Confusion erupts between EOCO, GRA over trucks carrying rosewood

Three trucks carrying rosewood from Dambai to Tema were intercepted at the Afienya axle weighing point in the Ningo Prampram District of the Greater Accra Region sparking confusion between the personnel from the Ghana Revenue Authority and Economic and Organised Crime Office.

The Counter Intelligence Unit of the GRA first intercepted five 20-footer containers carrying rosewood from Dambai to Tema Port on the Akosombo highway.

The interception comes on the back of a ban on the exportation of rosewoods.

The goods were intercepted at the Afienya Axle weighing point.

Following the arrest, the GRA personnel, who were accompanied by some armed soldiers, requested for the permit covering the consignment which led to some confusion between them and the personnel from EOCO, who emerged to claim jurisprudence over the consignment.

This led to some exchanges between the two units.

According to the GRA officer, who gave his name as Obiri Yeboah, the EOCO officials asked him to release the truck keys to them but he refused to do so with the excuse that, the GRA had to perform due diligence on the trucks at the customs collection point at the airport before it could be handed over to any other agency.

The release of the keys resulted in a confusion between the two parties which nearly became confrontational at a point.

While at it, the axle weighing officials were also demanding payment for the penalty for overloading the trucks carrying the rosewood which amounted to five thousand five hundred Ghana cedis.

This was however not adhered to as the soldiers that accompanied the GRA officials to the scene ordered the truck to move upon the orders from an officer from above whose name was not given to the media.

A security personnel at the Axle Load station, W.O, Musa Tibila expressed his disappointment at the manner in which the trucks were asked to be released without the payment.

He was however quick to add that despite the release, there was an assurance from the GRA that the amount in question would be collected from the owner of the goods and later sent to the head office of the axle loading.

Gov't has blown GHC500m on shady firm - NPP

The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has accused the John Dramani Mahama administration of paying GHS500million to a company with no contractual agreement with the state.

According to the party, cabinet has given the go-ahead for the use of the 10 per cent of the District Assembly’s Common Fund allocated to the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) for the illegal payment.

This was revealed by the Policy Advisor of the NPP, Mr Boakye Agyarko, at a news conference at the party’s headquarters in Accra on Wednesday 16 November.

Mr Agyarko said: “This amount is meant to pay for 45,000 workers who are actually on the payroll of the various district assemblies. So, the assemblies are responsible for paying the wages of the 45,000 and not the service provider. This act of corruption is a matter for which Ghanaians must demand and deserve answers.

“We also need to note the fact that the board of the Youth Employment Agency is being asked to take all necessary steps to ratify the sanitation contract for 2013 to 2015. Since this contract has expired and not in operation, why will they ratify it by back dating? They try to justify the necessity by claiming that sanitation activity could not be brought to an abrupt end countrywide. Yet this is not the case for nurses, teachers and other essential service workers who have active ongoing contracts yet have not been paid their salaries, which are many months in arrears,” he added.

Mr Agyarko further disclosed: “This illegal payment for non-existent contract is related to a previous scheme dating back to 2012, the same year that some $2billion of unbudgeted funds were spent in a reckless and corrupt way to fund John Mahama’s election bid,” adding: “The Auditor General’s report on the infamous Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA) highlighted the misappropriation of public funds, fraudulent transfers and illegal payments to various entities linked to friends and families of President John Mahama.”

Aston Villa Football Club is delighted to announce the signing of Jordan Ayew.

The 23-year-old forward has signed a five-year deal with the Club and joins from French side Lorient for an undisclosed fee.

The Ghana international arrives at Villa Park following the acquisitions of fellow Ligue 1 players Jordan Amavi and Idrissa Gueye.

Manager Tim Sherwood said: "I'm really pleased to bring Jordan to the football club.

"He is a fantastic young player who is perfectly suited to the Premier League."

Ayew completed his medical at Bodymoor Heath this morning before meeting his new team-mates for the first time.

Akuffo Addo and J. Mahama

Employment and Labour Relations Minister, Haruna Iddrisu says the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is a weak opposition party that cannot contest the Mahama administration in any electoral battle.

Speaking on Radio Gold’s “Alhaji and Alhaji” programme, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu said the NPP is not strong to keep the government in check and ensure that the government does not abuse the mandate that Ghanaians have given her.

“The NPP is a very weak political opposition. And I think that naturally it’s to our advantage. I have always said that President Mahama will always humble Nana Akufo-Addo in any electoral fight…We need a very strong virile opposition to keep the democracy running and to keep government in check, and to control excesses and abuses of government if there are any,” he said.

He further stated that the NPP flagbearer- Nana Akufo-Addo- is no match for President John Mahama so far as elections in the country are concerned.

According to him, President Mahama is not worried about Nana Addo contesting him and will not be threatened by him.

“He is not the President’s worry…The President’s worry is to fix the energy crisis and get the economy back on track but never threatened by the personality or the race of Nana Akufo-Addo,” he stressed.

Ghana's President Dies

John E.A Mills died today at a Military Hospital in Ghana. He was 68. He became Ghana's President in 2009 after winning a general election by a slim margin. His health had generated discussions among many Ghanaians for years until now.

This makes him the first president to have died in office since independence. A statement today, from the chief of staff confirming the death also intimated that the vice president will address the nation in due course.

President Mills returned from the USA after a routine medical check-up.

Kumasi Prophet ‘predicted’ accidents involving Ayariga, Avoka

The accidents involving the two high profile members of government over the weekend have been given spiritual interpretations.

Majority Leader Cletus Avoka and Deputy Education Minister Mahama Ayariga were both involved in separate accidents within a space of 24 hours.

Before the accidents, a Kumasi-based prophet, popularly known as Freeman, is said to have warned President Mills against passing through Bawku during his tour of the three northern regions.

Upper East Regional correspondent, Joseph Osei said he and other journalists were in a press van as part of the president’s convoy when word came round that a Kumasi-based Prophet had issued a warning that if the president passed through Bawku, he would be killed physically or spiritually.

According to Joseph Osei, the Prophet added that if the president escaped harm, some members of his government will be harmed.

The prophet, who claimed he had been praying for the president for the past two years, insisted that to avert any calamity, the entourage had to organize a prayer session before the president could pass through Bawku but the protocol officers ignored the advice.

The correspondent said, upon receiving the information, the journalists detailed one reporter to prompt the Upper East Regional Minister Mr Mark Wayongo to inform the president of the prophecy but the regional minister rubbished the warning, saying it was a false prophecy.

At this time, the president’s entourage was at Garu. From there the president passed through Bawku enroute to Bolga.

A few kilometres after Zebilla - located between Bawku and Bolga - which is also the constituency of Majority Leader Cletus Avoka, the vehicle of the MP was spotted turned upside-down.

Mr Avoka, who was on his way to his constituency from Bolga had his vehicle tyre burst and the car somersaulted several times.

Then Sunday morning, the accident involving Deputy Education Minister Mahama Ayariga was also reported appearing to lend credence to the prophecy.

Joseph Osei said some members of the entourage believed the prophecy.

Meanwhile the two government officials are responding to treatment.



Source: Joy News/Ghana

Ghana Wins 2 More Medals In Kenya

Ghana clinched two more medals at the ongoing Africa Athletics Championship in Kenya. The men and women’s 4 by 100 meter relay teams both won bronze in the finals respectively.

Aziz Zakari anchored the men’s relay team to third place with a time of 39.31 seconds behind Nigeria and South Africa. The women’s relay quartet made up of Rosina Amenebede, Elizabeth Amolofo, Beatrice Gyaman and Flings Owusu Agyapong, similarly came third in a time of 45.40 seconds behind Cameroun and Nigeria.

Ghana therefore has won three medals at the Championship so far. Sprinter Aziz Zakari earlier won silver in the men’s 100 meters.

Meanwhile, Heptathlete Margaret Simpson is poised to win a Gold medal following the completion of four out of the seven-event competition. The Mauritius based athlete leads the overall table rankings with 3,497 points. She is followed by Janet Wienand of South Africa with 3,289 points and Nigeria’s Patience Okoro in third with 3,277 points.