Daily Guide Newspaper

Suhum MCE In Hot Waters

The seized Suhum MCE’s official car

SAMUEL FLEISCHER Kwabi, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Suhum, is in hot waters over some GH¢26,700 debt.

He has been ordered by a Koforidua High Court to pay the money in favour of one Nana Antwi Adjei, who had hauled him before the Suhum Kraboa Coaltar District Court.

The court further ordered the seizure of the official vehicle of the MCE; a black Nissan Patrol registered GN1791-11 and a tractor to be given to the plaintiff.

This is as a result of the MCE’s failure to hand over a tractor, which was auctioned under the erstwhile Kufuor Administration and subsequently bought by Nana Antwi Adjei, at an alleged amount of GH¢500 somewhere in December 2008.

However, upon his assumption of office as the then District Chief Executive (DCE) of Suhum Kraboa Coaltar District Assembly, Fleischer Kwabi, by his own decision and stubbornness refused to hand over the tractor to Nana Antwi for obvious reasons.

After almost three years, Nana Antwi decided somewhere 2011 to sue the DCE, who is now the MCE of the newly created Suhum Municipal Assembly, to claim benefits which would have accrued from the tractor, if he had hired it over the period the MCE denied him access.

The cost according to sources were calculated over the period it was bought till date at GH¢50 per day excluding Sundays .

The calculation mentioned the amount due the plaintiff as GH¢26,700.00.

Sources close to the Suhum Municipal Assembly say Samuel Fleischer was the first respondent, while the assembly was the second respondent in the matter.

The MCE, after losing the case, have held series of emergency meetings with the Municipal Assembly urging that the debt be paid from the Assembly’s common fund.

The Assembly members have, however, refused since the assembly had no direct involvement in the case.

“My sister the decision not to give the tractor to Nana Antwi was solely taken by the MCE. He claimed the price at which the tractor was auctioned was too low.

He now wants to pay the debt with the Assembly’s common fund but we say no.” A source explained adding that the amount could be used to build the community a school.

While the Municipal Assembly has refused to bear the cost during a crisis meeting on Monday, sources close to the assembly say he has gone ahead to pay GH¢13,400 as part payment of the said amount allegedly from the common fund of the assembly.

Assembly members are up in arms against that decision saying the debt was incurred through his stubbornness and carelessness and, therefore, could not bear the brunt of his action.

As a press time on Tuesday, the MCE’s official vehicle was still parked in the yard of the Koforidua Courts while GH¢13,400.00 was confirmed to have been paid on Monday.

Samuel Kwabi and the Suhum Municipal Assembly are due to make the next installment payment of GH¢7,600 by next week while a third and final payment of GH¢6,600 would be made at a later date.

When the MCE was contacted, he said he was sorry he could not comment on the matter because he was engaged with some American visitors.

From Rocklyn Antonio, Koforidua

Husband Jailed For LOOTING His Own Wedding Venue… And His Heavily Pregnant Bride Is Standing By Him

Newly-weds: The couple are pictured cutting their wedding cake at the venue

A heavily pregnant bride vowed to stand by her new husband today – even though he was jailed for trashing and looting their wedding venue.

Bridie Sparks, 24, had just wed Christopher Richards, 25, when he and three friends went back to the club where they held the reception to plunder it of thousands of pounds worth of alcohol and computers.

The group also caused more than £20,000 of damage to property in the building by smashing doors and ripping cabinets off walls.

The raid occurred after kind-hearted accountant Catherine Murphy, who runs the Bacup Hub club in Bacup, Lancashire, laid on a half price champagne buffet for the couple and their 90 guests because they complained of being broke and she felt sorry for them.

Richards an unemployed former labourer later handed himself into police after CCTV captured him inside the building and the pictures were published in a local newspaper.

Miss Murphy, 34, who had bought the venue for £175,000 and who at the time was also pregnant was said to so ‘emotionally tortured’ by Richard’s betrayal she tried to kill herself.

At Burnley Crown Court, Richards of Bacup, admitted burglary and was jailed for six months after what a judge described as ‘a dreadful offence.’

But today Miss Sparks, who already has two children with Richards and will now give birth to their third whilst he is in jail, said she would stick with her husband.

She said : ‘I’m standing by my man because I love him and nobody is perfect. I know my husband isn’t an angel and it hurts that he went back to the same place we got married.

‘But Christopher has admitted he’s done something wrong and is serving his time, he’s truly sorry. He has been crying on the phone from jail.

‘I’m now 35 weeks pregnant and I won’t even have my husband by my side for the pregnancy. It’s affected me badly, with lots of people staring at me in the street, thinking I had something to do with it.

‘It has been very distressing for me, even though I had nothing at all to do with it.’

She added: ‘My wedding memories are tarnished now because of what he did. I can’t even look at our wedding photos now. I was going to watch our wedding DVD the other night, but I stopped myself as it just reminds me of the bad situation we’re in now.

‘When I saw the CCTV stills of my husband I just felt sick, he looked like a criminal. I was disgusted as any wife would be. On the night of the incident he came back drunk and I knew instantly he had done something wrong.

‘I told him he was going to ruin the future for us and he crumbled because he knew I was right – all because of one drunken night. It was an act of stupidity; I wish he had thought of me and the kids.’

The court heard how Richards and his bride had held their reception at the venue in July last year – just six months before last January’s raid.

Miss Murphy only charged the couple £1,060 for the whole day – including venue, champagne, chocolate fountain and bouncy castle – paying the rest of the £2,400 total herself.

But Richards, his usher George Taylor, 24, and two other intruders returned to the club repeatedly throughout the night of January 2 and 3 between about 10pm and about 7am smashing doors and ripping cabinets off walls.

Richards and his usher helped snatch 62 bottles of spirits worth £1,130 from the bar and grabbed 159 bottles of spirits and cans of soft drinks worth £2,672 from the storeroom during their callous dead of night raid.

More than 80 bottles of wine valued at £1,714 and 2,602 bottles or cans of beer and alcopops worth £2,089 were also lifted from the main bar fridge.

Items including computers and laptops and DVDs and valued at £14,970 went missing and it cost £24,214 to replace damaged property such as CCTVs, mirrors, tiles, cupboards and glasses. The total cost of the raid in theft and damage was £46,790.

Dailymail

Young Mom And Five-Month-Old Baby Killed At 7-Eleven As They Desperately Searched For Shelter In Horror Tornado

Megan Futrell, pictured, and her five-month-old baby were among those killed at a 7-Eleven store in Moore, Oklahoma, which was destroyed in Monday’s tornado

Relatives of a young mother killed along with her five-month-old child in the 7-Eleven razed by the Oklahoma tornado have told of her desperate final moments.

MailOnline has learned that mother-of-two Megan Futrell was desperately trying to reach her older child when the storm overtook her and she was forced to seek shelter in a futile bid to save herself and her baby.

She hid with her baby in the freezer at the convenience store. And it was there, huddled together, that their bodies were found.

According to tributes online the young mother-of-two had spoken to her husband on the phone moments before the tornado hit.

A cousin said she was a ’beautiful woman, teacher, mother, wife’.

Speaking to MailOnline, Pastor DA Bennett, of St Andrews who has been contacted by the family and asked to make funeral arrangements said: ‘This woman had two children, a six-year-old and a five month child.

‘She was a school teacher and had to be home with her baby. She went to get her baby and found that she couldn’t outrun the storm.’

He added: ‘I hope that when people think of her they don’t think that she was reckless or some kind of thrill seeker.

‘She was a mother who loved her baby and wanted to do what she could to protect that child.’

The victim was born in Oklahoma City, confirmed in St Andrews Church and married there too.

Her husband Cody is a shop foreman at UEM, Oklahoma City.

As a member of his parish, Pastor Bennette said, ‘I will do what I can now for her and her child and her family.’

The tragedy is the latest to emerge in the wake of the storm that tore through this swathe of the mid-West and claimed the life of 24, nine of them children.

A further 237 were injured and hope of finding victims alive was beginning to wane.

Officials started to search flattened homes and piles of rubble with cadaver dogs.

No survivors were found on Tuesday and officials said they hope to complete three searches of every site of devastation before nightfall.

The weather service confirmed that the powerful storm was for times an EF5 – the maximum on the scale.

Seven children were found drowned at Plaza Towers Elementary School, which was a direct hit during the 45 minutes of terror.

Nine-year-old Janae Hornsby, whose father said ‘always has a smile on her face’, is one of the victims while family members have shared pictures of other missing children, including Sydney Angle, feared dead.

Frightened third graders were being pulled from the wreckage alive on Monday afternoon as rescue workers passed the children down a human chain before taking them to a triage center set up in the school’s parking lot.

Students who were inside the building described clinging to the walls of the hallway where many of them huddled during the storm as the twister battered the school. Others cowered in closets or bathrooms to protect themselves

Briarwood was the other elementary school flattened in the tornado but all the students miraculously escaped alive.

Tales of heroic teachers throwing themselves over children to save them were reported in both.

At a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, an official confirmed that the two schools did not have safe rooms, as they had not applied for them.

He added that the jurisdiction decides where to allocate funds for safe rooms based on past events.

President Barack Obama declared a major disaster area in Oklahoma, ordering federal aid to supplement state and local efforts in Moore. Speaking from the White House on Tuesday morning, he said that FEMA staff were on the ground to provide support to residents.

He offered his condolences to the community following ‘one of the most destructive storms in history’ and promised whatever resources they may require in the coming days and weeks.

House Speaker John Boehner said on Tuesday that at the request of Rep. Tom Cole, from Moore, he has ordered flags on Capitol Hill to be lowered to half-staff.

Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin expressed her grief on behalf of her state for the parents of the missing children.

‘Our hearts are broken for the parents that are wondering about the state of their children that had been in the schools that have been hit today,’ Fallin said. ‘I know that there are families wondering where their loved ones are.’

At a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, officials said they are aiming to complete three searches of all homes by dark.

Rescue teams, including 80 members of the National Guard and search dogs, had reported hearing cries for help from beneath the rubble of the flattened school but the screams reportedly stopped at around 6:30 p.m. local time.

One teacher told Good Morning America that her students had to stay with her for hours until their parents could reach them. Because of the damage to the roads, ‘parents walked for miles just to get to their children,’ she said. ‘They were out of breath and crying but just so happy to see them.’

Many parents have been forced to endure an agonizing wait at St. Andrews United Methodist Church, where they wait for news of their loved ones.

Frantic parents rushed to Plaza Towers Elementary moments after it was pummeled but were kept back so search teams could hear any survivors calling for help through the rubble.

The seven children confirmed dead are believed to have been trapped underneath rubble when they were overcome by water from burst pipes.

The families were later taken to a nearby church where they continued the harrowing wait for news.

On Tuesday morning the death toll was revised down to 24 – from the prior figure of 51, which may have included some double-reported casualties.

Crews used jackhammers and sledgehammers to tear away concrete, and chunks were being thrown to the side as the workers dug.

National Guard choppers were being used across Moore overnight to detect body heat of survivors trapped under collapsed buildings and other rubble so they could direct rescuers.

Dailymail

I’ll compensate bereaved families,TB Joshua pledges

TB Joshua

The General Overseer of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), Prophet T. B. Joshua, has taken up the medical expenses and the welfare of victims of the stampede that occurred at the Accra branch of the church last Sunday.

He has also offered to compensate the bereaved families and ask for God’s blessings for them.

Speaking to the Daily Graphic on behalf of the church Tuesday, the acting Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the church, Evangelist Samuel Excellence, said Prophet Joshua had also offered his condolences to the bereaved families and wished those who were injured speedy recovery.

According to Evangelist Exellence, “what happened outside the premises of the church” was an unfortunate incident and prayed to God that never again should such an incident happen.

He explained that the large crowd gathered outside of the church auditorium in great anticipation for the ‘anointing water’ which they had seen being introduced on Emmanuel TV the previous Sunday.

On Sunday, May 19, four people died in a stampede at the Ghana branch of SCOAN when thousands of people seeking divine intervention besieged the church premises to benefit from the distribution of anointing water.

The anointing water was said to be a gift from the head pastor of the church, Prophet T. B. Joshua, who had announced during a church service in Lagos on Sunday, May 12, 2013 that the repackaged anointed water would be sent to the other branches of the church across the globe.

Evangelist Excellence said although Prophet Joshua never mentioned specifically on Emmanuel TV or any other news media that people could receive the new anointing water at the Ghana branch of the SCOAN, it appeared many people anticipated that the only place to get the new anointing water was the Ghana branch, and it was upon this anticipation that people came from far and near, resulting in the stampede.

He said the lives that were lost resulted from the stampede outside the main church auditorium, and debunked the claims that people died as a result of their attempt to collect the anointing water from Prophet Joshua.

Evangelist Exellence said the leadership of the church had sought the assistance of the police who were in the environs of the church to maintain order but the people who were in their numbers defied all instructions from the police.

He said they broke down the crash barriers mounted outside the church, and rushed towards the main gate leading to the church building. “This was what brought about the stampede,” he explained.

Evangelist Excellence explained that the church auditorium could only accommodate 1,500 people at a service and not 15,000 as had been peddled, adding that the church’s security measures were always in line with the country’s rules and regulations.

He explained that one of the reasons for the creation of the church’s branch in Ghana by Prophet Joshua was to help the poor who had to sell their property to be able to travel to Lagos, where the headquarters of the SCOAN was located for deliverance and healing.

According to Evangelist Excellence, it was in consideration of that stress coupled with calls from many Ghanaians, both in the country and the diaspora, that culminated in the establishment of the branch in Ghana, after Prophet Joshua had said fervent prayers to God for direction.

He pointed out that since the establishment of the church in Ghana, there had not been any such incident, and that the church had never flouted the laws of the country.

Some of the responsibilities taken up by the church so far have been the award of scholarships to some brilliant needy students in the universities and other higher institutions of learning in Ghana.

Evangelist Excellence said as a law abiding entity, the SCOAN would seek the permission of the police and other relevant authorities before holding a revival programme in the country.

Daily Graphic

TV presenter sucks milk from topless mum’s breasts on shocking show

A Dutch TV host stunned viewers by sucking milk from a mother’s breasts on his primetime Saturday night show.

Comedian Paul De Leeuw pounced on the topless mum during the latest episode of his chat show Langs De Leeuw, which was dedicated to breastfeeding.

Du Leeuw’s guests were a group of women who donate spare milk to mums who struggle to produce it.

One volunteer called Wendy invited the star to taste the contents of a bottle she had expressed during the show.

When the openly gay presenter joked he’d prefer to drink it from the source – she unhooked her boobs from a breast-pump and told him: “Well, if you don’t bite you may try it.”

The studio audience then watched dumbfounded as Du Leeuw took her up on the offer and sucked milk from both her breasts.

After swallowing down his sample, he joked: “I find the second one better tasting, but I can taste that you’ve eaten asparagus yesterday.”

The stunt has provoked outrage in the Netherlands from critics who branded it disgusting.

Viewers have also taken to Twitter to attack De Leeuw and the group for allowing the stunt to be aired.

But Wendy has defended her actions on the social media site, insisting they were “for a good cause”.

Thesun

Akosua Cartoons

NDC Shot Down

Chris Akumey, Tsatsu Tsikata and Nana Akufo-Addo and Dr Bawumia (pertitioners) leaving the court yesterday

“I’m saying they behave like children who have been pampered. They go and play football with other children and when a goal is scored against them, they pick the football and say they won’t play again. That’s how they are behaving…”

The Supreme Court has thrown out an attempt by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to halt the counting of the number of pink sheets used as exhibits in the Landmark Presidential Election Petition.

The nine-member panel, chaired by Justice William Atuguba, unanimously ruled that KPMG, the reputable international accounting firm chosen by all the parties as referee, should continue with the exercise and any concerns that would be raised by the parties incorporated into the final report.

The Brouhaha

The request to count the pink sheets was initially made by the NDC before the court, and subsequently with the consent of all the parties in the petition, the court gave an order for an independent referee to conduct the exercise.

Just as KPMG commenced the exercise in the presence of two observers each from the parties as ordered by the court, the NDC, through its lead counsel Tsatsu Tsikata, came to court with a story that the exhibits had been compromised and that the boxes containing the pink sheets had increased from 24 to 31.

In fact, the allegation over whether or not the boxes of the exhibits had been tampered with started right after the court’s sitting on Monday when news broke that Mr. Tsikata, Tony Lithur, who represents President John Dramani Mahama, and later James Quarshie-Idun, representing the Electoral Commission (EC), had ‘gate-crashed’ at the venue for the counting and requested panel chairman Justice William Atuguba, to review the order of the court.

According to Mr. Tsikata, there were alleged criminality involved and, as a result, they would prefer an extended control mechanism that would take into consideration copies served on at least two panel members to compare with the pink sheets at the court’s registry.

The issue of whether the petition is being unduly delayed has come up strongly since Mr. Tsikata took over the cross-examination of the principal witness Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, who is also the Second petitioner, and many are of the view that the brouhaha over the pink sheets was part of the ploy to drag the process.

Mr. Tsikata, whose client came into the petition by way of a joinder, is in his 13th day of cross-examination even though NDC’s co-respondents including President John Dramani Mahama and the Electoral Commission (EC) used about three days each to conclude a similar exercise.

Just as he was winding up on his cross-examination, he brought another motion, seeking to cross-examine some of the witnesses, who filed affidavits in support of the petitioners’ case, but the court threw him out along with President Mahama and the EC who had also made similar applications.

Mr. Tsikata, however, has always denied criticisms that his style of cross-examination is designed to delay the process, often accusing the petitioners of presenting exhibits that forced the respondents to ‘dig deep’ in order to counter the petitioners’ claims.

Tsatsu’s Allegations

Just as everybody thought he was going to continue with his cross-examination, he threw the bombshell and requested a variation of the court’s orders to incorporate the expansion of control mechanism in respect of the counting exercise.

Even before sitting commenced yesterday, the NDC propaganda machinery had been set in motion and they were in the courtroom distributing a press statement signed by its General-Secretary Johnson Asiedu-Nketiah to the effect that they wanted a suspension of the counting pending further orders of the court.

Counsel: My lords, at the close of proceedings yesterday, I became aware of a very significant development in respect of your order about the counting of the exhibits. Your lordships would recall that you ordered a true and faithful count to be taken. Those exhibits were filed in the Registry of the court; they had also been provided to us as respondents.

In order to ensure that there was a faithful and true records, it was agreed that there be a sort of control mechanism in respect of the exhibits; which would mean that one of your lordships’ set of exhibit would be used as a control to ensure that what was provided to the referee (KPMG) was indeed accurate. My lords, it emerged that a number of boxes of exhibits had been added to the boxes of exhibits that we were aware had been filed in the registry.

My lords, this is a very serious situation, because my lords, as many as seven additional boxes appear to have been added and it is patent that these were additions just in the nature of what was provided to one of our representatives by a Docket Clerk. It is patent because in respect of one particular series (the P series) which indeed our cross-examination has been centred on, we have a situation where there is a box containing one (1) to 170 [exhibits] allegedly and another box containing one (1) to 475. This was never the situation-and that’s only one example – I would not go into other examples for obvious reasons. My lords, significantly, all three respondents had the same numbers of the boxes of exhibits provided to us, we have checked with the second respondent as well as the first respondent, in each case, 24 boxes of exhibits were supplied, not 31 as was provided for the start of the work of the referee.

My lords, as at last Thursday, when the preparations for the count were going on, it was confirmed that there were 24 boxes in the custody of the Registrar, as far as the exhibits were concerned. Our representatives confirmed that, together with the referee, they went to where the exhibits were being stored. My lords, respectfully, it is actually a matter bothering on criminality-where 24 boxes became 31 at the time they were taken as at yesterday. But my lords, we cannot be distracted by criminality from the process of achieving justice in this petition…(He goes on to narrate the incident that happened when he and counsels for the two other respondents sought to meet with the counsel for the petitioners in a bid to present the alleged incident to the presiding Judge, Justice William Atuguba. Incidentally, the counsel for the petitioners waved them off.

He also went on to narrate how he and the counsels for the respondents went into the counting room to ascertain things for themselves. Essentially, the respondents are pressing for the court to review the order for the counting). I do underline that we are dealing with matters that borders on criminality, but we do not wish the criminality aspect to interfere with the process of your adjudication of the election petition; that can be a separate matter which is pursued accordingly…. (Counsel for the petitioners Philip Addison rose to respond, but preferred for the other respondent to conclude their complaints first)

Philip Addison then told the court that “I am waiting for the others to also comment because they were together when they breached the security of the counting…they can talk first and I will respond.”

Lithur Supports Tsatsu

Lithur: My lords, I was with learned counsel for the third respondent and confirm what transpired. Having mentioned issues about security (referring to Philip Addison), I think we need to clarify the position; When we had the report from our lead representative, we wanted to view the boxes and so we knocked on the door and we were allowed in. In fact, we went to try and look at the boxes, and to find out for ourselves. We indicated to the referee in charge that we had some report that we wanted to verify, but after some time, he thought that the process would be interrupted, so he told us that they would be taking a break shortly so we should retire outside, during the break, we could have that discussion, so the issue about breach of security, I don’t know what the intent is; we did not interrupt anything beyond going to find out what had happened. I say that from very personal knowledge; I was there. The recommendation made by Mr. Tsikata has been discussed and we support that fully.

EC Supports Tsatsu

James Quarshie-Idun: My lords, I arrived at the building of the counting when counsels were outside in discussion. Our representatives were in the respective counting rooms. I arrived at the premises and had discussions with my learned friends outside the counting room; inside the counting room were the two representatives of the EC, we had discussions with Mr. Asirifi (one of the representatives of the petitioners) who said he would consult with Mr. Addison [counsel for the petitioners] and come back to us. He never came back until it was almost time for the resumption of work of the counting. From the information we have received from our representatives in the counting process, we would fully support the control mechanism that has been agreed upon in Chambers and also the expansion of the mechanism to include other members of the panel to ensure that what was served on us and delivered to your lordships is the same as what the referee is being requested to count.

Addison’s Opposition

Mr. Addison: My lords, it is obvious that somebody has a sinister agenda to deprive the petitioners the opportunity to fully put forward their case. That is the only reason that can explain this strenuous attempt to derail a process we have all agreed upon. The order this court made was a Consent Order agreed to by the parties. It started well, except that for some people it did not go well. Now the representative of the EC is said to have remarked that they were expecting shortages, but what they started experiencing were “overages”, so quite clearly, it was at that stage that they became alarmed and then informed counsel for the respondents, and started cooking up all these stories about boxes having emerged.

Rising Tempers

Counsel: My lords, there is absolutely no basis for this claim about cooking up of stories…. (Mr. Lithur also rose to protest the allegations of cooking)

Mr. Lithur: My lords, respectfully….(Justice Atuguba intervenes)

Justice Atuguba: We have not heard him out so let him…

Mr. Lithur: Yes, my lords, but respectfully, cooking up? There are 31 boxes there. We all had 24, so what is the cooking about this? It is the number of boxes that alerted our observers about the fact that something had been tampered with. At the previous time when they checked, it was 24…My lords, we want to do this civilly and our representation had been very civil, maybe counsel [Philip Addison] can reciprocate…

Mr. Addison: I thought an allegation of criminality has been raised, so if you allow me to go on with what I was saying: Now, we are not aware that an inventory was taken of the boxes and envelopes or pink sheets or whatever in the custody of the registry. Maybe they did the inventory by themselves, but we are certainly not aware, and our representatives have not been involved in any such inventory taking, nor are we aware that the referees had done any such exercise…. (General murmuring in court) Maybe they know more than we do because the submissions made by Mr. Tsikata; they’ve been having meetings with the referee behind our back…. (Mr. Tsikata cuts in)

Counsel: That is completely unwarranted, my lords, my learned friend cannot be allowed…I never said we had any meeting with the referee; we have not had any such meeting. There is no basis for this allegation that we’ve had meeting with the referee behind their back… (Mr. Lithur jumps in to buttress the point made by his ally)

Mr. Lithur: My lords, all the discussions with the referee were along the corridor… (Angry comments from some of the court audience were aimed at him, forcing him to reply in kind). Maybe I should be telling those there to shut up. I mean, this is not a market place, so they can’t direct insults at me while I’m on my feet… (Justice Atuguba intervenes)

Justice Atuguba: Let’s avoid the situation of stadium scenario where you have supporters here and there, but there is a need for a clear language across board. These things can be avoided if you just stick to the raw facts of the matter and forget about insinuations…decorum is important across board.

Mr. Lithur: The registrar was around throughout… (He was asked to sit down as Justice Atuguba repeats his admonitions)

Addison: My lords, I hope this time around, they would allow me to finish? I did not interrupt them once. They said all they wanted to say, so please allow me. My lordships would recall that the other day, Mr. Tsikata indicated that they had so much confidence in the registrar and the registry and that we should not put our problems or blame the registrar. We wonder what happened now. As for the number of boxes or whatever in the custody of the registrar, I believe that’s a matter that the registrar can answer to. We don’t hold brief for the registrar. Indeed, we do not know how many boxes are still there in the vaults and it surprises us very much that the respondents know the number of boxes in the vault. In this court, they were asked to disclose the number of pink sheets; they failed to disclose it. To them, it is state secret. Today, they come here and tell us that there are so many boxes in the vault of the registry…Now, my lords, the order of this court is plain for all to see; the matter they allude to are not in the order. I had been told this is a consent order. We had once sought to have it varied. We were told it cannot be changed, so the things that they are now bringing up are matters completely strange to us; they have no bearing on this order. My lords, the representatives appointed by the parties, according to this order, are to be observers-nothing more than observers. Yet we had a situation where these observers are alleged to have audited boxes and pink sheets, the word audit was a word the respondents avoided and, therefore, this order says count…(After a brief pause, he resumed his line of response)

Pampered Children

Mr. Addison: My lords, since the inception of this petition, it has always been the habit of the respondents to bring up one issue, when the petitioners agree to it, then they back out. This is the latest example of this conduct….At each of these stages that they have taken the initiative, they have backed down… (The bench urged him to get to the point). My lords, I’m building a case; I am saying that a course of conduct of these respondents who behave like children… (The bench cuts in again to urge him to make his point)

Justice Adinyira: …please address the issue.

Justice Atuguba…Counsel, the employment of term children is in breach…

Mr. Addison: My lords, I was going to make an analogy, I haven’t finished. In using the word “Children”, if you want me to finish…I’m saying they behave like children who have been pampered. They go and play football with other children and when a goal is scored against them, they pick the football and say they won’t play again. That’s how they are behaving… (General laughter in court)

Justice Atuguba…these are the insinuations we try to disallow in order to rehabilitate the process…

Mr. Addison: My lords, whenever any matter is going against them, then they pull back, that is the point I’m saying. That is again the situation we have here. It is a clear order of the court…They’ve interfered with it [the counting]; they went there without accreditation and stopped the process. Now they are rather talking about criminality when they are rather in clear contempt of this court by stopping the process…My lords, we are strongly opposed to this application that seek to vary clear orders of this court…My lords, this application is simply based on suspicion upon suspicion, it has no basis whatsoever. Your lordships would recall again that shortly after this order was made, at the instigation of the respondents, operatives of the National Security came to this court, ostensibly to protect these pink sheets. They came on their own accord, having been instructed by the respondents. Now they are telling us that in spite of the process of these entire national security operatives, we have been able to spirit seven (7) boxes into the registry…My lords, lastly, no report has been made by the referee –KPMG…they were clearly comfortable with what was going on until they were rudely interrupted by counsel for respondents… What happens next, if tomorrow we also stop the process? We would never make any headway….My lords, at the end of the day; they are contesting the credibility of the registry. If they do not trust the registry, why do they trust the documents that have been distributed to the judges? That should also be in dispute; everything should be in dispute then… (Counsel responds by insisting their application to review the order was within the framework of the orders made in chambers. Eventually the court rose to rule on the application).

Short Ruling

Justice Atuguba held that the concerns raised by the NDC counsel were within the purview of the earlier order given by the court to the referee (KPMG) and that Mr. Tsikata’s concerns could be channelled through the accounting firm who in turn would incorporate the concerns in the final report to be submitted to the court.

By William Yaw Owusu & Raphael Ofori-Adeniran

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General News

TB Joshua Water Victims Discharged

TB Joshua

Police reports indicates that the 21 victims, who sustained injuries during a stampede which left four others dead last Sunday at the Synagogue Church Of All Nations (SCOAN), have all been treated and discharged from the various health facilities within Accra, where they were sent for treatment.

Eleven of the victims were sent to the Police Hospital while 10 others were admitted at the 37 Military Hospital.

Police said most of the victims were treated and discharged on the same day of the incident while the rest, who remained on admission, left their sick beds the following Monday.

The four persons, who died as a result of the stampede, have been identified as John Brainoo, a 61-year-old member of the church who lived at Ashaiman; Esther Adabadzi, 39, a worker at Mass Education Field Work Community Development, Amasaman and a resident of Achimota; Mike Teye, 35, a businessman who lived at Ashaiman and Emmanuel Thomas Addo, a 50-year-old man, also a member of the church and a resident of Darkuman.

Three of the bodies have been deposited at the Police Hospital morgue while one is at the 37 Military Hospital morgue.

Superintendent J A Aduhene Benie, the Airport District Police Commander, in an interview with DAILY GUIDE, said the process of investigations had begun by the police.

Police have met with leaders of the church and their statements have also been taken.

Police have also gone to court to sign a coronal report for the post mortem to be conducted on the bodies to find out the real cause of death as required by law.

He revealed that the autopsy would be done at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital; hence, police would supervise the process to make sure that all the bodies are transported to Korle Bu within this week.

“When the cause of death is ascertained after the autopsy, then police will know the next line of action to take.”

He also revealed that bodies would not be released to deceased families until the autopsy was done and the cause of death established.

Meanwhile, the Greater Accra Regional Police Commander, DCOP Christian Tetteh Yohuno, has directed authorities of the Church to stop hosting revivals, crusades and other scheduled church events at their Spintex Road church.
In an interview with DAILY GUIDE, DCOP Yohuno, who was at the scene last Sunday, said the church could use the Accra Sports Stadium or the Black Star Square for such events since the church premises was too small to contain the large number who visited it during such programmes.

“The stampede could have been avoided if the church had chosen a bigger venue to hold its events instead of the church premises,” he said.

Sunday service by the Synagogue Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) became tragic when four persons lost their lives due to a stampede over anointed water.

The water was said to have been blessed by leader of the church Prophet T B Joshua from Nigeria.

Upon hearing the announcement purportedly telecasted live on the church’s television station, Emmanuel TV, hundreds of believers of the church trooped to its Spintex road premises for the anointed water.

Some members of the church were said to have stormed the place the previous night before the service could start that Sunday morning.

Information gathered indicated that even though the church requested security assistance, police personnel deployed could not control the massive crowd.

About 45, 000 believers were said to have visited the church that fateful day for the anointed water.

By Linda Tenyah

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Ivorian Jailed For Car Theft

AN IVORIAN who stole two cars belonging to Property Express Ghana Limited (PEGL) and went into hiding for six years has been made to suffer the consequence of his action by an Accra Circuit Court.

Dion Pierre has been sentenced to ten years imprisonment with hard labour by the court presided over by Audrey Korcu-Vie Tay after he pleaded guilty to a charge of stealing.

The Ivorian in his caution statement to the police stated that he sold one of the vehicles to his accomplice, one Daniel Hadiku, a trader, as scrap.

The said accomplice however denied the charge of dishonestly receiving anything from him. He has been granted a GH¢50,000 bail with two sureties to re-appear on June 3, for trial.

The prosecutor ASP Raymond Assor informed the court that the complainant Robert Wege was the manager of PEGL.

ASP Assor narrated that in the year 2007, Dion Pierre who was driving one of the company’s vehicles, Opel Kadett, returned from town and informed the complainant that the vehicle had broken down.

The complainant reportedly gave Dion the ignition key to another vehicle Opel Vectra with registration number GT 5103 U, parked in the company’s premises to have it washed in a washing bay and to transport complainant’s wife to a meeting.

However when Dion moved the vehicle out of the premises, he never returned.

After a fruitless search and announcement, a report was made to the police at Kaneshie but Dion according to the prosecutor managed to disappear for six years until he was spotted by a supervisor of the company, one William Addison in Madina on April 20, 2013 and caused his arrest.

Dion reportedly in his caution statement to Kaneshie Police Station admitted the offence and stated that he sold the Opel Kadett as scrap at a cost of GH¢450 to Daniel and sold the Opel Vectra to a man he could not lead police to arrest at the cost of GH¢500.

The prosecutor stated that Dion later led the police to arrest Daniel at Kokompe Darkuman.

According to ASP Assor, Daniel also admitted in his statement that he bought the Opel Kadett from Dion as scrap.

After the investigations, they were charged with the offence.

By Mary Anane

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Teachers Threaten Strike

Prof. Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang – Minister of Education

Information reaching DAILY GUIDE indicates that teachers in the country are planning a sit-down strike come Monday, May 27, 2013, to express their grievances over their unpaid allowances.

According to Norbert Gborgborji, spokesperson for Coalition of Concerned Teachers Association (CCTA) who said he was speaking on behalf of all the teacher associations in Ghana, they backed off their earlier strike because the government promised to pay their allowances. They also indicated that they had a change in their decision because of the pleas from parents who were worried about their wards in the final year.

“After we resumed, the government promised to settle us but they haven’t done anything about it,” he added.

Mr Gborgborji mentioned that a meeting was scheduled between the various teacher associations, Fair Wages and Salary Commission (FWSC) and Finance Ministry, but the Finance Ministry refused to turn up for the meeting.

He therefore called on parents whose children are in kindergarten to senior high school to take care of their children from Monday because teachers would not be at their various schools to take care of them.

The spokesperson said the teachers would rescind their decision when the government and Fair Wages and Salary Commission settle all their unpaid allowances due them.

From Vivianna Mensah, Sunyani

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Judiciary To Introduce Sentencing Policy

Chief Justice Georgina Wood

The Judicial Service would soon introduce a sentencing policy to ensure greater consistency in sentencing and uniformity of practice among judges.

The introduction of the policy, expected to guide not only sentencing but also various areas of practice of the bench, is also to ensure the public is satisfied with the ruling given by judges.

Justice of the Supreme Court, Joseph Bawa Akamba, said, “It is to ensure that the public is satisfied and we are also satisfied that at least our people are performing uniformly guided by the literature that we will be producing.”

Justice Akamba said this during a two-day training workshop for journalists on court proceedings and how the justice system works, in Accra.

The workshop, organized by the communication department of the judicial service with funding from the Department for International Development (DIFD) had participants taken through the court room procedures and judicial hierarchy of Ghana.

It was also to make the judicial service more accessible to the public and also to guarantee effective reportage of issues relating to the Judicial Service.

He said the literature would look at the various cases that commonly came before the court, various offenses provided under the various statutes and the penalties they provide.

“We are going to work within the status that created those various offenses and the penalty for those offenses.”

So the policy is just going to ensure that within the discretion that you have from zero to your maximum, how will you exercise it? In what instance will you employ the lowest possible on the ladder that you have been given?”, he asked.

Justice Akamba said the concerns would be egged out to guide every judge so their sentencing would have very minimal differences.

He also noted that provision for non-custodian sentencing would be addressed in the new policy.

“Within the sentencing spectrum, there is provision for non-custodian; the guide will streamline the instances when one will have to resort to non-custodian or custodian and how high can a judge go on a sentencing ladder for a particular offense,” he noted.

He said consultations have been made and various debriefing held among judges “and I think we are getting to the end. We are working at it and it will come out soon.”

Justice of the Court of Appeal and Director of the Judicial Training Institute, Samuel Marful-Sau, said the workshop was to bridge the gaps created in court reportage as a result of inadequate court room knowledge.

“We are not going to teach you how to report but to make you appreciate what is being done at the court so you can report better.”

He therefore urged the participants to take advantage of the programme to enhance their knowledge on reporting court stories.

By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri

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Tema Market Wires Risky – ECG

Mr. Fiador (middle) explaining a point to some officials

Tema South District of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has described electrical connections at the Tema Central Market as appalling.

According to the ECG management, most of the wires do not have insulation thereby exposing the main copper.

Ebenezer Fiador, Tema South District Engineer made the remarks when some members of the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) and ECG embarked on an inspection tour of the Tema Central Market in Community One.

The exercise was aimed at checking electrical installations at the market following numerous fire outbreaks which have gutted several property worth millions of cedis.

The ECG South District Engineer called on authorities of TMA to, as a matter of urgency, take steps to rewire stores and shops belonging to the assembly.

He said, “TMA is supposed to take care of internal wiring at stores and shops at the market, whilst it is ECG’s duty to ensure the provision of cable from main supply to the metre which is the external cables.”

Mr Fiador expressed grave concern about the illegal electric connections, overloading of electrical sockets with electrical appliances and machines by traders at the market which often causes fire.

He explained that ECG would want to improve electricity connection in the market, stressing that they do not have adequate access to the market.

Mr Fiador admonished traders to come for separate electric metres because of the congestion on cables.

Kwesi Poku, member of TMA Works Sub-committee during the inspection tour, noted that the Assembly would not hesitate to adhere to the recommendation by ECG to avert any fire outbreak.

According to him, TMA would ensure that owners of shops and stores at the market obtain separate metres to reduce illegal connections at the market.

From Vincent Kubi, Tema

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Business

BoG To Maintain Prime Rate

Dr Kofi Wampah

Bank of Ghana (BoG) is expected to maintain the Prime Rate, the rate at which it lends to commercial banks today.

Analysts have predicted that the Central Bank would not change the policy rate, as inflation, one of the major determinants of interest rate, has been stable for some time now.

The announcement would climax the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting, which commenced on May 20, to review economic developments in the economy.

“We further expect the Central Bank to maintain current interest rates at best while it observes significant indicators to determine policy decisions in the short and medium term,” market analysts, Frontline Capital Advisors stated in its weekly report on the economy recently.

Interest rates on treasury securities funds, especially the 91-Day Treasury bill, hovers around 12 percent, but average lending rates of banks is about 28 percent though banks have begun reducing their base lending rates.

The cedi has fairly been stable against the major foreign currencies after assuming a fast depreciation rate at the beginning of the year basically due to unrelenting demand for the dollar, increased imports and lack of foreign capital inflows.

Despite its mixed performance, some players in the financial sector and analysts have predicted that the local currency will end the year at GH¢1.55 against the US Dollar.

The MPC will therefore find ways of preserving the local currency in order not to affect the profit margins of firms and prices of goods and services.

Some economic indicators such as the country’s fiscal and trade deficits, foreign reserves, among other important indicators, are expected to be reviewed by the committee.

The MPC will make the necessary projections for the next quarter of this year. In addition, it will also assess the business risk factors.

The suggestions are expected to help the country to ensure a stable and vibrant economic environment.

By Emelia Ennin Abbey

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Privatize TOR – NPA Advises

Alex Mould – CEO of National Petroleum Authority

Alex Kofi Mould, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of National Petroleum Authority (NPA), says until Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) is privatized or sold to private investors, it cannot perform to expectation, let alone compete internationally.

According to him, government currently does not have the money to invest into TOR and therefore it would be appropriate if the current managers of the economy allow investors to take over the state refinery.

Speaking recently at a presentation on opportunities for bulk distribution companies in Accra, Mr. Mould stated: “TOR is a huge organisation that needs a lot of money to maintain and also keep a standard to be able to compete with the international market. Government, as a shareholder, should ensure that TOR is fit for growth. And how Government looks for the money depends on Ghanaians.”

But analysts in Ghana’s petroleum sector have expressed different views, saying TOR would be bought by government officials as they have since the beginning of their tenure of office ‘given a dog a bad name to hang it.’

An analyst, who refused to be named, noted that “if government is saying that it cannot support TOR at this time, how can it ensure it is handled well when it is sold to investors?”

“It should invest into refinery if it can do it better and more efficiently than the private sector and ensure that there are cheaper products that are supplied consistently at the right time. “If government cannot do that then we should encourage the private sector to come into that industry.

“We can do this by not protecting the government sectors and as such stifling the private sector from competition. Government should not allow its agencies to pay a different price on petroleum products while the private sector pays a different price. They should pay the same price, compete on a level field and ensure that any organization it invests in is fit for growth and can compete with the private sector.

Do we want the taxpayer to pay it or Government to go and borrow it or do, we want TOR as an organisation to stand alone and borrow and do it. As a shareholder, government needs to step up to that responsibility and spell out exactly how it wants to do it. That has nothing to do with NPA. The NPA’s job is to give licences out to anybody who wants to compete in this space – the supply and distribution chain of petroleum products- to ensure that the consumer receives quality products at the right price and also services that are given to the consumer, they should have choice.

Asked how margins are set on petroleum products in relation to what pertains in the developed world, Kofi Mould noted that the petroleum sector is a heavily private sector one.

“Although NPA is the government regulator, we did not compete with participants. We ensure that the framework is open to all and that those who can meet the standards have a fair playing field.

“We have to encourage people to invest and to do this, they have to be reasonable return. You cannot have 17 bulk distribution companies (BDCs) if the return is not good. Some are bound to wither away. Likewise we cannot have over 60 oil marketing companies if the return is not good. You can’t have over 2000 trucks moving products around the country with over 150 transporters in this sector if the margin is not good.

By Samuel Boadi

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MMT Manager Blows Over ¢200 Million

Some concerned workers of the Metro Mass Transit (MMT) Limited at the Western Regional Office in Sekondi are up in arms against the regional boss of the state transport company (name withheld) for allegedly duping the company to the tune of over GH¢20,000.

According to the workers, the manager, in connivance with four other senior staff of the company, managed to fraudulently carry out some covert deals which saw them pocket over GH¢20,000 to the detriment of the company.

The concerned workers therefore vowed to resist any attempt to reinstate the manager who was allegedly interdicted after an audit team from the company’s head office in Accra found him guilty.

Narrating how the alleged malpractice was uncovered, the spokesperson for the concerned workers, who pleaded anonymity, told CITY & BUSINESS GUIDE that for some time, the company was running at a loss even though most of the buses were being hired by the public for events.

He maintained that the workers could not fathom why the regional office of the MMT should incur losses.

“The situation then prompted some of us to do our own secret investigations to find the reasons for the company’s declined revenue despite the fact that the buses were always on the road,” the spokesperson of the concerned workers indicated.

He added that somewhere in February 2013, a bus inspector at the regional office of the company intercepted one of the hired buses filled with passengers, near the Sekondi Gyandu Park.

He noted that when the driver was asked to produce the document to affirm that the people in the bus had really hired it; the bus driver could not produce the authentic document.

“The bus driver rather brought out some fake documents which did not have the company’s stamp and logo embassed on them. When he was quizzed as to how he came about the fake documents; the driver revealed that it was the manager who had prepared the alleged fake documents,” the spokesperson alleged.

He indicated that a report was made to the company’s head office in Accra and an audit team from the head office was sent to Sekondi to investigate the case.

According to the spokesperson, the concerned MMT workers also lodged an official complaint with the Ministry of Transport in Accra.

He noted that the manager and his four accomplices were barred from the company.

The concerned workers indicated efforts were being made to reinstate the expelled regional boss.

They therefore appealed to people masterminding the reinstatement of the former regional MMT boss to rescind their decision.

“We don’t need our former boss and we will go all out to resist his return, including laying down our tools. Why should the manager be brought back for duping the company like this when a worker who steals even one cedi, is sacked,” he quizzed.

When contacted, a member of the audit team that was sent from Accra to Sekondi to investigate the matter told CITY & BUSINESS GUIDE that the issue was still under investigation.

The audit member, whose name was only given as Quaye, declined to comment further and asked this reporter to travel to the head office of the MMT in Accra in person before he could make further remarks.

From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi

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Ex Coca-Cola Employee Wants Justice

James Adongo Akologo

A former employee of Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Ghana Limited is crying for justice after the multinational failed to pay his redundancy package after forcing him to resign about three years ago.

James Adongo Akologo, a father of eight, was a former Depot Clerk at the Sunyani Depot.

He told CITY & BUSINESS GUIDE that he worked with the company for over 14 years before management decided to close down the Sunyani Depot in January 2010.

According to him, management asked him to resign as part of plans to close down the depot instead of being declared redundant.

“I complied thinking that that would not affect any benefits as a result of the company’s decision to close down the Sunyani Depot,” he pointed out.

Mr. Akologo told the paper that after his resignation, the company gave him 800 crates of coca cola as part of his benefits, but to his surprise the company recently wrote a letter to him.

“They demanded that I pay an amount of GH¢13,520 being the cost of the product as they claimed it was given to me on credit.”

He explained that he had written officially to the company on the matter, but officials insisted he paid back the money or be prosecuted.

The obviously distressed Mr. Adongo, who has developed a high blood pressure as a result of the development, appealed to the government and human rights organizations to come to his aid to claim all his redundancy benefits from the Coca-Cola Bottling Company Limited.

FROM Fred Tettey Alarti-Amoako, Sunyani

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Produce Quality Goods…Otumfuo Charges Manufacturers

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has tasked local manufacturers to produce quality goods in order to attract the attention of consumers and boost businesses.

He observed that constant demand by people in authority for Ghanaians to patronize locally manufactured goods would be in vain if manufacturers always produce inferior goods.

Otumfuo stressed the need for local manufacturers to work assiduously to come out with attractive and quality products.

This was contained in a statement delivered on behalf of Asantehene by Nana Kwaku Amankwah Sarkodie II, Sawiahene during the opening of the Association of Ghana Industries’ (AGI) International Trade Fair and Indutech 2013 in Kumasi.

The Asantehene charged local manufacturers to adopt modern market strategies such as branding of wares so as to gain the interest of local consumers and improve sales in the process.

The King said producing the wares alone doesn’t guarantee enhanced sales, urging the manufacturers to be innovative to woo more people to patronize their products.

Otumfuo bemoaned Ghana’s overreliance on imported rice, warning that Ghana would face challenges if the countries fail to deliver.

He therefore suggested that government should ban the importation of rice and assist farmers and schools in the country to cultivate rice on large-scale, noting that Ghana has vast lands to produce its own rice.

The fair is under the theme, ‘Improving Market Share of Made in Ghana Goods, the Challenges of Access to Market.’

Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, Minister of Trade and Industry, in a speech read on his behalf, said his ministry is currently implementing a new Industrial Policy and an Industrial Sector Support Programme (ISSP.)

This new initiative, he noted, is aimed at revitalizing and promoting Ghana’s manufacturing industries in order to make them locally and internationally competitive.

Samuel Apenteng, Vice President, AGI, in his remarks, observed that Ghana’s economy had become vulnerable due to the influx of cheap products.

He suggested that Ghana should create conducive business environment to reduce cost of operations and make Ghanaian products more competitive.

Mr. Apenteng said that the current energy crisis in the country was making Ghanaian industries less competitive, saying “the AGI continues to dialogue with the VRA, ECG, and GRIDCo and we are informed of measures being undertaken to bring the situation under control.

Chairman of the Trade Fair Committee, William Awuku, said 100 exhibitors and 25,000 visitors were expected to take part in the fair, adding that the fair would offer help manufacturers to display their products at a particular place and make profit.

Robert Nketia, Regional Chairman, AGI, Ashanti/BA, stressed that consumers should patronize made in Ghana goods.

FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi

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