The Government Spokesperson on Infrastructure, Mrs Catherine Ablema Afeku, was overwhelmingly elected as the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary aspirant for Evalue-Gwira in the Western Region.
Mrs Afeku polled 73 votes, as against 13 by her other contestant, Madam Dorcas Amoah, at the parliamentary primary held at Axim recently.
Talking about her plans for the constituency as an aspiring member of parliament, Mrs Afeku said it was her desire to institute a scholarship scheme for needy children in the constituency, when given the nod to go to parliament.
She also said she intended to mobilise resources from public-spirited individuals and organisations to put up a community library in the area to encourage children to use their leisure periods profitably to enrich their knowledge.
According to the parliamentary aspirant, another area of great interest to her is the development of tourism in the Nzema area which has a lot of tourists sites , to offer employment to unemployed youths and also open up the area.
She described her chances in the forthcoming parliamentary election as bright, indicating that she would intensify her campaign to unseat Mr Kojo Armah, the incumbent Convention People’s Party (CPP) MP.
Mrs Afeku said her election as a parliamentary aspirant for the NPP had brought to an end the marriage of convenience between the NPP and the CPP in the constituency, and appealed to the rank and file of the party to rally strongly behind her to enable her to achieve her vision for the party and the constituency.
She also asked the constituents to vote for her and the NPP presidential candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, during the December 7 general elections.
Mrs Afeku suggested that the three parliamentary candidates in the constituency should meet for a debate to enable them to share their vision with the people, and advised that the electioneering in the area should be fair without any aspirant resorting to insults and pronouncements that bred bitterness and rancour among the people.
THE National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary nominee for Sekondi, Ms Hildagad Betty Bosomtwe-Sam, has indicated her resolve to work harder this time round to take the seat from the incumbent New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentarian.
She said she would intensify her campaign to ensure that the NDC won massive votes in the constituency in both the parliamentary and presidential elections scheduled for December.
Ms Bosomtwe-Sam, who contested the seat on the ticket of the NDC and lost in the 2004 parliamentary elections, said when given the nod to represent the constituency in Parliament, she would work in co-operation with property owners and the Metropolitan Assembly to develop the area.
She indicated that she would make every effort to bring private investors to Sekondi to enhance the development of the housing and transport sectors and also seek sponsorship to organise skills training programmes for the youth for gainful employment.
She said the people of Sekondi and the Western Region in general were very hardworking and so investors would not regret if they invested in the area.
There was the need to accelerate the pace of development in the area through research and proper planning.
She said one of the important areas that needed attention was the Sekondi Market, Phase II of the Bosomtwe-Sam Fishing Harbour, and the Essikado Boat Yard, as well as the development of lorry stations within Sekondi for vehicles to load from there to Tarkwa, Cape-Coast, Axim, Accra, Kumasi and other parts of the region and the country.
She said all these could be done through proper planning and working in co-operation with stakeholders to ensure the right things were done.
She said conditions at vibrant spots such as Club 51, Times Square, Gyandu and Rex Cinema and Cauri Youth Centre needed to be improved, while Fort Orange needed to be developed to better tell the story of the city to visitors.
The parliamentary nominee is a product of University of Education, Winneba, and Holy Child Training College, Takoradi.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Attempt to traffic 17 children to Cote d'Ivoire...6-MAN GANG BUSTED...At Kwesimintim (LEAD STORY)
THE police at Kwesimintsim yesterday intercepted a 207 Mercedes Benz bus carrying six suspected child traffickers and 17 children said to have been picked from Garu in the Upper East Region for sale in Cote d’Ivoire.
All the six men are currently in police custody, while the 17 children have been handed over to the Western Regional Office of the Department of Social Welfare.
The six suspects are George Laree, 20; Azuma Laree, 31; Jean Badu, 42; Combite Latie, 30; Najet Lamboni, 33, and Laree Lamboni, 37.
The Kwesimintsim Police patrol team, led by the District Commander, ASP Magnus R. Sam, said the bus was intercepted while it was conveying the suspects and the victims towards the Ghana-Cote d’Ivoire border at Elubo.
The team said the children were being taken to Cote d’Ivoire to work as labourers on cocoa farms.
The police said during interrogation, all the children appeared to have been coached as to what to tell the police and other officials when questioned on where they were going and who they were travelling with.
The suspects denied knowledge of the children and said they had only boarded the same bus at the Kumasi Lorry Station and that they had never seen the children before. But when the police took the suspects to where the children were and the children were asked to identify whom they were travelling with, one of the suspects, Azuma Laree, who had changed his earlier statement and told the police that he was travelling with only one child, had six other children identifying him as the one with whom they were travelling.
Other suspects were identified by two or three of the children as being responsible for their trip.
However, some of the older ones, probably in their teens, told the police that they were travelling on their own and initially refused to board the bus which had arrived to convey them to the Department of Social Welfare.
They demanded that the suspects, whom they claimed they did not know, should be released to go with them.
One of the children, a little girl of about seven, said she was travelling with Azuma Laree to Cote d’Ivoire to work as a baby sitter for a family in that country.
Speaking to the press after preliminary police interrogations, the Kwesimintsim District Police Crime Officer, ASP Boakye Ansah, said the bus conveying the suspects and the children was intercepted when it was branching off at Apemanim towards the Elubo Border.
“The leader of the team, who is also the District Commander of Kwesimintsim, became suspicious and demanded to know whom the children were travelling with and where they were going,” he said.
ASP Boakye Ansah said there was no answer to the question and so he asked the driver to make a U-turn to the police station.
In a statement to the police, the driver said his vehicle had not been hired and that he was at the station when the children came and bought the tickets and boarded the vehicle one by one.
The only passengers aboard the 207 bus were the suspects and the victims.
According to the suspects, they were from Togo and were only passing through Garu to Cote d’Ivoire.
All the six men are currently in police custody, while the 17 children have been handed over to the Western Regional Office of the Department of Social Welfare.
The six suspects are George Laree, 20; Azuma Laree, 31; Jean Badu, 42; Combite Latie, 30; Najet Lamboni, 33, and Laree Lamboni, 37.
The Kwesimintsim Police patrol team, led by the District Commander, ASP Magnus R. Sam, said the bus was intercepted while it was conveying the suspects and the victims towards the Ghana-Cote d’Ivoire border at Elubo.
The team said the children were being taken to Cote d’Ivoire to work as labourers on cocoa farms.
The police said during interrogation, all the children appeared to have been coached as to what to tell the police and other officials when questioned on where they were going and who they were travelling with.
The suspects denied knowledge of the children and said they had only boarded the same bus at the Kumasi Lorry Station and that they had never seen the children before. But when the police took the suspects to where the children were and the children were asked to identify whom they were travelling with, one of the suspects, Azuma Laree, who had changed his earlier statement and told the police that he was travelling with only one child, had six other children identifying him as the one with whom they were travelling.
Other suspects were identified by two or three of the children as being responsible for their trip.
However, some of the older ones, probably in their teens, told the police that they were travelling on their own and initially refused to board the bus which had arrived to convey them to the Department of Social Welfare.
They demanded that the suspects, whom they claimed they did not know, should be released to go with them.
One of the children, a little girl of about seven, said she was travelling with Azuma Laree to Cote d’Ivoire to work as a baby sitter for a family in that country.
Speaking to the press after preliminary police interrogations, the Kwesimintsim District Police Crime Officer, ASP Boakye Ansah, said the bus conveying the suspects and the children was intercepted when it was branching off at Apemanim towards the Elubo Border.
“The leader of the team, who is also the District Commander of Kwesimintsim, became suspicious and demanded to know whom the children were travelling with and where they were going,” he said.
ASP Boakye Ansah said there was no answer to the question and so he asked the driver to make a U-turn to the police station.
In a statement to the police, the driver said his vehicle had not been hired and that he was at the station when the children came and bought the tickets and boarded the vehicle one by one.
The only passengers aboard the 207 bus were the suspects and the victims.
According to the suspects, they were from Togo and were only passing through Garu to Cote d’Ivoire.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
GROOMED ENTREPRENEURS NEED START-UP FUND (PAGE 29)
A retired statistician, Mr John Amankrah, has advocated the establishment of a fund for the National Service Secretariat and EMPRETEC Ghana to continue training graduates under the Graduate Enterprise Development Programme (GEDP).
He said after the successful implementation of the pilot phase of the programme it became imperative to address the problem of the absence of start-up capital for the graduates in their efforts to set up and manage their own businesses.
He advised graduates to take their training seriously as the key factors to solving unemployment was to ensure that they equipped themselves with the necessary skills in order to stand on their own.
Mr Amankrah made the call at the end of the 2007/2008 GEDP for 26 personnel from the Western and Central regions.
He said equipping the graduates with the needed skills was very important.
“It is also comforting to note that 100 graduates out of the 500 selected countrywide are now ready for follow-up support in the pilot phase by EMPRETEC to monitor and counsel them in the development of business of their choice and manage them,” he said.
He said the next phase would train about 2,000 personnel and 500 would be selected for the follow-up phase.
The number of graduate trainees, he said, was expected to increase in the third year of the programme.
He said the purpose of the programme was to equip serving personnel with entrepreneurial skills and follow-up support to enable them to set up their own enterprises after completing their services.
“Even the environments that the personnel are posted to are full of rich experiences that can best help them to manage their own business, ” he said
The retired statistician said notwithstanding the fact that the small and medium enterprises sector contributed greatly to the national economic growth they lacked access to long-term funds.
He stressed the need to establish a well-structured fund for them to access to start their businesses under the graduate entrepreneur training programme. “This has the potential of creating jobs and wealth to accelerate the growth of the economy into a middle-income status.”
Mr Amankrah expressed worry that an educated mind could be left to go waste because there was no immediate sector to engage them after their training.
He said the country’s graduates were so creative that it was good to appreciate their training by supporting them to enter private ventures.
“Recognising the fact that an educated mind should not be wasted, the management board of the scheme instituted the programme in collaboration with EMPRETEC Ghana as a tool for addressing one of the critical development challenges facing the board, which is securing gainful employment opportunities for personnel after completing their service,” he said.
The Chief Executive Officer of EMPRETEC, Nana Tweneboah-Boateng, said funding would be available for those who would need it provided they were prepared to repay the loans within the specified period.
He said the national service secretariat engaged EMPRETEC to help the participants develop good business plans that would be viable in the future.
The Chairman of the National Service Scheme board, Professor Kwasi Agyeman, urged the participants to take advantage of the training to surmount unexpected challenges.
He said after the successful implementation of the pilot phase of the programme it became imperative to address the problem of the absence of start-up capital for the graduates in their efforts to set up and manage their own businesses.
He advised graduates to take their training seriously as the key factors to solving unemployment was to ensure that they equipped themselves with the necessary skills in order to stand on their own.
Mr Amankrah made the call at the end of the 2007/2008 GEDP for 26 personnel from the Western and Central regions.
He said equipping the graduates with the needed skills was very important.
“It is also comforting to note that 100 graduates out of the 500 selected countrywide are now ready for follow-up support in the pilot phase by EMPRETEC to monitor and counsel them in the development of business of their choice and manage them,” he said.
He said the next phase would train about 2,000 personnel and 500 would be selected for the follow-up phase.
The number of graduate trainees, he said, was expected to increase in the third year of the programme.
He said the purpose of the programme was to equip serving personnel with entrepreneurial skills and follow-up support to enable them to set up their own enterprises after completing their services.
“Even the environments that the personnel are posted to are full of rich experiences that can best help them to manage their own business, ” he said
The retired statistician said notwithstanding the fact that the small and medium enterprises sector contributed greatly to the national economic growth they lacked access to long-term funds.
He stressed the need to establish a well-structured fund for them to access to start their businesses under the graduate entrepreneur training programme. “This has the potential of creating jobs and wealth to accelerate the growth of the economy into a middle-income status.”
Mr Amankrah expressed worry that an educated mind could be left to go waste because there was no immediate sector to engage them after their training.
He said the country’s graduates were so creative that it was good to appreciate their training by supporting them to enter private ventures.
“Recognising the fact that an educated mind should not be wasted, the management board of the scheme instituted the programme in collaboration with EMPRETEC Ghana as a tool for addressing one of the critical development challenges facing the board, which is securing gainful employment opportunities for personnel after completing their service,” he said.
The Chief Executive Officer of EMPRETEC, Nana Tweneboah-Boateng, said funding would be available for those who would need it provided they were prepared to repay the loans within the specified period.
He said the national service secretariat engaged EMPRETEC to help the participants develop good business plans that would be viable in the future.
The Chairman of the National Service Scheme board, Professor Kwasi Agyeman, urged the participants to take advantage of the training to surmount unexpected challenges.
DON'T ENDANGER HEALTH OF UNBORN BABIES (PAGE 29)
Expectant mothers have been urged to avoid acts that would result in congenital malformations and mental or physical challenges in their children.
The head teacher of the Twin-City Special School in Sekondi, Mrs Elizabeth Amewowor, who made the call, said even though there were many factors that resulted in mental retardation among innocent children, majority of them were preventable if society and expectant mothers took the advice of doctors during their ante-natal and postnatal clinical attendances.
She said society should not forget that even after birth the child was still vulnerable to mental retardation until he or she crossed the 18th year.
“What society fails to understand is that, aside attempted crude abortions, exposure of pregnant women to second-hand smoking, alcoholism, exposure to lead, radiation from the television, manhandling of one’s self during pregnancy, eating from newspapers are all contributing factors to mental retardation in children,” he explained.
Mrs Amewowor was addressing national service persons serving with the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) in Takoradi, after they had donated cash and some items to the school.
The items donated to the school included toilet soaps, cartons of cooking oil, detergents, canned tomato, packs of Toilet rolls, bars of soap and some cookies.
She said the most serious factors among them was threatened abortion, especially when young women attempted but failed to abort pregnancies and later decided to give birth.
“If you attempt aborting a pregnancy and fail, you have in one way or the other caused some damage to the unborn baby. Do not think that everything is alright when the abortion fails because then when the child arrives he or she is mentally retarded,” she said.
Mrs Ameworwor said there was an increasing demand by parents to obtain admission for their children at the special school, which currently had a population of 115 children but the limitations in infrastructure made it impossible for them to increase admissions.
She expressed worry that the school authorities did not have the chance to meet the larger members of the society to educate them.
Mrs Ameworwor said extensive research had shown that the state of the unfortunate children could largely be attributed to traditional beliefs, but together Ghanaians could work to reduce them.
She called on non-governmental organisations, corporate and other members of society to help extend a helping hand to the vulnerable and less privileged in society, since the government alone could not fully provide their needs, and thanked the service persons for their support.
The headteacher said their biggest problem was lack of adequate classrooms and residential facilities, and appealed for support to expand them.
For his part, the President of the GPHA National Service Personnel Association, Mr E. Kofi Parker, said the donation was part of their social responsibility, and that there was nothing more heartwarming than lending a helping hand to the needy.
The head teacher of the Twin-City Special School in Sekondi, Mrs Elizabeth Amewowor, who made the call, said even though there were many factors that resulted in mental retardation among innocent children, majority of them were preventable if society and expectant mothers took the advice of doctors during their ante-natal and postnatal clinical attendances.
She said society should not forget that even after birth the child was still vulnerable to mental retardation until he or she crossed the 18th year.
“What society fails to understand is that, aside attempted crude abortions, exposure of pregnant women to second-hand smoking, alcoholism, exposure to lead, radiation from the television, manhandling of one’s self during pregnancy, eating from newspapers are all contributing factors to mental retardation in children,” he explained.
Mrs Amewowor was addressing national service persons serving with the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) in Takoradi, after they had donated cash and some items to the school.
The items donated to the school included toilet soaps, cartons of cooking oil, detergents, canned tomato, packs of Toilet rolls, bars of soap and some cookies.
She said the most serious factors among them was threatened abortion, especially when young women attempted but failed to abort pregnancies and later decided to give birth.
“If you attempt aborting a pregnancy and fail, you have in one way or the other caused some damage to the unborn baby. Do not think that everything is alright when the abortion fails because then when the child arrives he or she is mentally retarded,” she said.
Mrs Ameworwor said there was an increasing demand by parents to obtain admission for their children at the special school, which currently had a population of 115 children but the limitations in infrastructure made it impossible for them to increase admissions.
She expressed worry that the school authorities did not have the chance to meet the larger members of the society to educate them.
Mrs Ameworwor said extensive research had shown that the state of the unfortunate children could largely be attributed to traditional beliefs, but together Ghanaians could work to reduce them.
She called on non-governmental organisations, corporate and other members of society to help extend a helping hand to the vulnerable and less privileged in society, since the government alone could not fully provide their needs, and thanked the service persons for their support.
The headteacher said their biggest problem was lack of adequate classrooms and residential facilities, and appealed for support to expand them.
For his part, the President of the GPHA National Service Personnel Association, Mr E. Kofi Parker, said the donation was part of their social responsibility, and that there was nothing more heartwarming than lending a helping hand to the needy.
ROTARY CLUB PROVIDES DEVT PROJECTS FOR 3 COMMUNITIES (PAGE 22)
THE Takoradi Rotary Club, in partnership with its sister club in Dallas, Texas in the United States of America, has funded a number of projects valued at $43,000 in three communities in the Mpohor Wassa East District of the Western Region.
The three communities, Ampease, Essase and Ahuamalowmuah benefited from boreholes and KVIP public place of convenience.
Speaking at the handing over ceremony at Ampease, the Chief of the town, Nana Atsu Adzewosi, thanked the club for providing the community with one of their most pressing needs, which they would forever cherish.
“We have no water in this community, compelling us to drink from contaminated sources, which make us sick , therefore by the water supply, you have given us life and we will forever remember you,” he stressed.
Nana Adzewosi said the people had contributed enough to the development of the country but they lacked basic amenities that would make life comfortable for them.
“Because of the long distance between us and other well endowed communities, we always lack many amenities,” he emphasised.
In his remark, the President of the Takoradi Rotary Club, Mr Ignorance Kofi Kudu, said “Our focus is service to the deprived and less privileged in the communities and other parts of the world to ensure that the smile is brought back to the face of those who felt neglected and rejected.”
He said one of the major objectives of the Rotary club was to help the people to improve the quality of their life, adding that there was strong fellowship among Rotarians to ensure that they served the people.
“For us, the just and equal society members have devoted our time for the good of society, especially and we do it without expecting any returns; all we want is for the community to appreciate and maintain whatever project that we provide them,” he said.
Mr Kudu further stated that to ensure that they did not give the communities what the club thought would be part of their needs, “we visit them to identify their needs and they make the submission as to what is very important for them, then we research and provide the fund for its completion.
He advised the people to take good care of the projects so that they drink from the facility instead of resorting to their old sources of water supply to avoid contracting water borne diseases.
The three communities, Ampease, Essase and Ahuamalowmuah benefited from boreholes and KVIP public place of convenience.
Speaking at the handing over ceremony at Ampease, the Chief of the town, Nana Atsu Adzewosi, thanked the club for providing the community with one of their most pressing needs, which they would forever cherish.
“We have no water in this community, compelling us to drink from contaminated sources, which make us sick , therefore by the water supply, you have given us life and we will forever remember you,” he stressed.
Nana Adzewosi said the people had contributed enough to the development of the country but they lacked basic amenities that would make life comfortable for them.
“Because of the long distance between us and other well endowed communities, we always lack many amenities,” he emphasised.
In his remark, the President of the Takoradi Rotary Club, Mr Ignorance Kofi Kudu, said “Our focus is service to the deprived and less privileged in the communities and other parts of the world to ensure that the smile is brought back to the face of those who felt neglected and rejected.”
He said one of the major objectives of the Rotary club was to help the people to improve the quality of their life, adding that there was strong fellowship among Rotarians to ensure that they served the people.
“For us, the just and equal society members have devoted our time for the good of society, especially and we do it without expecting any returns; all we want is for the community to appreciate and maintain whatever project that we provide them,” he said.
Mr Kudu further stated that to ensure that they did not give the communities what the club thought would be part of their needs, “we visit them to identify their needs and they make the submission as to what is very important for them, then we research and provide the fund for its completion.
He advised the people to take good care of the projects so that they drink from the facility instead of resorting to their old sources of water supply to avoid contracting water borne diseases.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
THREE NABBED FOR EMBEZZLING GH¢8.5m (PAGE 28)
Three cashiers at the Takoradi and Kumasi offices of the Ghana Railways Company (GRC) have been arrested for allegedly embezzling more than GH¢8.5 million (¢8.5 billion) with the help of some top officials of the company.
In Takoradi, a cashier is being investigated for embezzling over GH¢8 million (¢8 billion), while in Kumasi two have been arrested for misappropriating more than GH¢50,000 (¢500 million).
The name of the suspect at the Takoradi office was given as Oko Miles, while the Kumasi suspects were Herbert Mensah and one Nii, pay master and accounts clerk respectively, who are currently in police custody.
Some top officials in the Human Resource, Account and Audit departments said to have masterminded the just-ended strike intended to ensure the removal of the current managing director for calling for auditing are suspected to be linked to the embezzlement.
The total amount, according to the Western Regional Office of the Serious Fraud Office, is pegged at GH¢179 million (¢179 billion), being cash and cheques accruing from property rent, machine works for mining companies, cement and other hauling services.
It is reported that soon after the SFO officials arrested Miles and handed him over to the police, the human resource manager of the company was said to have quickly moved to the police station to secure him bail.
However, days after the arrest, instead of interdicting the said cashier, he is still at post.
A source close to the company and seat of investigation alleged that upon the appointment of the current managing director, Mr Rufus Quaye, who took office in 2007, he ordered the auditing of the books of the company.
It said the books of just two of the company’s numerous departments showed that a total of GH¢4.5 million (¢4.5 billion) was unaccounted for.
The managing director then asked the cashier to step aside for one Mr C.S. Mensah while auditing continued, but Miles failed to hand over.
According to the source, such a move by the managing director angered the top guns in these three departments and they incited the workers to call for salary increase and better conditions of service and removal of management at a time the management and then union had made much progress on workable plans to settle salary arrears.
They said the managing director also insisted that before he took full control of the company, he would have to ensure the financial position of the company in all its departments was well known to him.
Explaining how the cashier managed to have access to the cash, the source said apart from hauling service to their major clients such as bauxite and manganese companies, the company also had a vibrant technology transfer unit, where mining and other companies did their machine works, as well as moulding and casting.
"And in most cases, the cashier demands cash instead of cheque, which is mostly drawn on the company, and it was through that channel that the top officials and other staff had the chance to access the company’s money,” it said.
One of the interesting revelations at the SFO indicated that some of the serial numbers of the vouchers submitted to it were not genuine.
When contacted for comment, Mr Quaye said the SFO officials were in charge of the investigation and he would not like to comment because he trusted that with their track record, the SFO would do a good job.
Asked if the company had collapsed, Mr Quaye smiled and said, “the GRC is richer than we thought and we can work and pay ourselves and pay dividend to the government, if we put things right”.
"I don’t want to talk now but with time, we all will see the company regaining its glory and the call for auditing is part of the steps to plug loopholes in our financial administration so as to meet the investors and the government quarter or half-way in our quest to revive Ghana Railways," he said.
When the Daily Graphic asked the Chairman of the interim union , Mr Joe Dadzie, if the union were fully aware of the current developments, he only wondered why the suspect in the Takoradi office was not interdicted.
In Takoradi, a cashier is being investigated for embezzling over GH¢8 million (¢8 billion), while in Kumasi two have been arrested for misappropriating more than GH¢50,000 (¢500 million).
The name of the suspect at the Takoradi office was given as Oko Miles, while the Kumasi suspects were Herbert Mensah and one Nii, pay master and accounts clerk respectively, who are currently in police custody.
Some top officials in the Human Resource, Account and Audit departments said to have masterminded the just-ended strike intended to ensure the removal of the current managing director for calling for auditing are suspected to be linked to the embezzlement.
The total amount, according to the Western Regional Office of the Serious Fraud Office, is pegged at GH¢179 million (¢179 billion), being cash and cheques accruing from property rent, machine works for mining companies, cement and other hauling services.
It is reported that soon after the SFO officials arrested Miles and handed him over to the police, the human resource manager of the company was said to have quickly moved to the police station to secure him bail.
However, days after the arrest, instead of interdicting the said cashier, he is still at post.
A source close to the company and seat of investigation alleged that upon the appointment of the current managing director, Mr Rufus Quaye, who took office in 2007, he ordered the auditing of the books of the company.
It said the books of just two of the company’s numerous departments showed that a total of GH¢4.5 million (¢4.5 billion) was unaccounted for.
The managing director then asked the cashier to step aside for one Mr C.S. Mensah while auditing continued, but Miles failed to hand over.
According to the source, such a move by the managing director angered the top guns in these three departments and they incited the workers to call for salary increase and better conditions of service and removal of management at a time the management and then union had made much progress on workable plans to settle salary arrears.
They said the managing director also insisted that before he took full control of the company, he would have to ensure the financial position of the company in all its departments was well known to him.
Explaining how the cashier managed to have access to the cash, the source said apart from hauling service to their major clients such as bauxite and manganese companies, the company also had a vibrant technology transfer unit, where mining and other companies did their machine works, as well as moulding and casting.
"And in most cases, the cashier demands cash instead of cheque, which is mostly drawn on the company, and it was through that channel that the top officials and other staff had the chance to access the company’s money,” it said.
One of the interesting revelations at the SFO indicated that some of the serial numbers of the vouchers submitted to it were not genuine.
When contacted for comment, Mr Quaye said the SFO officials were in charge of the investigation and he would not like to comment because he trusted that with their track record, the SFO would do a good job.
Asked if the company had collapsed, Mr Quaye smiled and said, “the GRC is richer than we thought and we can work and pay ourselves and pay dividend to the government, if we put things right”.
"I don’t want to talk now but with time, we all will see the company regaining its glory and the call for auditing is part of the steps to plug loopholes in our financial administration so as to meet the investors and the government quarter or half-way in our quest to revive Ghana Railways," he said.
When the Daily Graphic asked the Chairman of the interim union , Mr Joe Dadzie, if the union were fully aware of the current developments, he only wondered why the suspect in the Takoradi office was not interdicted.
HELP CURB CHILD ABNORMALITY (PAGE 11)
Expectant mothers have been advised to desist from practices and behaviours that affect the physical and mental well-being of the unborn child.
The head teacher of the Twin-City Special School in Sekondi, Mrs Elizabeth Amewowor, who gave the advice, said there were many factors that caused mental retardation among children, adding that a number of them could be avoided, if expectant mothers seriously took the doctor’s advice concerning their antenatal and postnatal sessions.
She said apart from the serious effect of illegal abortion, exposure of pregnant women to second-hand smoking, alcoholism and radiation were all causes of mental retardation in children.
At a presentation ceremony made by National Service persons serving with the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) in Takoradi, Mrs Amewowor told the personnel to avoid illegal abortion, which usually resulted in disastrous consequences.
She said there had been an increasing number of parents who wanted admission for their children at the school, which currently has a population of 115, but not all of them could secure admission because of inadequate infratructural facilities.
Mrs Amewowor called on NGOs, corporate bodies and public-spirited members of society to come to the aid of the school for it to serve vulnerable and less privileged children.
For his part, the president of the GPHA National Service Personnel Association, Mr E. Kofi Parke, said the donation was part of an annual support by students from various schools who served with the port in Takoradi.
He said there was nothing more in fulfilment of the service of God than extending a helping hand to the needy.
The head teacher of the Twin-City Special School in Sekondi, Mrs Elizabeth Amewowor, who gave the advice, said there were many factors that caused mental retardation among children, adding that a number of them could be avoided, if expectant mothers seriously took the doctor’s advice concerning their antenatal and postnatal sessions.
She said apart from the serious effect of illegal abortion, exposure of pregnant women to second-hand smoking, alcoholism and radiation were all causes of mental retardation in children.
At a presentation ceremony made by National Service persons serving with the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) in Takoradi, Mrs Amewowor told the personnel to avoid illegal abortion, which usually resulted in disastrous consequences.
She said there had been an increasing number of parents who wanted admission for their children at the school, which currently has a population of 115, but not all of them could secure admission because of inadequate infratructural facilities.
Mrs Amewowor called on NGOs, corporate bodies and public-spirited members of society to come to the aid of the school for it to serve vulnerable and less privileged children.
For his part, the president of the GPHA National Service Personnel Association, Mr E. Kofi Parke, said the donation was part of an annual support by students from various schools who served with the port in Takoradi.
He said there was nothing more in fulfilment of the service of God than extending a helping hand to the needy.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
STAFF OF ENTERPRISES CLOSE BOND (PAGE 29)
Workers of various key companies in the country with branches in the twin-city, especially banking, energy, and the media, take time off their daily business activities to interact, with the view to promoting harmony among themselves.
They do this by engaging in games and other social activities in order to know each other better.
The games, dubbed 2008 Steward fun games, which were organised by the Volta River Authority (VRA) and partners afforded the workers, led by various chief executives and regional heads from the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, GHACEM, Takoradi International Company (TICO) and the Volta River Authority (VRA), Bank of Ghana, WAMCO, ECG and the media.
Speaking at the maiden edition of the games which would now become an annual affair, the plant manager for the Takoradi Thermal Plant, Mr Richard N. A.. Badger, reminded the participants that the main focus was to create a platform for socialisation and networking among workers of the various companies in the metropolis.
He said it was very important that at some point, workers paused to access their performance and interacted with other colleagues, shared experiences at least every half of the year to enhance productivity.
Mr Badger said the power of sports, as a tool for uniting people, could not be underestimated and that there could be no other channels for the staff of corporate institutions to interact better than through the sports platform where they could mimic other major sporting events, mixed with fun and brotherliness.
He called for the sustenance of the games to enable the staff to interact, make new friends and strengthen the healthy relationship among them.
The events the participants contested in included soccer, tug of war, apple chewing, orange picking, sack race, volley ball, and draught for both men and women categories.
The GPHA came out winners followed by GHACEM and TICO/VRA.
They do this by engaging in games and other social activities in order to know each other better.
The games, dubbed 2008 Steward fun games, which were organised by the Volta River Authority (VRA) and partners afforded the workers, led by various chief executives and regional heads from the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, GHACEM, Takoradi International Company (TICO) and the Volta River Authority (VRA), Bank of Ghana, WAMCO, ECG and the media.
Speaking at the maiden edition of the games which would now become an annual affair, the plant manager for the Takoradi Thermal Plant, Mr Richard N. A.. Badger, reminded the participants that the main focus was to create a platform for socialisation and networking among workers of the various companies in the metropolis.
He said it was very important that at some point, workers paused to access their performance and interacted with other colleagues, shared experiences at least every half of the year to enhance productivity.
Mr Badger said the power of sports, as a tool for uniting people, could not be underestimated and that there could be no other channels for the staff of corporate institutions to interact better than through the sports platform where they could mimic other major sporting events, mixed with fun and brotherliness.
He called for the sustenance of the games to enable the staff to interact, make new friends and strengthen the healthy relationship among them.
The events the participants contested in included soccer, tug of war, apple chewing, orange picking, sack race, volley ball, and draught for both men and women categories.
The GPHA came out winners followed by GHACEM and TICO/VRA.
THIEVES DISRUPT SERVICE DELIVERY (PAGE 29)
Some unscrupulous members of the society are depriving residents of the twin-city of Sekondi-Takoradi of quality utility services by stealing cables and removing meters belonging to essential service providers such as the Ghana Telecom, Ghana Water Company and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
The thieves steal telecommunication cables the very day they are laid.
Many customers of the Ghana Telecom complain of constant interruptions in services provided by the company as a result of the regular stealing of telephone cables.
In order to provide uninterrupted service to its customers, especially corporate bodies, whose daily business activities largely depend on telephone calls, e-mails and fax, among others, GT is compelled to readily replace the stolen cables.
In the area of water supply, there seems to be a new market for water meters as meter theft is on the increase.
The thieves remove meters from the service lines in the homes of customers of good standing.
This, according the Sekondi District Manager of Aqua Vitens Rands Limited, acting for and on behalf of Ghana Water Company, Mr Francis K. Amoah, one did not know exactly what the buyers used the meters for.
Mr Amoah said the situation was having a serious effect on the company’s operations as in some instances, water supply to the corporate entities were left unmetered or treated water would be gushing out freely.
The Regional Public Relations officer of the company, Mr Sampson Ampah, said it was sad that some people placed their individual interests above the larger public.
Asked if it was the duty of a customer to provide meters before water was installed in his or her premises, he said the company imported the meters and installed them for its customers.
He said the GWCL was not the only company which used such meters.
“One of the things we have heard but are yet to find out is that the stolen meters were being sold to rural dwellers where some private service providers are alleged to be requesting those who are interested in their services produce their meters in order to access their services, “ he alleged.
The Public Relations Officer said they were yet to verify the allegation but noted that in the past the company had its custom made meters on which the logo or the acronym of the company was embossed.
He said in answer to a question whether the meters had some peculiar feature which could attract people to steal them he said the mechanisms were purely plastic and of no particular economic value to warrant their theft.
At the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), it was clear that not all the power outages were blameable on the company because the thieves had found a way of cutting the pipelines supplying water to various communities.
The Regional Public Relations Officer of the ECG, Mr D. Adjei-Larbi, said the behaviour of some members of the general public was inexplicable, “it is completely a puzzle which is difficult to explain why somebody would attempt to cut a live wire supplying power to a community.”
The Public Relations officer described the cable thefts as sad and mind boggling, as on many occasions the thieves were found hanging dead on the cables. Where they succeeded in stealing cables they denied the communities of their services.
When contacted, the Western Regional Crime Officer, Mr Dennis Abade, said most of the cases did not come to their notice.
“We will not waste time acting on them because such activities are a complete setback to the advancement of society.”
He said the police needed information from the public to help combat the crime, especially during their night patrols, because the police did not only lookout for road traffic offenders, but also looked out for people of suspicious behaviour in the communities, for questioning and necessary action.
The regional crime officer warned people who had decided to satisfy their selfish interests that they would be dealt with when caught.
“We are all Ghanaians and we are entitled to peace and security, therefore the Ghana Police Service frowns upon an act or behaviour that deprives other members of the society of their comfort, ” the regional crime officer said.
The thieves steal telecommunication cables the very day they are laid.
Many customers of the Ghana Telecom complain of constant interruptions in services provided by the company as a result of the regular stealing of telephone cables.
In order to provide uninterrupted service to its customers, especially corporate bodies, whose daily business activities largely depend on telephone calls, e-mails and fax, among others, GT is compelled to readily replace the stolen cables.
In the area of water supply, there seems to be a new market for water meters as meter theft is on the increase.
The thieves remove meters from the service lines in the homes of customers of good standing.
This, according the Sekondi District Manager of Aqua Vitens Rands Limited, acting for and on behalf of Ghana Water Company, Mr Francis K. Amoah, one did not know exactly what the buyers used the meters for.
Mr Amoah said the situation was having a serious effect on the company’s operations as in some instances, water supply to the corporate entities were left unmetered or treated water would be gushing out freely.
The Regional Public Relations officer of the company, Mr Sampson Ampah, said it was sad that some people placed their individual interests above the larger public.
Asked if it was the duty of a customer to provide meters before water was installed in his or her premises, he said the company imported the meters and installed them for its customers.
He said the GWCL was not the only company which used such meters.
“One of the things we have heard but are yet to find out is that the stolen meters were being sold to rural dwellers where some private service providers are alleged to be requesting those who are interested in their services produce their meters in order to access their services, “ he alleged.
The Public Relations Officer said they were yet to verify the allegation but noted that in the past the company had its custom made meters on which the logo or the acronym of the company was embossed.
He said in answer to a question whether the meters had some peculiar feature which could attract people to steal them he said the mechanisms were purely plastic and of no particular economic value to warrant their theft.
At the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), it was clear that not all the power outages were blameable on the company because the thieves had found a way of cutting the pipelines supplying water to various communities.
The Regional Public Relations Officer of the ECG, Mr D. Adjei-Larbi, said the behaviour of some members of the general public was inexplicable, “it is completely a puzzle which is difficult to explain why somebody would attempt to cut a live wire supplying power to a community.”
The Public Relations officer described the cable thefts as sad and mind boggling, as on many occasions the thieves were found hanging dead on the cables. Where they succeeded in stealing cables they denied the communities of their services.
When contacted, the Western Regional Crime Officer, Mr Dennis Abade, said most of the cases did not come to their notice.
“We will not waste time acting on them because such activities are a complete setback to the advancement of society.”
He said the police needed information from the public to help combat the crime, especially during their night patrols, because the police did not only lookout for road traffic offenders, but also looked out for people of suspicious behaviour in the communities, for questioning and necessary action.
The regional crime officer warned people who had decided to satisfy their selfish interests that they would be dealt with when caught.
“We are all Ghanaians and we are entitled to peace and security, therefore the Ghana Police Service frowns upon an act or behaviour that deprives other members of the society of their comfort, ” the regional crime officer said.
EPA WARNS OF POLLUTION OF WATER BODIES (PAGE 29)
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has warned that the continuous discharge of untreated municipal waste water into rivers, lagoons, estuaries and the ocean exposes the coastal population to serious health hazards.
According to the EPA, such activities thwarted the implementation of sustainable development projects along the coast.
It has, therefore, called for an immediate end to the practice.
This came to light at a workshop on Municipal Wastewater Management, on the theme: “Improving waste water management in coastal cities”.
In his remarks, the Director of the EPA, Mr John A. Pwamang, said in the past many of the lagoons, rivers and estuaries were in good shape and produced fish for consumption but were currently seriously polluted.
He said African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries faced daunting challenges in addressing their municipal wastewater problems, and stressed the need to tackle it immediately to save the coastal cities.
Mr Pwamang said wastewater was being channelled into the water bodies because of the lack of effective wastewater management.
In the developed countries, he said, wastewater was always treated and reused but the situation was different in ACP countries, and the wastewater had found their way into rivers and lagoons.
“It is sad that because people can fish tilapia fingerlings from it, fry them for the dining table we think everything is all right; there is more to it than the fingerlings we obtain from the waterbodies. The lagoons and the rivers are dying with their negative implication for the health of the coastal population,” he said.
The Western Regional Minister, Mr A. E. Amoah, who performed the opening ceremony said the country’s coastal zone was well endowed with natural resources, which were exploited by different sectors of the economy.
“The major primary activity of the zone is fishing and other activities of economic importance which take place along the coast are agriculture, transportation, salt production, oil and gas exploration, sand and stone winning as well as recreational and industrial activities,” he said.
He commended the EPA and the sponsors for organising the training for the people to ensure that people were made aware of the importance of wastewater management and the need to keep the lagoon and rivers alive.
The regional minister said the government recognised the strategic importance of the coastal areas and their associated problems from land-based sources by starting to address the dilemma while developing sub-regional collaboration with neighbours to combat the problem.
“Coastal management was identified as a priority in the country’s national environmental action plan since early 90s. The government has been putting in place interventions to arrest the degradation of the coastal zone,” he said.
He said the government had adopted an integrated and cross-sectorial approach to the management of the coastal zones.
He expressed the hope that the workshop would afford the participants the opportunity to build their capacity and come up with laudable projects that would save the situation and ensure proper management of wastewater.
The workshop was jointly organised by UNEP/GPA, EPA, the Ghana Universities and Interim Guinea Current Commission (IGCC).
According to the EPA, such activities thwarted the implementation of sustainable development projects along the coast.
It has, therefore, called for an immediate end to the practice.
This came to light at a workshop on Municipal Wastewater Management, on the theme: “Improving waste water management in coastal cities”.
In his remarks, the Director of the EPA, Mr John A. Pwamang, said in the past many of the lagoons, rivers and estuaries were in good shape and produced fish for consumption but were currently seriously polluted.
He said African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries faced daunting challenges in addressing their municipal wastewater problems, and stressed the need to tackle it immediately to save the coastal cities.
Mr Pwamang said wastewater was being channelled into the water bodies because of the lack of effective wastewater management.
In the developed countries, he said, wastewater was always treated and reused but the situation was different in ACP countries, and the wastewater had found their way into rivers and lagoons.
“It is sad that because people can fish tilapia fingerlings from it, fry them for the dining table we think everything is all right; there is more to it than the fingerlings we obtain from the waterbodies. The lagoons and the rivers are dying with their negative implication for the health of the coastal population,” he said.
The Western Regional Minister, Mr A. E. Amoah, who performed the opening ceremony said the country’s coastal zone was well endowed with natural resources, which were exploited by different sectors of the economy.
“The major primary activity of the zone is fishing and other activities of economic importance which take place along the coast are agriculture, transportation, salt production, oil and gas exploration, sand and stone winning as well as recreational and industrial activities,” he said.
He commended the EPA and the sponsors for organising the training for the people to ensure that people were made aware of the importance of wastewater management and the need to keep the lagoon and rivers alive.
The regional minister said the government recognised the strategic importance of the coastal areas and their associated problems from land-based sources by starting to address the dilemma while developing sub-regional collaboration with neighbours to combat the problem.
“Coastal management was identified as a priority in the country’s national environmental action plan since early 90s. The government has been putting in place interventions to arrest the degradation of the coastal zone,” he said.
He said the government had adopted an integrated and cross-sectorial approach to the management of the coastal zones.
He expressed the hope that the workshop would afford the participants the opportunity to build their capacity and come up with laudable projects that would save the situation and ensure proper management of wastewater.
The workshop was jointly organised by UNEP/GPA, EPA, the Ghana Universities and Interim Guinea Current Commission (IGCC).
SEALING OF POTHOLES BEGINS IN SEKONDI/T'DI (PAGE 29)
Contractors who were awarded contracts to rehabilitate portions of the roads in the Sekondi/Takoradi metropolis have finally started work on the potholes, following the Daily Graphic’s publications on the state of the roads in the twin-city.
Their performance is rather worsening matters for road users and various commuters.
This is because the contractors have rather expanded the potholes and left them unattended to for the past three weeks.
This is causing a lot of inconvenience, making driving in the metropolis tortuous.
For instance a portion of the road that links the Takoradi Polytechnic and Sekondi/Takoradi is in a very bad shape.
Where the contractor fills the potholes the situation becomes worse when it rains.
Apart from the road infront of T-Poly, the road linking the Accra-Takoradi main road and the STMA road through the cocoa flats and other parts of the metropolis are in a very bad shape.
The Fijai-Effia-Nkwanta road which was recently completed is also developing potholes.
Some motorists told the Daily Graphic that the best thing for the contractor to do was to tackle what they could do at a time and not to go round digging every part of the metropolis when they were not ready to fill them. They also questioned the quality of the material used in filling the potholes.
“It is wrong for the contractor to have workers enlarging the potholes, when those doing the filling are nowhere to take care of them,” a motorist said.
The situation is so bad because the region has an unpredictable rainfall pattern and after a very brief downpour, the potholes are filled with water instead of the solid compacted materials.
The enlarged potholes have become manholes filled with stagnant water.
One of the dangerous portions of the road can be found at the new site, and on the road leading towards the T-poly, erosion has washed away the concrete slabs on both sides of the road.
Their performance is rather worsening matters for road users and various commuters.
This is because the contractors have rather expanded the potholes and left them unattended to for the past three weeks.
This is causing a lot of inconvenience, making driving in the metropolis tortuous.
For instance a portion of the road that links the Takoradi Polytechnic and Sekondi/Takoradi is in a very bad shape.
Where the contractor fills the potholes the situation becomes worse when it rains.
Apart from the road infront of T-Poly, the road linking the Accra-Takoradi main road and the STMA road through the cocoa flats and other parts of the metropolis are in a very bad shape.
The Fijai-Effia-Nkwanta road which was recently completed is also developing potholes.
Some motorists told the Daily Graphic that the best thing for the contractor to do was to tackle what they could do at a time and not to go round digging every part of the metropolis when they were not ready to fill them. They also questioned the quality of the material used in filling the potholes.
“It is wrong for the contractor to have workers enlarging the potholes, when those doing the filling are nowhere to take care of them,” a motorist said.
The situation is so bad because the region has an unpredictable rainfall pattern and after a very brief downpour, the potholes are filled with water instead of the solid compacted materials.
The enlarged potholes have become manholes filled with stagnant water.
One of the dangerous portions of the road can be found at the new site, and on the road leading towards the T-poly, erosion has washed away the concrete slabs on both sides of the road.
FIVE ARRESTED WITH PISTOLS, AMMUNITION (PAGE 3)
FIVE suspects who were found in possession of three 9-mm pistols, 273 rounds of ammunition, as well as cartons of cloths that looked like materials for the security services, have been arrested by the Western Regional Police.
The cloths were marked ‘Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)’ and were in substantial quantities.
When they were arrested, the principal suspect, who claimed to be the president of an NGO called Canadian Foundation for Child Development, attempted to bribe the police with GH¢5,000 and two of the pistols.
But the police, led by ASP J. Attia, the second-in-command of the Mobile Force Unit of the Ghana Police Service, declined the bribe and matched the suspects to the Western Regional Police Command.
The suspects were identified as Kweku Addo-Ray, the supposed president of the NGO, Jennifer Pamela, Kofi Mensah, E. Agyeman Boateng and Emmanuel Kojo Ofori.
Other items found on them included black T-shirts, black caps and overalls with POLICE boldly written on them.
Briefing the press after interrogating the suspects, the W estern Regional Police Commander, DCOP Mohammed Ahmed Alhassan, said the leader of the NGO said they were going to donate the items to the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service in Kumasi.
“I must say that Ghana is a sovereign state and items such as the overalls embossed with the name and symbols of the police of another country cannot be accepted by us. We are still investigating the suspects and the items,” DCOP Alhassan said.
“I must also add that policing in the region and the country as a whole has taken a different turn and the issue of bribing the police is out of the question,” he added.
The cloths were marked ‘Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)’ and were in substantial quantities.
When they were arrested, the principal suspect, who claimed to be the president of an NGO called Canadian Foundation for Child Development, attempted to bribe the police with GH¢5,000 and two of the pistols.
But the police, led by ASP J. Attia, the second-in-command of the Mobile Force Unit of the Ghana Police Service, declined the bribe and matched the suspects to the Western Regional Police Command.
The suspects were identified as Kweku Addo-Ray, the supposed president of the NGO, Jennifer Pamela, Kofi Mensah, E. Agyeman Boateng and Emmanuel Kojo Ofori.
Other items found on them included black T-shirts, black caps and overalls with POLICE boldly written on them.
Briefing the press after interrogating the suspects, the W estern Regional Police Commander, DCOP Mohammed Ahmed Alhassan, said the leader of the NGO said they were going to donate the items to the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service in Kumasi.
“I must say that Ghana is a sovereign state and items such as the overalls embossed with the name and symbols of the police of another country cannot be accepted by us. We are still investigating the suspects and the items,” DCOP Alhassan said.
“I must also add that policing in the region and the country as a whole has taken a different turn and the issue of bribing the police is out of the question,” he added.
GWCL PIPES SOLD AS SCRAP BY THIEVES (BACK PAGE)
THIEVES have dug up and sold as scrap, the cast metal pipelines that serve as backup for the PVC pipelines that supply water to the Sekondi/Takoradi metropolis and other parts of the Western Region.
The pipelines, which were installed after independence in 1957, were replaced recently by the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), with much bigger plastic PVC lines to better serve consumers.
According to officials of the GWCL, the old pipelines were left intact to serve as standby in case of emergency.
At the time of going to press, thieves in various communities where the lines travel through to their collection point at Daboase to the metropolis, have cut off more than 70 per cent of the cast metal pipelines for sale.
Fortunately, personnel of the Mobile Force Unit of the Ghana Police Service at Sekondi have arrested four suspects who allegedly stole portions of the metal pipeline for sale. They are Francis Dapatem, aka Papa Adjei, 32; Daniel Morgan, 28; Akwesi S. Boateng, 24, and Mohammed Ali, 17.
The suspects were arrested after bolting with a group of others with pieces of the pipes when the police night patrol team tried to stop them. The vehicle in which they ran away was traced to Kokompe in Takoradi the following day when the four appeared to collect money for the stolen item, and they were arrested.
A source told the Daily Graphic that when officials of the GWCL in the community tried to stop the alleged thieves, they threatened the officials and followed it up with a call that they (the suspects) would continue to steal the lines until they reached the premises of the company to say bye-bye to them.
The Sekondi District Manager of the GWCL, Mr Francis Amoah, told the press after the arrest that old metal pipelines were not discarded even if no water passed through them.
“They are interconnected with the new PVC pipes with valves, therefore, after they smashed the metal, it put the new line in danger,” he pointed out.
Those arrested have been arraigned and remanded in prison custody.
The pipelines, which were installed after independence in 1957, were replaced recently by the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), with much bigger plastic PVC lines to better serve consumers.
According to officials of the GWCL, the old pipelines were left intact to serve as standby in case of emergency.
At the time of going to press, thieves in various communities where the lines travel through to their collection point at Daboase to the metropolis, have cut off more than 70 per cent of the cast metal pipelines for sale.
Fortunately, personnel of the Mobile Force Unit of the Ghana Police Service at Sekondi have arrested four suspects who allegedly stole portions of the metal pipeline for sale. They are Francis Dapatem, aka Papa Adjei, 32; Daniel Morgan, 28; Akwesi S. Boateng, 24, and Mohammed Ali, 17.
The suspects were arrested after bolting with a group of others with pieces of the pipes when the police night patrol team tried to stop them. The vehicle in which they ran away was traced to Kokompe in Takoradi the following day when the four appeared to collect money for the stolen item, and they were arrested.
A source told the Daily Graphic that when officials of the GWCL in the community tried to stop the alleged thieves, they threatened the officials and followed it up with a call that they (the suspects) would continue to steal the lines until they reached the premises of the company to say bye-bye to them.
The Sekondi District Manager of the GWCL, Mr Francis Amoah, told the press after the arrest that old metal pipelines were not discarded even if no water passed through them.
“They are interconnected with the new PVC pipes with valves, therefore, after they smashed the metal, it put the new line in danger,” he pointed out.
Those arrested have been arraigned and remanded in prison custody.
Monday, July 14, 2008
MAN ARRESTED FOR SALE OF GRC PROPERTY (PAGE 49)
THE police in Takoradi have arrested a man whose name was given only as Amoah, suspected to be a member of a group engaged in the illegal sale of property belonging to the Ghana Railway Company (GRC).
The group is said to have engaged in the falsification of the company’s letterheads to write letters to a scrap dealer in Accra, instructing him to transfer $200,000 into an account it described as that of the company.
The letters were signed by two signatories, R. Armah and K.B. Hackman, ostensibly on behalf of the interim chairman of the management committee of the railway workers union, but the union chairman has denied knowledge of the said letter.
Another letter which was signed on behalf of the chairman of the company’s scrap committee, was intercepted by the Ministry of Harbours and Railways, which has directed that any plan of harvesting scraps at the company’s installations should be suspended immediately.
Amoah was arrested while in possession of metals described as serviceable vans of the company, which had been cut into pieces for sale as scrap.
When contacted, the Managing Director of the company, Mr Rufus Quaye, expressed shock and displeasure at the new turn of events in the company.
“No worker has the right to sell scrap or to determine that any disposable item of the company is scrap. We have a scrap committee that deals with that. You cannot buy scrap from the workers without approval from the scrap committee and not even I, the managing director, have the right to call scrap dealers to sell any component of the company’s property to them,” he said.
When the Daily Graphic contacted the local representative of the scrap buying company, Mr K. Amewu, he confirmed the receipt of the letter by his company and said the agreement was that the company would garner the lines that were not in use and replace them with new ones, as well as buy the old coaches and replace them with new ones.
“But as I talk to you, we have been informed that the authors of the letter requesting the transfer of the $200,000 to the railway account are not the right signatories,” he said.
Asked if he had transferred any amount into the account, he said not yet, following the timely intervention by the ministry informing it that the signatures were fake.
The group is said to have engaged in the falsification of the company’s letterheads to write letters to a scrap dealer in Accra, instructing him to transfer $200,000 into an account it described as that of the company.
The letters were signed by two signatories, R. Armah and K.B. Hackman, ostensibly on behalf of the interim chairman of the management committee of the railway workers union, but the union chairman has denied knowledge of the said letter.
Another letter which was signed on behalf of the chairman of the company’s scrap committee, was intercepted by the Ministry of Harbours and Railways, which has directed that any plan of harvesting scraps at the company’s installations should be suspended immediately.
Amoah was arrested while in possession of metals described as serviceable vans of the company, which had been cut into pieces for sale as scrap.
When contacted, the Managing Director of the company, Mr Rufus Quaye, expressed shock and displeasure at the new turn of events in the company.
“No worker has the right to sell scrap or to determine that any disposable item of the company is scrap. We have a scrap committee that deals with that. You cannot buy scrap from the workers without approval from the scrap committee and not even I, the managing director, have the right to call scrap dealers to sell any component of the company’s property to them,” he said.
When the Daily Graphic contacted the local representative of the scrap buying company, Mr K. Amewu, he confirmed the receipt of the letter by his company and said the agreement was that the company would garner the lines that were not in use and replace them with new ones, as well as buy the old coaches and replace them with new ones.
“But as I talk to you, we have been informed that the authors of the letter requesting the transfer of the $200,000 to the railway account are not the right signatories,” he said.
Asked if he had transferred any amount into the account, he said not yet, following the timely intervention by the ministry informing it that the signatures were fake.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
RAPE AT HOSPITAL...Court remands 31-year-old nurse (LEAD STORY)
A 31-year-old male nurse at the Volta River Authority (VRA) Hospital at Aboadze, near Sekondi, has been arrested for allegedly drugging and raping an 18-year-old student patient who was on admission at the hospital.
The suspect, Justice A. Cadigah, was said to have injected the victim with a sleep-inducing drug before embarking on the sexual act.
After the injection, the victim was said to have become weak and Cadigah reportedly took advantage of that to have sex with her on an isolated bed in the ward.
Fearing that the girl might get pregnant after the act, Cadigah is said to have visited her at school after her discharge and attempted to offer her medicine to avert any possible pregnancy.
The victim told the police that she had a serious stomach upset about 9.00 p.m. on July 4, 2008 and her father took her to the hospital where Cadigah was the nurse on night duty.
“He told my father that I should be admitted so that he could take a closer look at the situation. I was vomiting and he gave me an injection. After that I became weak and he asked me to go and wash myself in the bathroom,” she told the police.
She further stated that while in the bathroom, the nurse joined her there and started fondling her breasts but she protested and he later helped her to her bed.
“He then came to my bed and slept on me. I was so weak and could only tell him to stop. He left and came back later,” she said.
“That time he forcibly had sex with me and then left me in the bed. The next day, he came to ask if I loved him and gave me a number to call him anytime. I was so embarrassed and shy to tell my father about it. My mother had also travelled out of town,” she said.
She said she told her friend about her ordeal after her discharge from the hospital and the friend advised her to report the issue to her mother’s friend, which she did.
The victim said after informing her, her mother’s friend took her to her father.
“We then called the number the nurse had given me and I told him, in the presence of my father, that I was in pain because of the act and that it was likely I could get pregnant,” the girl said.
She said Cadigah then promised her medicine to ease the pain and asked her to meet him at her school.
Her father then proceeded to the police station in Sekondi to report the matter to the police.
At the appointed time, the nurse drove to the school and in the process of giving the victim the medication, he was arrested.
Cadigah was yesterday remanded by the Sekondi Circuit to enable the police to conduct further investigations.
The suspect, Justice A. Cadigah, was said to have injected the victim with a sleep-inducing drug before embarking on the sexual act.
After the injection, the victim was said to have become weak and Cadigah reportedly took advantage of that to have sex with her on an isolated bed in the ward.
Fearing that the girl might get pregnant after the act, Cadigah is said to have visited her at school after her discharge and attempted to offer her medicine to avert any possible pregnancy.
The victim told the police that she had a serious stomach upset about 9.00 p.m. on July 4, 2008 and her father took her to the hospital where Cadigah was the nurse on night duty.
“He told my father that I should be admitted so that he could take a closer look at the situation. I was vomiting and he gave me an injection. After that I became weak and he asked me to go and wash myself in the bathroom,” she told the police.
She further stated that while in the bathroom, the nurse joined her there and started fondling her breasts but she protested and he later helped her to her bed.
“He then came to my bed and slept on me. I was so weak and could only tell him to stop. He left and came back later,” she said.
“That time he forcibly had sex with me and then left me in the bed. The next day, he came to ask if I loved him and gave me a number to call him anytime. I was so embarrassed and shy to tell my father about it. My mother had also travelled out of town,” she said.
She said she told her friend about her ordeal after her discharge from the hospital and the friend advised her to report the issue to her mother’s friend, which she did.
The victim said after informing her, her mother’s friend took her to her father.
“We then called the number the nurse had given me and I told him, in the presence of my father, that I was in pain because of the act and that it was likely I could get pregnant,” the girl said.
She said Cadigah then promised her medicine to ease the pain and asked her to meet him at her school.
Her father then proceeded to the police station in Sekondi to report the matter to the police.
At the appointed time, the nurse drove to the school and in the process of giving the victim the medication, he was arrested.
Cadigah was yesterday remanded by the Sekondi Circuit to enable the police to conduct further investigations.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
REPORT CHEATING CEPS OFFICERS (PAGE 29)
Members of the general public who deal with the Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) and suspect they are not being treated fairly have been advised to report to the Internal Affairs Unit of the service.
The Deputy Commissioner in charge of Administration and Human Resource, Mr Paul Adubofour, said feedback was very important to the provision of better service to the public.
He said officials of the unit were tasked to receive complaints from members of the public who in one way or the other had been offended or felt cheated by an official of the service.
“You should not feel intimidated, report them to the unit and the issue will be investigated and if found liable, the said officer would be dealt with in accordance with the service regulations,” he said.
The Deputy Commissioner cautioned that much as customers were at liberty to lodge a complaint against an officer, they should be able to provide enough evidence when the complainant was invited to testify or give evidence if necessary.
“They have their name tags on their shirts to help you to get their names and hold on to them. You must also provide other evidence which will ensure that together we are able to shape the service to the expectation of all Ghanaians,” he added.
Mr Adubofour said the move was critical to CEPS to ensure the establishment of good rapport between the service and the business community.
Mr Adubofour said the move would enhance the professional and ethical conduct of the customs officers at all entry points and to achieve that there was the need to demand that standards were set for officers and enforced.
“The creation of an internal affairs unit was based on the United States Customs Model to receive complaints from members of the public for investigation.”
He expressed the hope that members of the general public would do their best by patiently lodging their complaints with the unit to ensure that together the system was shaped for the benefit of all.
The Deputy Commissioner in charge of Administration and Human Resource, Mr Paul Adubofour, said feedback was very important to the provision of better service to the public.
He said officials of the unit were tasked to receive complaints from members of the public who in one way or the other had been offended or felt cheated by an official of the service.
“You should not feel intimidated, report them to the unit and the issue will be investigated and if found liable, the said officer would be dealt with in accordance with the service regulations,” he said.
The Deputy Commissioner cautioned that much as customers were at liberty to lodge a complaint against an officer, they should be able to provide enough evidence when the complainant was invited to testify or give evidence if necessary.
“They have their name tags on their shirts to help you to get their names and hold on to them. You must also provide other evidence which will ensure that together we are able to shape the service to the expectation of all Ghanaians,” he added.
Mr Adubofour said the move was critical to CEPS to ensure the establishment of good rapport between the service and the business community.
Mr Adubofour said the move would enhance the professional and ethical conduct of the customs officers at all entry points and to achieve that there was the need to demand that standards were set for officers and enforced.
“The creation of an internal affairs unit was based on the United States Customs Model to receive complaints from members of the public for investigation.”
He expressed the hope that members of the general public would do their best by patiently lodging their complaints with the unit to ensure that together the system was shaped for the benefit of all.
STMA WAGES WAR ON TAX EVADERS (PAGE 29)
The Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) has launched a war on tax evaders in the metropolis.
The assembly has started prosecuting landlords in the metropolis who are reluctant to pay their property rates.
The first batch of 20 landlords arraigned before the Sekondi Magistrate’s court were fined and ordered to pay up.
The landlords owe as much as GH¢520,000 in property rates and the first batch ought to pay about GH¢20,000. The Assembly is processing the others for court.
According to the Public Relations Officer of the Assembly, Mr John Laste, non-payment of property and basic rate, business operating fees and other levies denied the assembly its needed revenue.
“We have a lot of development projects to finance and people need to pay their rates and levies promptly to enable the Assembly to undertake them,” he said.
“We at the Assembly are forced by circumstances beyond our control to resort to the courts to compel landlords and other business operators to pay their rates, fees and levies,” the PRO stressed.
He said they had sent a lot of reminders to the landlords and business operators to pay their rates, fees and levies but they simply ignored them.
“If these taxes are not collected, it is common knowledge that the Assembly’s development programmes would be thrown overboard because of lack of funding.
He, therefore, appealed to the general public, especially the property owners, to pay.
“The Assembly set March 31 every year as the deadline for business operators to honour their tax obligations but when the time was due we did not act immediately but sent reminders to them but they tacitly refused to honour their tax obligations to the Assembly, compelling the Assembly to apply the law,” Mr Laste said
The assembly has started prosecuting landlords in the metropolis who are reluctant to pay their property rates.
The first batch of 20 landlords arraigned before the Sekondi Magistrate’s court were fined and ordered to pay up.
The landlords owe as much as GH¢520,000 in property rates and the first batch ought to pay about GH¢20,000. The Assembly is processing the others for court.
According to the Public Relations Officer of the Assembly, Mr John Laste, non-payment of property and basic rate, business operating fees and other levies denied the assembly its needed revenue.
“We have a lot of development projects to finance and people need to pay their rates and levies promptly to enable the Assembly to undertake them,” he said.
“We at the Assembly are forced by circumstances beyond our control to resort to the courts to compel landlords and other business operators to pay their rates, fees and levies,” the PRO stressed.
He said they had sent a lot of reminders to the landlords and business operators to pay their rates, fees and levies but they simply ignored them.
“If these taxes are not collected, it is common knowledge that the Assembly’s development programmes would be thrown overboard because of lack of funding.
He, therefore, appealed to the general public, especially the property owners, to pay.
“The Assembly set March 31 every year as the deadline for business operators to honour their tax obligations but when the time was due we did not act immediately but sent reminders to them but they tacitly refused to honour their tax obligations to the Assembly, compelling the Assembly to apply the law,” Mr Laste said
OPERATE FROM DESIGNATED BUS STOPS (PAGE 29)
The Western Regional Director of the Road Safety Commission, Mr Bismark Boakye, has called on members of the general public to be law-abiding to ensure that reckless driving and parking in the metropolis are reduced to the barest minimum.
He asked members of the general public to pick transport only at designated bus stops and authorised places.
Mr Boakye said if the passengers managed to walk from their home to the roadside, then they should be able to go to the bus stops to board vehicles to their destinations.
He said it was to provide security and safety on the road that every major and minor road had designated places where drivers could pick and off-load passengers.
He expressed regret that while the commission blamed drivers for loading and stopping at the wrong places, members of the general public whose interest and safety was being protected also condoned the behaviours of the drivers.
He said drivers and other motorists had relegated the safety and defensive aspects of the job to the background because of competition.
“Where the driver thinks first and foremost about money, he will definitely ignore the safety of the passenger,” Mr Boakye said.
According to Mr Boakye, much as drivers had the right to their daily bread they must employ tact and care in driving to ensure that the driver and his passengers arrived alive.
“The good driver is the one who arrives alive, ” Mr Boakye said.
Mr Boakye appealed to drivers to operate from the lorry stations, saying that because drivers had abandoned the stations they encouraged members of the public to stand anywhere to board vehicles to their workplaces and added that if all drivers moved to street corners to load, there would be nowhere for other road users.
He said there was no magic solution to a problem and that the only solution was in motorists especially commercial drivers and members of the public, changing their attitudes and making use of the bus stops.
When the Daily Graphic went to the metropolis to find out why the drivers were operating along the shoulders of the roads and not from the designated bus stops some drivers said their vehicle owners had given them targets to meet.
They said joining the queue at lorry stations would not allow them to meet those targets.
One driver said: “I have no option but to ‘sweep town’ to meet my target, get money for fuel and also something for my family at home. We are not happy loading on the street corners for the police to be chasing us around but we have no option.”
Passengers for their part said it was faster for them to get home by standing by the roadside than to move to the station where they would have to wait long hours before they got transport home.
He asked members of the general public to pick transport only at designated bus stops and authorised places.
Mr Boakye said if the passengers managed to walk from their home to the roadside, then they should be able to go to the bus stops to board vehicles to their destinations.
He said it was to provide security and safety on the road that every major and minor road had designated places where drivers could pick and off-load passengers.
He expressed regret that while the commission blamed drivers for loading and stopping at the wrong places, members of the general public whose interest and safety was being protected also condoned the behaviours of the drivers.
He said drivers and other motorists had relegated the safety and defensive aspects of the job to the background because of competition.
“Where the driver thinks first and foremost about money, he will definitely ignore the safety of the passenger,” Mr Boakye said.
According to Mr Boakye, much as drivers had the right to their daily bread they must employ tact and care in driving to ensure that the driver and his passengers arrived alive.
“The good driver is the one who arrives alive, ” Mr Boakye said.
Mr Boakye appealed to drivers to operate from the lorry stations, saying that because drivers had abandoned the stations they encouraged members of the public to stand anywhere to board vehicles to their workplaces and added that if all drivers moved to street corners to load, there would be nowhere for other road users.
He said there was no magic solution to a problem and that the only solution was in motorists especially commercial drivers and members of the public, changing their attitudes and making use of the bus stops.
When the Daily Graphic went to the metropolis to find out why the drivers were operating along the shoulders of the roads and not from the designated bus stops some drivers said their vehicle owners had given them targets to meet.
They said joining the queue at lorry stations would not allow them to meet those targets.
One driver said: “I have no option but to ‘sweep town’ to meet my target, get money for fuel and also something for my family at home. We are not happy loading on the street corners for the police to be chasing us around but we have no option.”
Passengers for their part said it was faster for them to get home by standing by the roadside than to move to the station where they would have to wait long hours before they got transport home.
CLEARING AGENTS TO WORKK IN CONDUCIVE ENVIRONMENT (PAGE 29)
The management of Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) in Takoradi has given the assurance that it will provide a conducive environment to clearing agents operating within the port in order for them to operate without hindrance.
The assurance followed complaints by the clearing agents at a stakeholders’ forum about their inability to clear goods such as textiles during the rainy seasons.
The clearing agents were of the view that when they started clearing their goods and the rains set in, all activities had to be halted until the mud dried up after the rains.
“Once there is a directive that all textiles should be imported through the Takoradi Port, the port authorities should be able to create the necessary environment to ensure that we go about our business without any problem,” they said.
When contacted, the Director of the Takoradi Port, Mr Nester Percy Galley, acknowledged the problem and said the port was in the process of putting up a shed for them to go about their business activities even during the rainy season.
“What we have here is a cloth tent and that can only provide the agents with some comfort when the weather is hot but when the rains set in, the approach should be different,” he said.
Mr Galley said they were doing everything possible to ensure that they erected a shed to cater for the needs of the agents in both the rainy and dry seasons of the year.
Mr Galley said existing structures at the port were being appraised in a view to positioning them in a better state for business.
“At the moment we are going through the tender process to ensure the commencement of work on the new cargo platform at the port,” he said.
The director of the port said tender documents had been published awaiting approval for the award of the contract.
The director also gave the assurance that those works at the container terminal would not disrupt the business activities of the clearing agents, as the contractor would execute the work in phases.
The assurance followed complaints by the clearing agents at a stakeholders’ forum about their inability to clear goods such as textiles during the rainy seasons.
The clearing agents were of the view that when they started clearing their goods and the rains set in, all activities had to be halted until the mud dried up after the rains.
“Once there is a directive that all textiles should be imported through the Takoradi Port, the port authorities should be able to create the necessary environment to ensure that we go about our business without any problem,” they said.
When contacted, the Director of the Takoradi Port, Mr Nester Percy Galley, acknowledged the problem and said the port was in the process of putting up a shed for them to go about their business activities even during the rainy season.
“What we have here is a cloth tent and that can only provide the agents with some comfort when the weather is hot but when the rains set in, the approach should be different,” he said.
Mr Galley said they were doing everything possible to ensure that they erected a shed to cater for the needs of the agents in both the rainy and dry seasons of the year.
Mr Galley said existing structures at the port were being appraised in a view to positioning them in a better state for business.
“At the moment we are going through the tender process to ensure the commencement of work on the new cargo platform at the port,” he said.
The director of the port said tender documents had been published awaiting approval for the award of the contract.
The director also gave the assurance that those works at the container terminal would not disrupt the business activities of the clearing agents, as the contractor would execute the work in phases.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
TWO WHO OFFERED BOY FOR SALE JAILED 40 YEARS (BACK PAGE)
TWO young men who offered a 16-year-old boy for sale have been jailed 20 years each by the Tarkwa Circuit Court.
The victim, Akwesi Buabeng, was offered for sale at Sefwi-Asawinso in the Western Region at a price of GH¢30,000.
He was transported from Kumasi by the convicts, Kenneth Owusu Badu, 26, and Moses Atongo, 20, kept in a house where he was well fed while they went round looking for a suitable buyer.
The victim, who did not know his new environment, mentioned his father’s name only as Eblutor from Denu in the Volta Region.
He told the police that one of the convicts told him they should relocate to the Western Region for a lucrative ‘galamsey’ business to which he obliged.
After the foiled trafficking, the Asawinso Police are now left with the puzzle as to how to locate the relatives of the victim.
According to the police, Badu, who lived in the Sefwi area, was informed by Atongo, who resided in Kumasi, that he had managed to secure a boy who he was sending to the region for sale.
Badu was said to have quickly gone to town to look for potential buyers for the transaction.
Upon a tip-off however, a policeman was made to disguise himself and posed as an Alhaji interested in buying the boy.
Badu then informed Atongo, who had then returned to Kumasi, that a buyer had been found.
When Atongo arrived at Asawinso, the disguised police officer was contacted and offered to pay GH¢20,000 for the boy.
Atongo, however, insisted on GH¢30,000 but after a lengthy bargaining they agreed on GH¢20,000.
The buyer then offered them part of the money which they accepted and as agreed upon, offered the boy to him.
They were arrested just after the transaction.
Meanwhile, the police are making frantic efforts to find the parents of the victim.
The victim, Akwesi Buabeng, was offered for sale at Sefwi-Asawinso in the Western Region at a price of GH¢30,000.
He was transported from Kumasi by the convicts, Kenneth Owusu Badu, 26, and Moses Atongo, 20, kept in a house where he was well fed while they went round looking for a suitable buyer.
The victim, who did not know his new environment, mentioned his father’s name only as Eblutor from Denu in the Volta Region.
He told the police that one of the convicts told him they should relocate to the Western Region for a lucrative ‘galamsey’ business to which he obliged.
After the foiled trafficking, the Asawinso Police are now left with the puzzle as to how to locate the relatives of the victim.
According to the police, Badu, who lived in the Sefwi area, was informed by Atongo, who resided in Kumasi, that he had managed to secure a boy who he was sending to the region for sale.
Badu was said to have quickly gone to town to look for potential buyers for the transaction.
Upon a tip-off however, a policeman was made to disguise himself and posed as an Alhaji interested in buying the boy.
Badu then informed Atongo, who had then returned to Kumasi, that a buyer had been found.
When Atongo arrived at Asawinso, the disguised police officer was contacted and offered to pay GH¢20,000 for the boy.
Atongo, however, insisted on GH¢30,000 but after a lengthy bargaining they agreed on GH¢20,000.
The buyer then offered them part of the money which they accepted and as agreed upon, offered the boy to him.
They were arrested just after the transaction.
Meanwhile, the police are making frantic efforts to find the parents of the victim.
Monday, July 7, 2008
HASMAL ESCAPE RELEGATION (BACK PAGE)
Sekondi Hasaacas fans went gay yesterday and smeared powder on their players and team officials after their idol club escaped relegation by thrashing visiting Kessben FC 4-1 in their last Onetouch Premier League match at the Sekondi Stadium.
Top marksman, David Anass, hit a hat trick to give the homesters a commanding 3-0 first half lead with strikes in the eighth, 25th and 32nd minutes.
Though Kessben fought back strongly in the second half, they had to wait till the 90th minute before Baba Iddi could get them a consolation goal.
However, enterprising Isaac Donkor replied almost immediately with Hasaacas’ fourth goal three minutes inside injury time to set their teeming fans on a carnival which began from the stadium all the way to Takoradi.
Top marksman, David Anass, hit a hat trick to give the homesters a commanding 3-0 first half lead with strikes in the eighth, 25th and 32nd minutes.
Though Kessben fought back strongly in the second half, they had to wait till the 90th minute before Baba Iddi could get them a consolation goal.
However, enterprising Isaac Donkor replied almost immediately with Hasaacas’ fourth goal three minutes inside injury time to set their teeming fans on a carnival which began from the stadium all the way to Takoradi.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
WOMAN ASSAULTS SUSPECTED RIVAL (MIRROR, PAGE 34)
From Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu, Sekondi
The Sefwi Asawinso community in the Western Region was thrown into a state of shock after a jealous wife had inflicted serious injuries on another lady she suspected to be having an affair with her husband.
This was after she had ignored police advice to allow them to investigate her claim. As a result of her action, Mercy Fuachie's marriage to her husband has been truncated following a 24-month jail term handed down on her by the Sefwi-Juaboso District Magistrate Court.
She was said to have used a new razor blade to slash the chest of the victim, leaving her breast and the left wrist bleeding from deep cuts.
According to the police, Mercy suspected the victim, Victoria Tawiah, of allegedly having intimate relationship with her husband, and had warned her several times to stay away from her husband.
The police said she later made a report to them about the supposed invasion into her marital affair by the victim and the police advised her that any time she saw the victim, she should inform them so that they would invite her for an amicable settlement.
Unfortunately for the victim, when Mercy was returning home from the police station, she bought a packet of new razor blades and met the victim on her way to the farm and without any provocation, she was said to have pounced on the victim (Victoria) and inflicted the cuts on her.
She later left her bleeding and the case was reported to the police, who then went to the scene and carried the victim to hospital. Mercy was thus arrested.
She was immediately processed for court, where she was sentenced.
The convict has since began her prison life at the Sekondi Female Prisons.
The Sefwi Asawinso community in the Western Region was thrown into a state of shock after a jealous wife had inflicted serious injuries on another lady she suspected to be having an affair with her husband.
This was after she had ignored police advice to allow them to investigate her claim. As a result of her action, Mercy Fuachie's marriage to her husband has been truncated following a 24-month jail term handed down on her by the Sefwi-Juaboso District Magistrate Court.
She was said to have used a new razor blade to slash the chest of the victim, leaving her breast and the left wrist bleeding from deep cuts.
According to the police, Mercy suspected the victim, Victoria Tawiah, of allegedly having intimate relationship with her husband, and had warned her several times to stay away from her husband.
The police said she later made a report to them about the supposed invasion into her marital affair by the victim and the police advised her that any time she saw the victim, she should inform them so that they would invite her for an amicable settlement.
Unfortunately for the victim, when Mercy was returning home from the police station, she bought a packet of new razor blades and met the victim on her way to the farm and without any provocation, she was said to have pounced on the victim (Victoria) and inflicted the cuts on her.
She later left her bleeding and the case was reported to the police, who then went to the scene and carried the victim to hospital. Mercy was thus arrested.
She was immediately processed for court, where she was sentenced.
The convict has since began her prison life at the Sekondi Female Prisons.
54-YEAR-OLD CONVICT TO FACE ANOTHER CHARGE (PAGE 38)
Fresh trouble hit a 54-year-old trickster on his way to prison to serve a five-year jail term for stealing when he was identified as the man who had earlier snatched a taxi from its driver.
Evans Acquah had been convicted and sentenced by the Takoradi Circuit Court, but before he could begin his jail term, the taxi driver, who was on the court premises, identified Acquah as the one who snatched his taxi in the Central Region last year.
A warrant of gaoler is, therefore, to be issued by the Central Regional Police to the Sekondi Prisons for Acquah to be escorted to the Central Region to face fresh charges.
According to Joseph Kweku Mensah, the taxi driver, Acquah hired his taxi, with registration number WR 300 Y, from Takoradi to Abura Dunkwa in the Central Region some time in November last year but halfway through the journey, he (the driver) stopped to attend the call of nature.
He said Acquah took advantage of his short absence and drove the car away, adding that “November last year was the last time I saw the taxi and I reported the matter to the police”.
In the substantive case, Acquah had approached mobile vendors who were dealing in generators and other household equipment and expressed interest in buying two of the generators for his two wives for domestic use.
After arriving at a price of GH¢600 for the two, Acquah led the vendors to a woman he described as his first wife, where he deposited the items and asked the vendors to accompany him to his second wife for the money.
The police said Acquah took the vendors to a location and asked them to wait while he picked the money. The vendors waited for hours and later realised that there had been a scam.
They combed every part of the vicinity and went back to the place where they left the generator, only to be told that the convict had gone to collect them and left.
Two days later, Acquah was spotted by the mobile van team at Kwesimintsim on its way to Tarkwa and he was apprehended and handed over to the police.
He led the police and the complainants to Kokompe in Takoradi, where the two generators had been displayed for sale.
He has begun his sentence at the Sekondi Prison, waiting for the gaoler’s warrant for his movement to the Central Region to help in investigations into the fresh charge.
Evans Acquah had been convicted and sentenced by the Takoradi Circuit Court, but before he could begin his jail term, the taxi driver, who was on the court premises, identified Acquah as the one who snatched his taxi in the Central Region last year.
A warrant of gaoler is, therefore, to be issued by the Central Regional Police to the Sekondi Prisons for Acquah to be escorted to the Central Region to face fresh charges.
According to Joseph Kweku Mensah, the taxi driver, Acquah hired his taxi, with registration number WR 300 Y, from Takoradi to Abura Dunkwa in the Central Region some time in November last year but halfway through the journey, he (the driver) stopped to attend the call of nature.
He said Acquah took advantage of his short absence and drove the car away, adding that “November last year was the last time I saw the taxi and I reported the matter to the police”.
In the substantive case, Acquah had approached mobile vendors who were dealing in generators and other household equipment and expressed interest in buying two of the generators for his two wives for domestic use.
After arriving at a price of GH¢600 for the two, Acquah led the vendors to a woman he described as his first wife, where he deposited the items and asked the vendors to accompany him to his second wife for the money.
The police said Acquah took the vendors to a location and asked them to wait while he picked the money. The vendors waited for hours and later realised that there had been a scam.
They combed every part of the vicinity and went back to the place where they left the generator, only to be told that the convict had gone to collect them and left.
Two days later, Acquah was spotted by the mobile van team at Kwesimintsim on its way to Tarkwa and he was apprehended and handed over to the police.
He led the police and the complainants to Kokompe in Takoradi, where the two generators had been displayed for sale.
He has begun his sentence at the Sekondi Prison, waiting for the gaoler’s warrant for his movement to the Central Region to help in investigations into the fresh charge.
TAKORADI DRIVERS THRETEN STRIKE (PAGE 28
A legal practitioner, has faulted the procedure under which 17 people suspected to be involved in the Bawku conflict were airlifted from Tamale to Accra to ensure what the police called speedy investigations and trials.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic at Bolgatanga, Mr Cletus Avoka, a lawyer and a former Member of Parliament for the Bawku West Constituency, said “the procedure adopted by the police was arbitrary and wrong.”
Last Tuesday 17 persons arrested in connection with the conflict in Bawku were transported by road from Bolgatanga to Tamale to be airlifted to Accra.
The Upper East Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police Ofosu Mensah-Gyeabour, told the court that the cases were being sent to Accra to ensure speedy investigations and trial of those cases.
He said that decision would also prevent relatives and friends of the suspects in the region from interfering with police investigation into the cases.
Mr Avoka explained that the manner in which the accused persons were transferred was inconsistent with the legal procedure of transferring cases from one court to the other.
According to Mr Avoka, it was evident that some of those airlifted to Accra had earlier been arraigned before the Bolgatanga District Court and remanded in custody and pointed out that the only way one could carry out such an act was for the Chief Justice to direct the judge(s) sitting on the case to transfer them.
He said the other option was for the prosecution to apply to the court to have the cases withdrawn, re-arrest the suspects then process them before another court.
“But for a case before a court of competent jurisdiction and without appropriate instructions have the case transferred is inconsistent with the known principles of criminal procedure in our jurisprudence”, he said.
In the view of Mr Avoka, the action embarked on by the police constituted contempt of court since “they have disabled the judge from carrying out his function and brought the administration of justice into disrepute.”
Meanwhile 18 persons who have been granted bail by the Bolgatanga District Magistrate’s Court in connection with the conflict in Bawku, who were due to appear before it on Thursday failed to turn up in court.
When the case was called, counsel for 11 of the suspects, Mr Cletus Avoka, said the suspects failed to turn up in court probably out of fear because unconfirmed information going round indicated that those on bail should also be arrested and sent to Accra.
That, he said, might have led to their absence from court.
He therefore prayed the court to adjourn the case in order to allay the fears of his clients. The judge concurred and adjourned the case to July 17, 2008.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic at Bolgatanga, Mr Cletus Avoka, a lawyer and a former Member of Parliament for the Bawku West Constituency, said “the procedure adopted by the police was arbitrary and wrong.”
Last Tuesday 17 persons arrested in connection with the conflict in Bawku were transported by road from Bolgatanga to Tamale to be airlifted to Accra.
The Upper East Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police Ofosu Mensah-Gyeabour, told the court that the cases were being sent to Accra to ensure speedy investigations and trial of those cases.
He said that decision would also prevent relatives and friends of the suspects in the region from interfering with police investigation into the cases.
Mr Avoka explained that the manner in which the accused persons were transferred was inconsistent with the legal procedure of transferring cases from one court to the other.
According to Mr Avoka, it was evident that some of those airlifted to Accra had earlier been arraigned before the Bolgatanga District Court and remanded in custody and pointed out that the only way one could carry out such an act was for the Chief Justice to direct the judge(s) sitting on the case to transfer them.
He said the other option was for the prosecution to apply to the court to have the cases withdrawn, re-arrest the suspects then process them before another court.
“But for a case before a court of competent jurisdiction and without appropriate instructions have the case transferred is inconsistent with the known principles of criminal procedure in our jurisprudence”, he said.
In the view of Mr Avoka, the action embarked on by the police constituted contempt of court since “they have disabled the judge from carrying out his function and brought the administration of justice into disrepute.”
Meanwhile 18 persons who have been granted bail by the Bolgatanga District Magistrate’s Court in connection with the conflict in Bawku, who were due to appear before it on Thursday failed to turn up in court.
When the case was called, counsel for 11 of the suspects, Mr Cletus Avoka, said the suspects failed to turn up in court probably out of fear because unconfirmed information going round indicated that those on bail should also be arrested and sent to Accra.
That, he said, might have led to their absence from court.
He therefore prayed the court to adjourn the case in order to allay the fears of his clients. The judge concurred and adjourned the case to July 17, 2008.
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