Effah-Dartey's disqualification upheld

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) on Friday upheld the decision of the Vetting Committee (VC) not to allow Captain Nkrabeah Effah-Darteh (rtd), to contest the Presidential slot of the party slated for Saturday December 22.

This was the outcome of a meeting held by NEC on an appeal brought before it by Capt. Effah-Darteh against his disqualification when he appeared before the VC on November 28 and 30 for vetting, and read at a Press Conference in Accra.The statement read by Mr. Peter Mac Manu, National Chairman of the party said having gone through his submissions, including statutory declarations, NEC found out that Capt Effah-Darteh misled the VC on the charges preferred against him.

Mr Manu said the Committee found Capt. Effah-Darteh's appeal as being unmeritorious, and therefore endorsed VC's decision of disqualifying him as a Presidential material for the NPP.Giving the background of the incident which bordered on his conviction, the National Chairman said when Capt. Effah-Darteh appeared before the VC, it was detected that he failed to answer one critical paragraph on the form, which required him to indicate whether he had ever been convicted of any criminal offence.

Mr Manu said Capt. Effah-Darteh could not offer any tangible explanation as to why he left that portion blank, and so when further pushed to the wall, he for the first time admitted having been convicted of a criminal offence, adding that, he was charged with two counts of mutiny and misconduct.The National Chairman indicated that Capt. Effah-Darteh told the VC that he was acquitted and discharged on the count of mutiny, but was convicted on misconduct and accordingly sentenced to dismissal from the Ghana Army Forces with disgrace in addition to 23 months' imprisonment.

Mr Manu said while the former young army officer was serving his sentence pronounced on May 31, 1981, the December 31 coup took place, and he was released from prison and granted pardon by the then Chairman of the Provisional National Defence Council.The National Chairman said Capt. Effah-Darteh, having failed to provide the VC with proof of his pardon, was given 24 hours to furnish it with information on the matter.Mr Manu said when Capt. Effah-Darteh could not convince the VC on November 30, it recommended that he should be disqualified from contesting the Presidential slot.He said in view of the lack of candour in dealing with the VC, NEC applied to the military authorities for records of the trial of Capt Effah-Darteh, who was court-marshalled on April 14, 1981.

The National Chairman said from the military records, it came to light that the former army officer was tried on four, instead of two counts as he previously alleged, and found guilty on three of them. Mr Manu indicated that he was sentenced to dismissal from the GAF, and 23 months' jail term, but following the December 31, 1981 military take-over, captain's sentence was mitigated by the then military government as a result of which he was honourably released from the GAF with effect from August 14, 1981.He said as part of the conditions for his release, Capt.

Effah-Darteh was expressly prohibited from using his rank of Captain in civil life, and had to be warned in writing by the military secretary on July 19, 1994 from using the military rank when it was detected that he was still was using it in civil life to the prohibition.Mr Manu said, NEC had no doubt from the nature of the charges preferred against Captain Effah-Darteh, that all those offences bordered on the security of the state.For that reason, the National Chairman said, Capt Effah-Darteh was being disqualified from becoming President of Ghana, whether he had been granted a free pardon or not, and however long the passage of time, since his conviction.

The NEC, he said, accordingly endorsed the earlier decision by VC to disqualify Capt. Effah-Darteh from contesting the flagbearship race of the party on December 22.As to whether the money he paid as contesting fee would be refunded to him, Mr Manu said it was a matter that would be considered at a different and another forum if Capt. Effah-Darteh applied for it.
Source:GNA

Ghana's President Orders New Private Aircraft

According to the AFRICA INTELLIGENCE n°528 - 8/11/2007 (LA LETTRE DU CONTINENT), the President of Ghana, John Kufuor, has ordered a New Falcon Aircraft. The 900 series, was sold by DASSAULT, at the cost of $37 Million and the plane is scheduled to be delivered in February 2010. The deal was done through SSB Bank in Accra.

"This must be a mistake, because parliament knows nothing about this deal" , said an NDC member of parliament(MP), when asked to comment on the news item. "He [Kufuor] leaves office in 2009, so I wonder why this deal was done in such a hurry" said an MP of the ruling party.

Aggudey fails tax test - can't stand for CPP flag bearer

Mr. George Aggudey, is likely to miss the chance to contest for the flag bearer race of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP), as the 48 hour deadline for submitting his tax clearance certificate expires today Thursday December 6, 2007.Mr. Aggudey and two others, Accra based lawyer, Bright Akwetey and Dr. Kwaku Osafo were expected to submit their tax clearance certificates as requested by the party.

To qualify to contest for the position to lead the party in the 2008 elections, candidates were required to submit their tax clearance certificates before the December 15, 2007 congress. The deadline for submission was however set on Thursday December 6, 2007.By the close of Thursday December 6, 2007, Mr. Aggudey was yet to submit his tax clearance certificate.Last Monday December 3, 2007, the party gave the three contestants 48 hours to submit personal documents to certify that they had fulfilled their tax obligations.

In the case of Mr. Aggudey, who led the party in the 2004 elections, he is also expected to submit proof of payment of his employees’ Social Security contributions to dthe vetting committee.The other two, Mr. Akwetey and Dr. Osafo have submitted their tax clearance certificates.

President Kufuor off to Portugal

President John Agyekum Kufuor, who is the African Union Chairman, leaves Accra on Thursday night to attend the European Union-African Union (AU) summit in Lisbon, Portugal. The AU Chairman would also lead Africa in the summit scheduled for December 8-9, 2007.

A statement signed by Mr Andrew Awuni, Press Secretary to the President and Presidential Spokesman, said the meeting would discuss contemporary global issues that affected the two continents and establish the basis for a long-term strategic partnership between Europe and Africa.

The statement said the summit was expected to adopt a joint strategy and an action plan to deal with the many outstanding commitments in Trade, Aid and Development Assistance made in the past.

It said the summit would also discuss peace and security, democracy and human right, migrations as well as energy and climate change. Some senior government officials would accompany President Kufuor. Eighty countries that make up the EU-AU partnership as well as Heads of Regional Institutions from both continents will be attending the Lisbon summit.

Source:

GNA

Giver and taker wrong, says GJA ......Soli = Bribe

The Ghana Journalist Association is asking its members to file a complaint against event organisers who offer gifts including money to influence their reportage.

The GJA says event organisers have repeatedly been asked to stop offering cash, usually in envelopes, widely know to journalists as ‘soli’. But it says the practise seems to be continuing.

The case against financial inducement was highlighted at a round table discussion, which equated the payments of money to journalists to taking bribes.

Within the Journalist Association executives are divided in their position on the issue. The Acting President of the association in the Ashanti Region says it is not wrong for journalists to accept money from people who appreciate their work.

But the national President of the GJA, Ransford Tetteh says the association’s policy frowns on it and urges journalists not to hesitate to revert to the association if an event organiser offers to give them soli.

Meanwhile the General Secretary of the Advertisers Association of Ghana, Francis Dadzie says it will not be fair to ask journalists to lodge complaints against event organisers.

According to him, pressmen must bear equal responsibility for demanding money from event organisers and said he would be glad to see the day journalists would be bold enough to stand up against monetary offers from people who require their services.

NPP in a Fierce Friendly Fire

The Accra Daily Mail says even as the NPP was toasting itself last Sunday at its national rally at Kasoa, there were growing signs that the ruling party is losing its way in its succession programme. Dissatisfaction, suspicion, fear and even hate have taken over in this mean spirited campaign to succeed President Kufuor.

According to the paper, an agitated chairman of a Brong Ahafo constituency, pleading strict anonymity, last Friday night spoke to ADM on what he described as the "terrible thing happening to our party". He told ADM that a former minister, also the MP for a constituency in Kumasi "descended" on the Brong Ahafo Region to canvass support for a presidential aspirant.

This former minister told the B.A. constituency chairmen that he was campaigning for "the preferred choice of Accra". The significance of "Accra" was not lost on the chairmen and they quickly grasped the meaning.

This former minister, himself the subject of much controversy, leading to his resignation last year, then proceeded to offer "assistance" to the constituency executives to influence them to entice delegates to vote for Accra's choice. Each constituency chairman received ¢10 million, other executive members each received ¢3 million; ¢10 million was also "donated" to each constituency to "help" with the organization of delegate selection. By the end of it all, ¢150 million had been spent on each constituency.

Special mobile phones were also given to each of the executives. The chairman who spoke to ADM said "we were given mobile phones with television". These must be the latest multimedia phones on the market. He departed with the promise that more would follow once Accra's bidding is achieved.

Reports from Tamale and the north, according to the paper, also spoke of lesser amounts and some cheap phones floating about.

It is circulated that now that the delegates are selected, the leading spender is ready to visit each delegate with an envelope containing US dollars!

A Central Region constituency chairman called a source known to ADM and narrated a similar story. According to him the aspirant himself had "descended" on the Central Region and splurged ¢50 million on each constituency with the promise of more to come.

The complaining chairman was grateful for the windfall but concerned about the legacy of such politicking.

This heavy spending is replicated all over the regions and constituencies but in fairness, not by all the aspirants but by a few who have constituted themselves into the elite of "moneycracy" throwing all caution to the wind and openly using money to determine the outcome of this month's congress.

The principle or lack of it in this strategy is to use money and more money where persuasion with ideas fails. So far the party leadership and elders have remained cagey about this development which makes total nonsense of "Zero Tolerance for Corruption", said the paper.

Compounding this murky use of money in the race to succeed President Kufuor is the sinister role being played by some Regional Ministers, Municipal and District Chief Executives. These Ministers, MCEs and DCEs, also claiming instructions from Accra have adopted tactics that can only be described as intimidation and coercion to whip constituency executives into line to ensure a win for Accra's choice.

For some inexplicable reason, it is the RMs, DCE, and MCEs of the three Northern regions who have been targeted in this grand strategy. Recent sackings and appointments have rather heightened the suspicion that Accra may indeed be sending a strong message to MCEs and DCEs to fall in line.

Exercising his right to remain anonymous, a DCE complained to an ADM source that they are on strict orders to deliver their districts to Accra's choice. In an interesting turn of events, this DCE told the ADM source to "use your influence in the media to blow this up because we are under intense pressure." And that is how come ADM got this lead. ADM has since cross-checked with other sources in the Northern Regional capital, Tamale and meetings at the MCE's residence and other places to advance Accra's choice have been confirmed.

In the Upper East Region, the Regional Minister is reported to be rounding up regional and constituency executives to "convince" them to bloc vote on December 22. But the Northern Regional Minister, who is said to be eyeing a running mate slot promised him by another aspirant is "bravely" holding out and is said therefore to be in open confrontation with his MCE who is neck deep in the grand strategy to deliver to Accra's choice.

The above narration could be put down to the intrigues of the cloak and dagger politics of the Third World. Perhaps, but is that not also the genesis of all the trouble spots of the continent?




Source: The Accra Daily Mail

Former NACOB boss calls for fresh investigations into missing cocaine

A former director of the Narcotics Control Board, (NACOB) Mr. K B Quantson has asked government to open fresh investigations into how 2,310 kilograms of cocaine went missing on board the shipping vessel M. V. Benjamin.

77 parcels of the drug each weighing 30 kilograms disappeared on the high seas in 2006, in what is thought to be the biggest cocaine scandal in the country.

Although a committee chaired by the current Chief Justice Georgina Wood was set up last year to investigate the case and other narcotics related matters, the drugs were never found.

Only last week, the fast track High court sentenced two drug barons Issa Abass and Kwabena Amanin alias Tagor to 15 years in jail with hard labour following recorded conversations that linked both men to the lost cocaine.

Mr. Quanson says the Attorney General should also come out to explain why the Police Director of Operations ACP Kofi Boakye is not facing prosecution.

Speaking to Joy News’ Matilda Asante on the question of wether the sentencing of the two suspects Alhaji Issa Abass and Kwabena Amanin demonstrates government’s commitment to check drug trafficking, he said this case is one deterrent one, but except it is followed by an aggressive enforcement system the message won’t go down well.

He also said assets of the convicted barons should be confiscated and followed by a continuous sensitization of the whole country.

Mr. Quantson is also advocating for a national programme through the schools, churches and mosques to sensitise the people because the drugs menace is a problem of the people.

On the missing 77 parcels, Mr. Quantson said every effort must be made to find the drugs.