wulensi constituency by-election which comes off on the 31st of July. The Wulensi by-election follows the death of the Member of Parliament, Alhaji Sani Iddi.


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Arrest Joe Ghartey & Co
* Source: National Democrat


Another call has been made to the Attorney-General, Dr. Ben Kumbuor, to immediately arrest and prosecute five Former Attorney-Generals and a Former Chief of Staff who, through negligence, caused a huge financial loss to the state in the matter of the payment of judgement debt to Construction Pioneers (CP), a German construction firm.

The five Former Attorney-Generals who all served under the NPP are Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, Papa Owusu Ankumah, Ayikoi Otoo and Joe Ghartey while the Former Chief of Staff is Kwadwo Kyere Mpiani. At a press conference last week, the Tertiary Educational Institutions Network (TEIN) of the NDC, UDS, Wa Campus, said their call is in support of the Coalition Against Corruption (CAC)’s call last week after their own investigations showed that indeed the six ex-Ministers through acts of omission and commission caused Ghana to lose €94 million.

Below is the full statement read at the press conference by Mahama Yussif, the President of TEIN of UDS, Wa campus: “We the Tertiary Educational Institutions Network of The NDC in our quest to safeguard our national resources and create a platform for sincere accountability, probity and judicious use of our national resources wish to use this august platform to add our voice to the call by the coalition against corruption for the immediate prosecution of ex-ministers of state who were appointed as attorney generals under the auspices of president Kufuor. Ladies and gentlemen, intelligence information that we have gathered all point to the fact that, allegations of corrupt practices, abuse of public office and sheers negligence of duty brought against Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, Papa Owusu Ankumah, Ayikoi Otoo, Joe Ghartey and Kwadwo Kyere Mpiani by the Coalition Against Corruption amount to a verified truism. We therefore find it a step in the right direction to add our voice to those of other well meaning Ghanaians to call on the Attorney General to immediately institute criminal charges against the afore mentioned names for their atrocious crimes committed against the state.

However, we wish to caution the Alliance for accountable government (AFAG) and its mother organization (the NPP) not to reduce this national quest for probity and accountability to partisan gains as the mess they left behind in terms of judgment debt and salary arrears are yet to be totally cleared. Indeed, In Paragraph 86 of the 2010 Budget Statement, the Honourable Minister stated that: “The quantum of these court judgment debts increased substantially over the past eight years due to bad governance. In situations where the local and foreign courts had ruled that payment should be effected, government was adamant. This resulted in astronomical compounded interests, loss of profits claims and damages which we are now compelled to pay.”

So there were situations where the courts had ruled that government should make certain payments and yet the NPP for political and other reasons refused to pay those amounts. The recent Public Accounts Committee sitting on GTV showcased clearly, the bizarre nature the NPP handled court rulings and yet refers to themselves as veterans of rule of law when they openly disregarded court orders. The PAC sitting also showcased the determination of Madam Betty-Mould Iddrisu assisted by the NDC government to reform the AG’s department by clearing most outstanding court orders in relation to judgment debts. What more could be termed as a sincere attempt at reform?

Indeed, TEIN UDS Wa Campus lauds the bravery and overt display of good citizenship by the Coalition Against Corruption (CAC) in demanding justice and fairness from the Attorney General’s Department, for there is no gainsaying that there are gloomy clouds of uncertainties surrounding the Ghana government CP contract termination judgment debt paid to ghana@50 contractors, the sale of Ghana telecom to Vodafone and indeed the alleged purchase of toy generators for V.R.A. by Dr. Wereko Brobbey, among others. We are equally of the view that the ninety-four million Euros paid to Construction Pioneers is due to the sheer negligence of duty by the NPP stewards. Ladies and gentlemen, what beats our imagination is the fact that, all these former ministers of state mentioned in the petition had every opportunity beneath the sun to salvage the republic of Ghana from been plunged to such a huge debt.

We are reliably informed by the verdicts of international tribunals that the government of Ghana erred in illegally abrogating the contract between the government of Ghana and the Construction Pioneers without passing through due processes; we are also informed that an amount of one-hundred and fifty million Euros was the initial sum claimed by CP plus interest. The Ghana government under the leadership of JA Kufuor refused to settle the claim despite repeated advice from their own ministers such as Dr. Anane. The bizarre fact is that some of the certificates were undisputed and had been verified by the Ghana Highways Engineers and yet after shamefully abrogating the CP contracts in 2001 they still refused to pay those certificates. Why hasn’t anyone revealed that the initial fourteen million euro payment in March 2009 was endorsed by the former AG based on a warrant already raised by the NPP’s Dr. Akoto Osei 3 years after the Final Arbitral Award with Euro interest of over 8000 mounting daily? We were shocked when the Hon. AG stated at his masterful and brilliant PAC appearance that the refusal of the former government to settle the awards which were binding on Ghana result in the CP debt accumulating interest to the whooping sum of six-hundred and thirty million Euros.

It only took a diligent and reputable Attorney General in the person of Hon. Betty Mould Iddrisu to salvage the nation by effectively negotiating this gargantuan sum from 630 million to an appreciable 94 million Euros, a kind gesture for which the perpetrators of the crime turn to wrongfully castigate her. As we share the view that these ex-ministers of state caused the state plenty harm by sitting by our pot and watch our food burn, we are most a times amused of the fact that these same people alleged to have willfully caused financial loss to the state, behave like the proverbial toad that eats pepper and expect the lizard to sweat.

We have followed the most recent revelations of the judgment debts paid by the NPP government on the 7th Jan. 2009! We are amazed that by their own admission the NPP willfully refused to take delivery of the over 80 4WD Hyundais and Gallopers ordered by African Automobiles and left them to rot in the open for 8 good years. Our diligent sources tell us that the claim had ballooned to 8billion US$ in 2009!

The importers of these vehicles brought law suits against the courts in different courts across Ghana and have indeed received several judgment debts awarded against various MDA’s over the years. Nothing was paid for years! We are shocked by the twists and turns that Kufuor’s former Ministers and his Chief of Staff are desperately trying to put on this case as well. Ghanaians need to beware of these mischievous interpretations. The fact is that there was a mess by the NPP’s mismanagement and blatant disregard of the judgment debts issue during their tenure in office. The huge and ballooning interest payments, lost profit claims etc awarded by courts on contracts which were recklessly abrogated by the former government are real issues which need to be interrogated by well meaning Ghanaians.

In conclusion, ladies and gentlemen, we are adding our voices to that of the Coalition Against Corruption to call on Hon. Dr. Benjamin Kumbour to bring charges against Nana Akufo Dankwa Addo, Papa Owusu Ankomah, Ayikoi Otoo, Joe Ghartey and Kwadow Kyere Mpiani for willfully causing financial loss to the state. We would also wish to state that we shall join the Coalition in using other lawful approaches such as sit ins, barricading ourselves in the office of the Attorney General as well as occupying the law courts to demand justice.


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Disclose details of $1.5m claim by Africa Automobile - GII demands
* Source: JoyOnline


Anti-graft body, the Ghana Integrity Initiative wants government to make available all details relating to the controversial 1.5 billion dollars claim by Africa Automobile for some 86 vehicles the company says it imported for the state.

Government says it is currently deadlocked in an attempt to beat down the 1.5 billion dollar claim out of court.

It has accused the erstwhile Kufuor administration of incurring the debt because it refused to pay for the vehicles which cost $17 million in 2001, an accusation that has been denied.

The Executive Director of GII, Mr Vitus Azeem says all documents must be made public.

“If we really had a contract, what were the terms of the contract? Do the terms of the contract give the company the right to demand the money they are asking for”? he asked.

He said the details were necessary for a determination as to whether to settle the case out of court, given that the state has not historically won cases brought against it.

Mr. Azeem said government must carefully consider the option of pursuing the case in court if there is enough evidence to guarantee successful litigation.


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Alfred Woyome case adjourned again to July 12
* Source: CitifmOnline


The criminal case against businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome has been adjourned again to July 12 by an Accra High Court, with the state prosecution pleading for more time to bring another witness.

The court presided over by Justice John Ajet-Nasam announced the adjournment after state prosecution indicated that it is chasing some vital documents from some of the companies involved in the whole saga which it says would make its case stronger.

According to lawyer Matthew Amponsah, who represented the State, they are in touch with most of their witnesses who are originally out of the jurisdiction, adding that upon interaction with them they indicated that they have some vital documents which is of prime importance to the case.

He further indicated that it is for this reason they would want to bring down these witnesses and who are in possession of these documents which he believes can fortify the State's prosecution processes against Mr. Woyome.

The court at the last sitting discharged its first prosecution witness, Mangowa Ghanney who is a lawyer at the Ministry of Finance.

Lawyers of Mr. Woyome had also tendered in several letters to debunk claims that there was no contract with the State.


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Body of unidentified woman found on coconut plantation
* Source: GNA


An unidentified woman was on Sunday found dead on a coconut plantation near Mankrong-Junction in the Agona East District of the Central Region, with some vital parts of the body missing.

A spokesman for the Mankrong-Junction Police, who told the Ghana News Agency said some of the missing parts include her wrists, legs and genitals.

The Police spokesman said on Monday, July 2, the owner of the plantation, Madam Mercy Obuobi, informed them that a woman had been killed on her farm.

The Police said some personnel were dispatched to the scene at Otabilkwa on a hired taxi because the station had no vehicle.

According to the Police, the victim might have been murdered at a different location and the body dumped on the farm because no one from the nearby communities had been reported missing.

The spokesperson said the body could not be sent to the mortuary due to it bad state, explaining that, they would contact the Agona Swedru Magistrate’s Court to apply for a permit to enable the Police to bury the body at the crime scene.

Meanwhile, investigations are underway


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Takoradi Kokompe Demo Turns Bloody
* Source: Radio XYZ


The Police in Takoradi have dispersed hundreds of garage and fitting shop owners around the Kokompe business district with canons of teargas.

Many are said to have gotten injured in their haste to flee the onslaught of the police.

It is not clear what might have necessitated the throwing of the teargas but a journalist in Takoradi, Charllote Lomotey, who witnessed the incident said, the demonstrators were only chanting war songs to draw attention to their plight when the police came out of nowhere to disperse them with the teargas.

Read Earlier Report Below.

Hundreds of garage and fitting shop owners in Takoradi in the Western Region have blocked the road around the Kokompe business district in protest of the bad nature of the roads.

The garage owners say the nature of the road is affecting their business and that every attempt to finding a solution to their concerns have fallen on deaf ears.

They have therefore vowed to continue demonstrating until the authorities heed their requests.

A journalist on the scene, Charity Lomotey, told XYZ News the people are wielding placards to register their displeasure at the condition of the road.

The Member of Parliament for Takoradi, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah is expected to meet the aggrieved garage owners.


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Korle-Bu DNA Centre to help unravel crime
* Source:


he DNA Centre at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital says it has the facilities to assist the law enforcement agencies in the detection of crime.

It said its machines could determine the identity of criminals by extracting DNA from saliva, hair, blood, semen or any other bodily fluid left at a crime scene or on the victims by the perpetrators.

The Director of the centre, Dr Bartholomew Dzudzor, told the Daily Graphic that unfortunately, however, officials at the centre had not been trained in the collection of forensic samples from crimes, adding that the centre would be willing to partner the police if the police could perform that task.

He explained that during the commission of violent crimes, such as murder, kidnapping, rape and robbery, minute traces of blood and other bodily fluids, as well as hair, were left at the crime scene.

He said what was needed was well-trained forensic experts to carefully collect those samples, adding that extreme caution was essential to ensure that the samples were not contaminated.

According to him, DNA extracted from the samples would then be compared to the DNA of suspects and if they matched, the suspects could then be charged with the crime.

"DNA may point at an individual and yet he or she may not be the perpetrator of the crime only if he or she was a homozygous (identical) twin," he said, adding that homozygous twins were formed from the same egg and, therefore, had similar DNA. "Even if he or she is a twin, the police could easily establish where they were at the time the crime was committed and, thereby, establish which of them committed the crime," he noted.

Dr Dzudzor said it would have been easier if the country had a DNA database or if the police had DNA profiles of people who lived close to crime scenes.

He said there was the need for the police to be adequately trained in forensic science and for the establishment of a dedicated forensic unit for the Police Service.

Additional1y, he said, there was the need to train personnel at the DNA Centre at Korle-Bu to take forensic samples.

He called for the creation of a DNA data bank for criminals and drug dealers and explained that since some criminals committed crimes persistently, it would be wise to extract DNA from them and store it at a particular point to make for easy identification if convicted criminals who committed the same or other crimes.

He said the developed world was way ahead of Ghana in solving crime because of the use of scientific methods and prodded decision-makers to move along the same line.

He said providing a DNA database for Ghana through legislation would be an ideal move, but he was quick to add that it would be very costly.

"DNA profiles of 25 million Ghanaians wil1 be very expensive," Dr Dzudzor added.


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A-G under fire for allegedly faking assassination attempt
* Source: JoyOnline


Attorney General, Dr. Benjamin Kunbuor has been dragged to the Supreme Court over allegations that he faked an assassination attempt on himself.

The Centre for National Affairs, plaintiff in the case is asking the court to declare Dr. Kumbuor’s continued stay in office a violation of article 284 of the constitution.

Article 284 of the constitution says “a public officer shall not put himself in a position where his personal interest conflicts or is likely to conflict with the performance of the functions of his office”.

The Centre for National Affairs believes that Dr. Kunbuor’s alleged faked assassination attempt on himself constitutes a misconduct that puts his personal interest in direct conflict with the performance of the functions of his office.

“It came out from the report that Dr Benjamin Kunbuor has deceived the Ghana Police Service. When you read the letter written by the CID director to the then IGP it clearly put Dr Benjamin Kunbuor in a case of misconduct,” Rocky Obeng is Senior Policy Analyst with the Centre told host of Joy FM Super Morning Show, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah on Tuesday.

In a statement of claim the Centre maintains that in 2010 Dr. Kunbuor made an official complaint to the police alleging that there had been an assassination attempt on his life.

The Centre says its subsequent study of a police investigative report into the incident revealed that Dr. Kumbuor was indicted for manufacturing the assassination story.

It says in spite of the indictment by the CID report, Dr. Kunbuor continues to hold his position as Attorney General. It is the view of the centre that the conduct of Dr. Kumbuor is a violation of the constitution and is therefore asking the Supreme Court to interpret article 284 in respect of the Attorney General’s continuous stay in office.

Rocky Obeng noted: “At this stage we are of a conviction that Dr Benjamin Kunbuor who is a suspect must be taken to court by the very department he occupies, clearly, this obviously ties the wheels of justice delivery machine because Dr Benjamin Kunbuor has failed to step aside for an Attorney General to initiate a proceeding against him in court.


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Fallouts From The $1.5bn African Automobile Judgment Debt
* Source: New Crusading Guide


The NPP Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, Samuel Atta Akyea says it is ridiculous and “infantile” for any member of the President Mills-led administration to suggest that a letter he authored on behalf of his client, African Automobile Limited (AAL), in 2003, meant there was a written and signed contract between the two parties and that the company deserved the whooping $1.5billion it is purportedly claiming as compensation.

“It is insulting to our good governance set-up that a letter from a Lawyer should be accepted as the gospel truth and that the government should swallow it hook, line and sinker”, he underscored.

In an exclusive interview with The New Crusading GUIDE yesterday after his said letter had been read copiously on Joy FM’s news analysis programme Newsfile last Saturday by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a Deputy Information Minister, Mr. Akyea stated “the government has now become the Lawyer for the company. From the posture and propaganda of Hon. Ablakwa, it is clear that he has been hired by African Automobile Limited to champion its course”

He further accused the Deputy Minister of working against the interest people of Ghana. “Instead of him to find out concrete facts to defend the government, he has been converted because he speaks as if he is the Attorney for the company and that is very weird”.

Touching on the substantive matter of the existence of a contract, Hon. Atta Akyea emphasized that “There was no signed contract properly speaking; and I only made inference of contract by conduct”.

“A letter from a Lawyer is a claim; what we call a demand notice and it doesn’t end there. The one who the letter has been addressed to needs to interrogate the claims and make the appropriate response”, he clarified.

“Any serious government would subject the legitimacy of such claims to scrutiny, seek legal interpretation and advice, and challenge it in court”, he posited.

On the question of the legitimacy of the $1.5billion Mr. Ablakwa says AAL is demanding from the State, he stated “I did not put any quantum of amount in the said letter and so I am amazingly surprised that they are talking about this amount’.

He answered in the negative when asked whether he had been contacted by any investigative body as the author of that letter. He also wondered why the government had chosen not to talk to any of the past government officials who dealt with AAL relative to the importation of the vehicles.

“Instead, the government is in an indecent haste to deal with them (AAL) alone”, he underscored.

He also indicated his lack of knowledge of any court action by AAL against the State relative to the importation of the controversial Gallopers. The Deputy Information Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa contended on Joy Fm’s Newsfile that AAL went to Court on the matter in 2004.

According to a Daily Graphic publication last week, the company, was said to have imported the Galloper vehicles which were ordered by the erstwhile National Democratic Congress (NDC) in 1999 and delivered in 2001 for distribution to District Assemblies but were abandoned by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) when it took power in 2001.

The NPP said there was no contract between government and AAL covering the importation of the vehicles and that the vehicles did not meet the specifications for Ghanaian roads as that time, amongst others.

According to Mr. Ablakwah, after the NPP's actions had led to rise in cost, the NPP turned around to accuse the NDC government of paying debts which they claimed were unjustified.

MR. ABLAKWA REVEALED THAT GOVERNMENT HAD ENGAGED AAL IN A DIALOGUE WITH THE AIM OF BEATING DOWN THEIR $1.5 BILLION CLAIM ON THE 86 ABANDONED VEHICLES.

According to him, settlement negotiation with AAL is currently deadlocked. He added that the matter coming into the public domain was a result of the transparency in the governance system of the NDC.

Meanwhile, a former Deputy Minister of Local Government during the Kufuor regime, Maxwell Kofi Jumah, last week accused Mr. Ablakwa and the NDC government of deliberately conniving with the company (ATL) to steal from the ordinary Ghanaian.

The former Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, said though at the time the issue popped up during the Kufour regime, he was not a Minister, upon assuming work at the Ministry, he later read more about it. “I read more on the Gallopers but found no Agreement between the company and government”.

“The late Baah Wiredu was the first Minister at the Local Government Ministry and the first challenge he faced was this issue. At the time Baah Wiredu saw that the former Minister, Kwamena Ahwoi had arranged with the company to furnish the various Assemblies with vehicles but there was no Agreement to that effect. ..Though there was no Agreement, the deal would have been brokered but Baah Wiredu saw that the vehicles (Gallopers) were bad and lacked the agreed specifications so he asked them to do the right thing. We never heard from the company till the Mills government came into office”, Kofi Jumah recalled.

Kofi Jumah further asserted that the way Mr. Ablakwa was defending AAL on the “so called” judgment debt could suggest there was some level of connivance to defraud the State.

He stressed that the erstwhile Kufour-led administration realized that the deal was bad so “I am wondering why such a bad deal can attract the so-called debt. What work did they do?”

Mr. Jumah debunked claims that the Kufour Administration took delivery of some of the vehicles before rejecting the others, saying; “anybody who says we took even one of the vehicles, then I don’t know what is wrong with that person because we rejected all of them. We rather asked the company to take the Gallopers and furnish us with the agreed ones but we didn’t hear from them again till now. It is very glaring that this is fraud”.

He therefore called for the arrest and prosecution of the owners of the company for attempting to defraud the State. “It is even the company that should pay the said amount for taking part of the money and doing a shoddy job”.

He admonished Government not to do any out of court settlement with AAL because it will amount to willfully causing financial loss to the state.

“What is out of court settlement? It is a bogus venture because it is those people (AAL) who are trying to rob us so why negotiate with them. It is even amazing to hear the amount has accrued up to $1.5bn. It is simply fraudulent”, Mr. Jumah bellowed.


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Woyome & Ken Agyapong expected to appear in court today
* Source: Citifmonline

The criminal case between the Republic of Ghana and embattled businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome continues today in the Accra High Court after it was adjourned early last month.

The court at the last sitting discharged the state’s first prosecution witness, Mangowa Ghanney who is a lawyer at the Ministry of Finance.

Lawyers of Mr. Woyome had also tendered in several letters to debunk claims that there was no contract with the state. The trial continues today with the defense team expected to come up with responses to the claims made by the state’s first prosecution witness against the business man, Alfred Agbesi Woyome.

In a development, the NPP MP for Assin North, Kennedy Agyapong who is standing trial for terrorism and genocide is also expected to court. His lawyers are expected to argue out the writ of certiorari filed before the court by the state.


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Don’t die for politicians – Abu Sakara
* Source: GNA

The flagbearer of the Convention People's Party (CPP), Dr Abu Sakara Foster, has