Nana To Nominate Running Mate In Final Phase Of Campaign

The National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Mr Jake Obestebi Otanka Lamptey, has indicated that the decision to nominate the party’s running mate will not be made on the basis of organised lobbying.

He said that Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, the presidential candidate of the party, would nominate his running mate in consultation with the National Council of the party as part of the launch of the final phase of his campaign.

In a statement he said that “this is what we have traditionally done, and this is what we will do this time.”

Article 12(B) of the NPP constitution states that: "The Party’s Presidential Candidate shall, in consultation with the National Council, nominate the Vice-Presidential Candidate."

In particular, Mr Obestebi Lamptey pointed out that “it takes a strong position against those who seek to champion one candidate or the other through media lobbying.”

Accordingly, he advised all those who wished to champion a candidate to desist from doing so.

Instead, he called on all such people to focus on the real work the party had to do on the ground to win both the presidential and parliamentary elections in 2012.

Security Man Commits Suicide

A 48-year-old security man with a car company in Accra, last Thursday hanged himself in his kitchen where he was presumed to be preparing food.

Residents of Kaneshie Palace Street, near the Ga Mantse Palace where he lived, were dumbfounded at the man’s action.

The deceased, Charles Awele Quaye, was said to have committed the act around 4:30 pm on August 19, 2010, when the wife and some family members thought he was inside the kitchen preparing their evening meal as he often did.

According to Madam Christabel Sackey, his wife with whom he has three children, when she entered the kitchen to find out what the husband was preparing for the family, she was shocked to see him hanging on the ceiling.

“I thought he was preparing food inside the kitchen and so I entered only to find my darling husband hanging on a linen rope in the kitchen,” she stated.

The Kaneshie Divisional Crime Officer, DSP Dogbevia K. Wonder, who lead a team of police personnel to the scene, narrated to DAILY GUIDE that Christabel Sackey reported the matter to the police around 5pm, on August 19, 2010.

“The police then proceeded to the scene and saw the 48-year-old man hanged on a linen rope in their kitchen.”

He said the body has since been deposited at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital for autopsy.

Meanwhile, the police, according to the Divisional Crime Officer, do not suspect any foul play until an autopsy report proves otherwise.

By Linda Tenyah

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I Don’t Feel Safe

Ebo Barton-Odro-Deputy Attorney General


“I have felt insulted, scandalized, and indeed bastardized all in the name of the AG’s office to play politics with the bench in general and with me in particular. I am no politician. I am a judge and have taken an oath to dispense justice to all manner of persons irrespective of whatever.

“I will only plead in the name of the Almighty God that they stop these useless propaganda against the bench and get their act together as professional lawyers instead of appearing to be political stooges.

“I have gone through very low moments because of these unsubstantiated accusations but I console myself in the fact that the legal fraternity, who are better placed to assess me, do not regard me as bad and irresponsible alcoholic judge as Barton-Oduro and his party wanted the Ghanaian public to believe.”

These were the words of Justice Anthony Oppong, the High Court judge who was trying 15 people suspected of killing Ya Na Yakubu Andani II, overlord of Dagbon, before he stepped down from the case.

He stated yesterday that he did not feel safe enough to continue sitting on the trial.

“I must quickly put it on record that in view of what is happening in this country, particularly the threats of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) chairman, I do not feel safe at all in handling this case.

I will not take anything for granted because this country has a history. In the circumstances, I will invoke Section 104 of the Court’s Act, 1993, Act 459 and crave the indulgence of Her Ladyship the Chief Justice, in all humility and with the greatest respect, to transfer this case from this court.”

Justice Oppong gave the shocking ruling at the Fast Track High Court Four in Accra when the 15 suspects standing trial appeared before him.

On August 16, 2010, when full trial started, Rexford Wiredu, a Principal State Attorney prosecuting, dropped a bombshell by claiming that the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Betty Mould-Iddrisu, intended to object to the judge handling the case on the grounds of bias.

The judge then asked the Attorney General’s Department to formalize the application by pointing out the bias they (AG) were claiming and adjourned the case to yesterday August 23, 2010 for the motion to be moved.

However, before the motion could be heard, the Deputy Attorney General, Ebo Barton-Oduro, was said to have granted a radio interview and accused Justice Oppong of being a drunkard and making prejudicial comments about the case at a drinking bar and that a woman had told him of the incident.

Declining to sit on the case, Justice Oppong said “for the ten years that I have been privileged to sit on the Ghanaian bench, the past few days, since August 19, 2010, have proved to be the lowest moments for me.”

He stated, “I have been confronted with the weirdest and unmeritorious application by no other personality than the Attorney-General.”

The judge said Mr. Barton-Oduro had accused him of being “a drunkard” and being “irresponsible enough to have gone to a drinking bar and under the influence of alcohol, made prejudicial comments about this case.”

“I vehemently deny this. I have never been to a drinking bar and made any comments whatsoever on this Ya Na’s murder case. I challenge Mr. Barton-Oduro to substantiate or render unqualified apology to me for running me that down.”

He said the impression being created that the Ya Na murder trial is an NDC case “is devoid of substance”, explaining “in any event, the AG’s office is not an appendage of the NDC.

The AG, Deputy AG, all the lawyers in the office are not workers or staff of the NDC. They are on the payroll of the Republic of Ghana and not the NDC.”

Justice Oppong, who seemed disturbed by the turn-out of events, advised that lawyers at the AG’s office must first and foremost see themselves as professionals and not party functionaries, saying “they are there to make their expertise and knowledge in the law available in the supreme interest of the Republic of Ghana.”

He said since the Ya Na suffered an unnatural death and some people have been accused of killing him, there was no need to play politics with the case, adding “the AG’s duty is to bring cogent and convincing evidence that is capable of convincing the jury to return a verdict of guilty.”

He noted “this is a jury trial and it is not the judge who will pronounce these accused persons guilty. It is the jury that will do this so why should anyone accuse me of bias.

“Perhaps Barton-Oduro, Esquire, is forgetting that being the Deputy Attorney-General, he is the second leader of the bar and in this regard, a higher standard of legal practice is expected of him.

Why would a person of that caliber go on radio and use me as a pawn to score cheap political points, painting me as the worst judge in this country?”

He said the Deputy AG must be ashamed of himself and must also be told that this is not how he should object to judges sitting on a case for whatever reason.

“If he did that to bring disaffection or hatred to me and for that matter the judiciary, he did nothing worthy of praise because one does not cut his nose to spite his face.”

When the AG raised the objection of bias against Justice Oppong and he asked the AG’s office to file the motion stating their grounds, the AG rather filed an application for judicial review which had no returning date and did not even notify lawyers handling the15 accused persons.

Justice Oppong, before giving the ruling, stated that as long as the registrar had not fixed a date for the AG’s judicial review application or placed it before the court, he was not going to hear it and asked the prosecutor “do you expect that the very judge against whom the application has been filed will be the judge that will hear the application?”

Ebo Barton-Oduro, confused by the latest development, told Joy FM that he had a tape recording in which Justice Oppong said he would “throw out the case”.

The judge was alleged to have told a lady at a drinking bar that the case would be thrown out.

“If he thinks that he did not say it and he wants that matter to be gone into, I am ready. I am telling you, I have the evidence. When I interviewed the lady, I recorded it. It is on tape; I don’t do things just for the fun of it,” he said.

Asked if the interview was a third party interview, the deputy AG retorted: “What are you telling me?: The lady who was sitting on {sic} the table with him when he made the pronouncements. Let’s not go into that,” he warned.

He has threatened to make the tape public if Justice Oppong continued to cast aspersions at him.

But Justice Oppong has thrown a challenge to Barton-Oduro to go public with the so-called tape.

By William Yaw Owusu


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Mills: I have faith in the judiciary

President J.E.A. Mills has contradicted the views of the ruling party's Chairman Dr Kwabena Adjei who said the judiciary needed to be purged.
He said the judiciary was an independent institution and his government had no intention of tampering with it.

The president was speaking on his arrival at the Kotoka International Airport Monday morning, to news men and high powered delegation including the vice president, John Dramani Mahama.

President Mills' party Chairman last week said the judiciary needed to be cleansed of its perceived corruption and political bias.

His comments followed a consistent loss of high profile cases at the courts by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice.

An Aide to the president, Nii Lantey Vanderpuije told journalists the president fully backed his chairman but the president says he has no intention of purging the institution of any perceived political bias.

He debunked claims he went to the United States to seek medical treatment.

He has been out for close to a week in what government spokespersons say is part of a short leave.

Some critics say he is out to seek medical treatment.

But the president told journalists that he has absolute faith in the doctors in Ghana and did not seek medical treatment in the US.

"It is a pity that whenever I am out of public view, it is about my health. Let's concentrate on what is worthy."

Joy FM's correspondent Seth Kwame Boateng who was present at airport said the president took time to respond to some pertinent issues that came up in his absence.

He also commented on the Kosmos-Exxonmobil controversy which took centre stage in his absence.

President Mills is heading to the Castle but it is not clear if he will resume work today.

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A-G wants Great Lamptey Mills school shutdown

The Attorney General and Minister of Justice has recommended the closure of the Great Lamptey Mills Institute in Accra.

The proprietor and head of the school has been arrested and charged with rape and forced marriage of one of his students.

The A-G, Mrs. Betty Mould-Iddrisu wants the Ghana Education Service to apply sanctions provided by the Education Service Act.

The recommendations are contained in a seven-page document to the sector minister and the GES for action.

Enoch Nii Lamptey Mills, the 42-year old educationist and proprietor is also found guilty of professional misconduct.

Lamptey Mills is currently in police custody pending his trial for alleged rape and forced marriage.

The A-G ordered his re-arrest over his affair with a 16-year-old former student of the school.

His alleged acts, according to the A-G, have dented the image of the Education Service and only severe sanctions by the GES could help repair the damage.

Excerpts of the report is as follows;

According to the Attorney General, Enoch Nii Lamptey Mills acted in breach of section 2(1) and 2(2) of the Children's Act by having sexual relations with the 16-year old student, and getting her out of school after impregnating her.

He is also found to have committed an offence by rushing the victim into marriage against her will. This is against section 14(1) C of the Act which pegs the minimum age of marriage at 18 years.

The AG says there is sufficient evidence on the docket to press charges of rape and forced marriage against the proprietor of Great Lamptey Mills Institute.

He has, accordingly, been with the said offences. Bail is not to be granted on the charge of rape for which Mr. Lamptey Mills faces between 7 and 25 years in jail if convicted.

The AG makes reference to the Ghana Education Service Act which forbids teachers from indulging in immoral relations with their pupils or students.

It becomes even serious when Mr. Lamptey Mills – owner and head of the school is the man at the center of the alleged breaches.

AG recommends the school be shut down because the education service Act prescribes the sanction.

The sanction is applied when education ministry cannot guarantee the welfare and safety of pupils or students attending that school.

In the case of Lamptey Mills school, the AG is convinced students are exposed to danger because there is another media report of defilement by a music teacher of the school in March this year.

Democracy - Participation without Intimidation - ‘My Life Is In Danger’

Gifty Ohene Konadu


THE NEW Patriotic Party (NPP) Women’s Organizer for the Asante Akim South Constituency in the Ashanti Region, Madam Comfort Asamoah, insists her life is in great danger and has thus appealed for help from several groups including the Parliamentary Women’s Caucus.

Madam Asamoah alleged that some thugs had been harassing her and laid the blame at the doorstep of the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Hon. Gifty Ohene Konadu, who is also an NPP member.

She alleged that the MP has engaged the services of one Arimeyaw, also a staunch member of the NPP, to eliminate her because “Hon. Ohene Konadu is afraid that I am secretly campaigning for someone to topple her as MP in the next polls.”

To buttress her claim, Madam Asamoah gave some instances where Hon. Konadu allegedly engaged some people to attack her physically.

According to her, it all started on September 13, 2009, around 10:00pm, when the MP stormed her home with four police officers and a certain guy to arrest her for no apparent reason.

The NPP Women’s Organizer said she was tied to a tree with a rope at the police station and attempts by the NPP constituency chairman to get her released proved futile until the DCE of the area, who is an NDC fan, intervened.

The then Ashanti Regional leadership of the NPP, led by its organizer, Abdella, later sat “me and Hon. Konadu down over the arrest, where she admitted her guilt and apologized never to repeat that act again.”

Two weeks later, the MP hired some thugs to physically attack her at an NPP function at Asante Akim Praso, but she was luckily saved by people around before her attackers could harm her.

Again, Madam Asamoah alleged that on July 22, 2010, when the NPP was preparing for its national congress, one Arimeyaw, a known errand boy of Hon. Konadu, slapped her without provocation.

After beating her, Arimeyaw openly warned her that if she continued sabotaging the MP, he would make sure that she would be eliminated before the 2012 elections are held.

According to her, she suspected that the MP had told Arimeyaw to manhandle her on that occasion because “people close to the MP have told me to be very careful since the MP has warned to eliminate me before the next elections are held.”

In the face of these threats, Madam Asamoah passionately appealed to bodies like the Parliamentary Women’s Caucus, Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit and the Ghana Bar Association, just to mention a few, to intervene.

Meanwhile, Arimeyaw has flatly debunked the wild allegations leveled against him and Hon. Konadu and even went on to describe Madam Asamoah as a blatant liar who wants to taint the MP’s hard-won image.

Reacting to the allegations on Angel FM, he said Madam Asamoah’s main preoccupation was to peddle unfounded liars just to create discord and disaffection among the rank and file of the NPP in the constituency.

He said the MP “who is like a mother to me has never engaged my services or the services of any other person to eliminate Madam Asamoah,” asking, I am killing her to get what?”

Arimeyaw said Madam Asamoah was ethnocentric and always looked down upon NPP fans from different tribes, especially those from the northern part of the country.

“She treats us like animals and since Hon. Konadu embraces every manner of person irrespective of your background, she hates her so much and wants to adopt diabolical plans to put her in the bad light of the public,” he added, challenging Madam Asamoah to produce any evidence she had.

From I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Konongo, Ashanti

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Ivory Coast hires Zahoui to coach national team

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP)—Francois Zahoui has succeeded Sven-Goran Eriksson as Ivory Coast coach.

Ivory Coast Football Federation general secretary Hego Ouattara announced that Zahoui agreed a two-year contract on Saturday.

After Eriksson guided the Ivory Coast at the World Cup, Zahoui took charge of the team on a temporary basis for a 1-0 victory over Italy in a friendly earlier this month.

The 49-year-old Zahoui is a former midfielder, who played in France for Toulon and Nancy

Michael Essien Quits Black Stars

Ghana’s midfielder Michael Essien has temporarily put his international career on hold saying he will not play for the Black Stars for some time.

This comes after coach Milovan Rajevac said he would welcome the fit-again Chelsea enforcer for next month’s African Cup of Nations qualifier against Swaziland.

But Essien feels after so many recent injury setbacks, he wants to concentrate on getting back to his best with Chelsea.

The midfielder believes that his absence will not be severe on his country as players like Anthony Annan, Kevin Prince Boateng and Emmanuel Agyemang Badu have excelled in his (Essien’s) absence.

“I think I will be taking a break. Not retiring, just not playing for (the) time (being). I have to take the right decision for myself. I don’t know whether they (Ghana) will be disappointed because they have done fine without me,” said Essien.

Essien missed the World Cup in South Africa in June because of a knee injury, but despite his absence the Black Stars reached the last eight of the tournament.

He suffered the injury while training at the African Cup of Nations in Angola in January and only recently returned to action for Chelsea.

The English side has also recently brought in players who are capable of competing with Essien for his starting place in the squad.

His absence in the Black Stars squad means other young players with hopes of playing the national team could be given the chance to exhibit their skills and potential.

Stephen Appiah retires from Black Stars

Ghana midfielder legend Stephen Appiah has announced his retirement from international football, Ghanasoccernet can exclusively reveal.
The 29-year-old had been pondering his future since Ghana’s quarter final exit at the 2010 World Cup exit in July.

Appiah, who made his debut for the Black Stars in 1996, led his country to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 2006 and the 2010 tournament in South Africa.

“I have thought long and hard over this decision with my family, the Ghana FA and my friends,” Appiah told Ghanasoccernet.com exclusively.

“I think that this is the right moment for me to make way for the younger ones to take over the mantle because I believe they are capable.

“Deputy captain John Mensah has shown that he is overly competent to lead the team and give guidance while the other senior players are also available to give the necessary support.

“Ghana football has given me a lot and for that I am grateful to the people of my country for giving me the noble opportunity to represent them.

“The people of Africa have in diverse ways supported Ghana during my period of playing for my country and to them also I am grateful.

“It is now time for me to concentrate on my club career but I am available in any capacity to help my country if my country needs my experience and knowledge.

“The future of Ghana football is bright and I know that even without me the Black Stars will continue to flourish.

Appiah will go down as one of Ghana’s all-time greats, having helped the country to qualify for the World Cup for the first time.

And he played a major role during his playing time of the Black Stars as he made 68 appearances and scored 17 goals.

As the captain of the Black Stars, Appiah is seen as the major reason why Ghana qualified for the World Cup for the first as he united the squad previously plagued by infighting.

Ghana had been blessed my many talented players in the past including three-time African Player of the Year Abedi Pele and former Germany Bundesliga top scorer Anthony Yeboah but they could not lead to country to the World Cup.

His inspirational qualities have always been hailed by the Ghana FA and several coaches who have led the Black Stars in recent times.

Judges Spit Fire

Daily Guide

In a rare and brusque mode, judges in the country have kicked against the vitriolic utterances against them by the national chairman of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr. Kwabena Adjei, and stated their loyalty and confidence in the Chief Justice.
“We also pledge our unflinching support to the Hon. Chief Justice of Ghana and the Judicial Council in their effort to build a Judiciary of excellent repute,” they pledged.
Speaking through their umbrella association, the Association of Magistrates and Judges of Ghana (AMJG), they expressed resentment to any attempts to divide their ranks.
The statement, signed by Justices Joseph B. Akamba and Elizabeth Ankumah, President and Secretary respectively, served notice that “we refuse to be party to any attempt to divide our ranks in this noble institution that gives hope for our dear country.”
The executive, they explained, would come and go but the noble institution of the judiciary would remain as the bastion of hope for the future of this country.
They appear to have taken a particular exception to the “there are several ways of killing a cat” remark by Dr. Kwabena Adjei, which they found incongruous with the “better Ghana” agenda mantra of the ruling party.
“If history is a lesson to anybody, such utterances as ‘cleaning the Judiciary’ or ‘there are several ways to kill a cat’ should not come from the party that begat the government of the day which aspires to make this nation a better Ghana.”
As for the remark by the chairman about Christ’s inability to salvage the perceived bias by judges, AMJG considered it both insensitive and unfortunate “and ought not to have come from the honourable chairman.”
Continuing to fire from all cylinders, the judges spat at the chairman who they said could have availed himself of the appropriate channels instead of, as they put it, playing to the gallery.
“Judges are as much Ghanaian as anybody else; so if there are any problems regarding any member of the Bench or the Service, these could be addressed through the appropriate channels and not to play to the gallery,” they said.
Ghana, they stated, has a lot to learn from neighbouring countries about the need for circumspection and discretion in utterances which can spark commotion.
The judiciary, they stated, would not stop looking up to the good people of this country for the confidence reposed in them to do justice without fear or favour.
They found it unfortunate for the NDC chairman to level a charge of bias against the bench, when according to them, “there are several dimensions to the success of a case. Judges, by their oaths, have a duty to uphold and sustain the democracy in our country, more so when the stability and prosperity of our nation lie in the confidence the citizens, investors and all other stakeholders place in our justice system.”
The courts, they maintained, did not see cases in party colours, adding “for any criminal prosecution to succeed, the state must successfully discharge its burden of proof in order to secure a conviction.”
A lot of reforms have been initiated to improve service delivery by the bench, they pointed out, asking members of the public to provide concrete information of any malfeasance but quickly added that “the utterance at the press conference that the NDC as a party would cleanse the judiciary was most unfortunate in the light of all the strenuous efforts being put into this house-cleaning effort being championed by the Judicial Council, the Hon. Chief Justice and the various committees put in place to ensure accountability at various levels.”
The notice that the NDC would cleanse the judiciary for them smacks of a stab at the independence of the Judiciary and its ability to work above itself to ensure the continued confidence of the Ghanaian people.
“We pray and hope that we would not have cause to revisit such sentiments again. We want to assure the nation that we do not have NDC, NPP, PNC, CPP, GCPP or any other political parties on the bench,” they assured.
Turning to the ruling about which the NDC chairman instigated the party’s foot-soldiers to vent their spleen over the judges, they explained it was based on Justice Marful-Sau’s understanding of the law “and it is refreshing that the Attorney-General’s Department has stated that it is preparing to challenge that interpretation. Such a step, if embarked upon, is in consonance with the spirit of the Constitution.”
The judiciary, they stated, did not initiate the trial of accused persons but the Attorney General does, adding “a lawyer is as good as his brief and if the brief is not good, it shows in its outcome. However, a well-prepared brief that is also well-presented plus the proper deployment of quality of witnesses would show that investigations had been properly conducted.”
Judges have undergone seminars on the new law in CI 47 (High Court civil procedure rules) by which they explained that the Chief Justice could assign matters for quick disposal during public holidays and other days previously known as “non-days”, they explained.
By invoking a constitutional instrument as the Chief Justice did, she was doing something approved by Parliament and so was not acting untowardly as the party chairman sought to impress, the judges observed.
As regards the empanelling of the Supreme Court and Courts of Appeal to hear cases that are brought before them, they noted that it is the prerogative of the Chief Justice.
Dr. Kwabena Adjei stirred controversy when, unsatisfied with the verdict of a judge in the matter of Kwadwo Mpiani and Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobby in alleged malfeasance in their management of the Ghana @50 celebrations, asked for the purging of the judiciary.
In the absence of such a purge, the NDC would embark upon the cleansing exercise and dare anybody who challenges them, he said.
By A.R. Gomda

Africans want to see real benefits before they pay taxes

People want to see what their government is doing for them before giving it any money in taxation

Motorists in Sierra Leone's capital are not happy having to pay taxes when roads are full of pot holes, and piped water is nothing more than a pipe dream.

It is a Catch 22 situation. Without money, the government cannot improve the infrastructure and yet, without that infrastructure, people do not want to pay taxes.

Governments need to collect money from its citizens to pay for health, education, transport networks, public salaries and security, which, even at a basic level, allow the economy to function properly.

But many people are reluctant to pay taxes because they believe that tax money is not being spent in the right places. Governments say that tax evasion leaves them without money to provide the services people want.

Wake-up call
Tax inspectors in Africa often have to cope with insufficient resources and are faced with the daunting prospect of extracting money from a population that, generally speaking, is extremely reluctant to pay up.

Progress has been made in some countries but it remains problematic for many administrations.

According to Nkosana Moyo of the African Development Bank, taxation is a sophisticated social arrangement between citizens and companies, and the government.

"It is a contractual relationship - I pay my taxes, but there has to be value given back," he says.

African governments must wake up to this fact," he adds. "The more you get value for your tax dollars, the more people will be prepared to say they are building their country."

Success stories

Even in countries that have discovered new oil riches, it can be difficult to get the taxes rolling in from individuals and businesses.

Professor Paul Collier, director of the Centre for the Study of African Economies at Oxford University, maintains that every state needs a working tax system.

"Historically, the sequence of building capable states has started with the provision of security, and that comes from a tax base," he says.

He points out that much of the economy in Africa is informal and it is harder to tax people.

Because of endemic corruption, he also believes that governments need to build integrity into the tax collection system.

He says that the governor of Lagos State, Nigeria, has done a very good job of building the tax base and has spent money well.

"By breaking the infrastructure bottlenecks that were jamming Lagos up, citizens are beginning to see that they are getting something for their taxes and they are much more willing to pay them," he says
In neighbouring Sierra Leone, strict enforcement is making more people pay.

A local tax has been introduced, and a goods and services tax replaces seven taxes which had previously existed but were rarely paid.

"We have to simplify our tax system and make sure they are affordable at the end of the day," says Sierra Leone finance minister Dr Samura Kamara.

Collecting taxes in Sierra Leone has been made easier with better trained staff, computers and more resources.

But many people, scraping a tiny profit, avoid getting registered formally to escape paying taxes.
Big companies, meanwhile, tend to be over-taxed.

"But if you broaden that base, you could then afford to reduce the tax imposed on individual companies," says Professor Collier.

"If you broaden it and make taxes lower, you will actually capture more," he asserts.

Corruption concerns

Corruption is a burden on ordinary people, acting as an indiscriminate tax.

Some people pay and some do not, while the gatherers use the money they collect for nobody's benefit except their own.

Although Africa does not have a monopoly, it is the most corrupt continent according to Transparency International, the organisation which monitors corruption worldwide.

On a recent visit to Ghana, US President Barack Obama highlighted the problem: "No business wants to invest in a country where the government skims 20% off the top."

Donald Kaberuka, the current president of the African Development Bank, believes the situation is improving.

"Corruption is an issue on top of our minds," he says.

He maintains that accountability is now anchored and strongly defended by the African people themselves.

"We seem to have pockets of difficulties but I believe we are making progress," he insists.

Some people argue that corruption can help an economy - that the greasing of palms can make an enterprise easier to trade.

Mr Kaberuka does not agree: "I cannot imagine a situation where corruption helps the poor or the rich, because it is a taxation - it is a cost."

The president of Ivory Coast's chamber of commerce Jean-Louis Bignon feels the same: "Corruption is high, so it is difficult to do business in the Ivory Coast."

"A business like cashew nuts could not function just because of road blocks and corruption.

"The price of the goods is less than what you have to pay on the way to the port [in bribes], therefore people working in this business just stopped operating."

If corruption can be tackled effectively, and governments can raise capital with taxation, the continent might attract more foreign investment.

That would in turn increase trade and business and, ultimately, improve the livelihoods of ordinary people.


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‘Butcher’ Burnt To Ashes

MOB ACTION was taken to an extreme level at Asokore Mampong in Asawase, Kumasi, when a suspected ‘butcher’ who has been terrorizing residents of the area was callously burnt into ashes in a broad daylight.

Residents of the area got terrified when they witnessed the suspect being set on fire with petrol and firewood by his captors.

The well-built suspect, whose name was not provided, is said to have been using machetes and other deadly weapons to slay his victims, mostly women, without provocation.

On August 12 this year, the deceased, according to neighbours, attacked a woman by name Maame Akua Agyeiwaa alias Fati in the bathroom, cutting her with a machete and fleeing into the bush before residents got to the scene.

Richard Karikari aka KK who was at the scene, said a few hours after attacking Fati, the suspect bloodily attacked another woman in the vicinity and he again fled through the bush before he could be caught.

The two victims, who are responding to treatment at the hospital, are among several people that have been attacked by the butcher.

Ironically, the notorious gangster, believed to be in his mid 30s, usually flees the scene without taking any properties belonging to his victims.

A young boy, who saw the suspect running into a bush after attacking one of his victims, recently recognized him when he saw him (suspect) in a queue about to buy Banku and raised the alarm for his arrest.

The suspect initially denied being the one butchering people in the area but the incensed residents of the vicinity became suspicious when the suspect began to fumble when answering simple questions posed to him.

He was consequently searched by the residents and true to their suspicion, a sharp knife with fresh human blood all over it was found. He was immediately subjected to severe beatings, after which he was set ablaze.

From I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi
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Africans text message to check if drugs are real

LONDON – For Africans wondering whether the malaria drugs they've bought are real, there may soon be a quick way of finding out: sending a text message.

Across the continent, more than 30 percent of malaria medicines are estimated to be fake, and many look identical to the real thing.

A new project called mPedigree lets consumers send in a code via text message that lets them check if their drugs are genuine. It was recently adopted in Nigeria, with plans for wider use elsewhere in Africa. Last month, the Nigerian government decided to introduce the technology for all medicines in the future, not just anti-malarials.

Ghanaian entrepreneur Bright Simons developed the mPedigree system; its technology and security infrastructure is now being provided by Hewlett Packard. The system assigns a unique code to genuine malaria medicines, printed on the back of medicine blister packs under a sheet that is scratched off like a lottery ticket.

Customers send a text message to a central hot line with the code and instantly get an "OK" response telling them if the drug is registered and thus real. It also sends them additional information like the drug's manufacturer and expiration date.

If the drug isn't registered and potentially fake, people receive a text message that says "No. Please recheck code." The system is free for consumers and is paid for by pharmaceutical companies and governments.

Health officials say the innovative system could help Africa curb the tide of fake drugs and potentially save hundreds of thousands of lives. Experts think about 700,000 people die from malaria or tuberculosis every year after taking counterfeit drugs, with some containing little more than sawdust, baby powder and water.

In addition, fake medicines speed up drug resistance. If a drug contains some but not enough of the active ingredient, it won't kill the disease's virus or bacteria, but gives it a chance to mutate into a deadlier form instead.

Knowing the drugs are real may also persuade more Africans to take them in the first place, saving even more lives.

"With (this system), people can be far more confident about the medicines they're taking," said Julian Harris, a research fellow at International Policy Network, a London-based think tank. "Right now, the option for many people is taking medicine from a broken blister packet," said Harris, who is not connected to the project.

Rich countries have long employed expensive methods, like tracking systems or sophisticated equipment, to verify whether drugs are authentic. In Europe, the United States and elsewhere, authorities often use mobile labs and hand-held spectrometers to test if drugs have the right active ingredients in the right amounts.

Without such sophisticated devices, Simons' text messaging system gives ordinary Africans a way to check what they're buying. Previous studies from agencies including the World Health Organization have shown about 30 to 60 percent of medicines in Africa are counterfeit or substandard.

Fake drugs can infiltrate shipments even when it's the United Nations or the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria that is the sender. Last year, malaria medicines dispatched to Ghana by the Global Fund mysteriously went missing. Once the drugs arrived in the country, they were replaced by counterfeits, leading Ghanaian authorities to investigate allegations a cartel was replacing real drugs with fake ones.

Last month, the Nigerian government decided the text messaging system should be used on all medicines as soon as possible. "Consumers can now take the war (against counterfeit drugs) into their own hands," said Dr. Paul B. Orhii, director-general of Nigeria's National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control.

Orhii said the government is negotiating with telecoms companies to lower the price of sending text messages to encourage more companies to adopt the system.

Beyond Nigeria, other countries including Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, have all expressed interest in signing up for the technology. So far, small trials of the text messaging system have been conducted in Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda and Nigeria. The Nigerian government recently ran its own test of the system on diabetes medicines used by more than 20,000 people.

Harris said the widespread use of mobile phones in Africa — where many people commonly use cell phones to do banking — should spur the acceptance of the text messaging system.

But he wasn't entirely convinced Nigeria's adoption of the technology could be used for every medicine and said it would be impossible to police. "Any system that is controlled by the government can stifle new technologies," Harris said. Counterfeits are so rife in Africa he said it would take much more than one initiative to fix the problem.

Still, Harris predicted the system would help consumers in countries where corruption often compromises the medical supply. "This will help people whether they're buying their medicines at a hospital pharmacy or a roadside market," he said.

Disgruntled supporters re-ignite controversies

A GROUP of disgruntled supporters of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) have re-ignited controversies that surrounded the 2008 general elections, after publicly declaring that they seized ballot boxes and manipulated the elections in the Tain constituency.

The aggrieved NDC supporters, who have since announced their defection to the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), citing reasons of neglect and dejection, claimed they were used by the ruling party in the first and second rounds of the 2008 elections, to seize ballot boxes and perform a number of illegal operations across the country, with the promise that they would be offered jobs when the NDC eventually won power.

But, the supporters, who describe themselves as Buffalo Group, contend that they have been offered a raw deal by the NDC, and as such, have defected to the opposition New Patriotic Party.

Wearing red arm-bands and chanting war songs, the embittered supporters, numbering over 570, tore NDC T-shirts and destroyed other party paraphernalia in a demonstration of their anger at the government and the ruling party.

They further displayed their NDC membership cards, ostensibly to authenticate their true membership, and clear all doubts concerning their association with the ruling party.

The spokesperson for the group, Alidu Ibrahim, said they felt betrayed by the government and the NDC, after risking their lives and that of their families to ensure victory for the party in the 2008 elections.

'Now when you call them, they don't pick their phones; they only deceive us with cups of sugar and mattresses, but we are worth more than that,' he bemoaned.

He said currently, their faith in the NDC had completely faded away, and that there was no way they would return to the party, stressing, 'We have resolved to join the NPP, and we will vote for them in 2012.'

Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission (EC) has ordered for the arrest and prosecution of the defected supporters for claiming that they stole ballot boxes and rigged the elections.

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) at the commission, Christian Owusu Parry, told an Accra-based radio station, Joy 99.7FM, that the claim by the defected supporters amounted to a criminal offence, and as such they must be arrested.

But, checks from the Regional Directorate of the EC yesterday, indicated that the commission was yet to be notified on the issue.

When the Regional Police Commander, DCOP Patrick Timbillah, was contacted to find out whether any arrest had been made, he told this reporter that the police could not make any arrest, unless it receives official complaint from the EC.

'We cannot effect any arrest; the Commission would have to officially make a complaint to us, before we make any moves,' he said.


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Tema police arrest 11 suspected criminals

The Tema Police have arrested 11 suspected criminals at separate operations carried out in the metropolis.

Five of the suspects, John Ampabilla, 30; Abibu Ibrahim, 24; Yaw Eric, 26; Kubetesu Martin, 22; and Afua Benewah, 21, were arrested at about 1 :45 a.m. last Tuesday morning at the premises of Continental Trading Limited, a subsidiary of the Finatrade Group with 17 bags of sugar each weighing 50 kilograms.

The driver of a KIA truck which was used to cart the cargo, while another accomplice, however, managed to escape.

Also arrested was Mohammed Siedu, who bolted with gunshot wounds after a July 14 shoot-out with the police on the Accra-Tema Motorway.

Three persons, Munkaila Yahaya, Issifu Musah and Charles Dikro, who were providing treatment for Seidu at Ashaiman Zongo have, however, been arrested to assist the police in their investigations.

Two other suspects of Nigerian nationality, namely Maxwell King Chizoguzi, 30, and Onuha Otisi, 35, who were arrested at Lashibi, a suburb of Tema, had in their possession two laptops on which several letterheads belonging to different government institutions were found.

The over 20 letterheads with accompanying documents found in their custody were the Republic of Ghana Company Registration Act, Bank of Ghana treasury department and unit letter heads, Ministry of Mines, Ministry of Finance payment schedule, MOFEP monitory unit and cash movement authorisation certificate.

Others included Valued Added Tax (VAT) Service certificate of exemption, Internal Revenue Service, parliamentary identity cards, National Security monitoring unit, a letter purported to have been signed by the Finance Minister, Dr Kwabena Duffour to the Controller and Accountant General, among others.

Also found in their possession was Office of the President letterhead.

Briefing the Daily Graphic at Tema, the Tema Regional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Augustine Gyening said, his outfit had a complaint from Vodafone Ghana Limited of the activities of the two Nigerians who were running a false promotion using a telephone number 0303- 403189 belonging to the network.

According to him, suspects sent out several messages to unsuspecting customers informing them of winning a lottery out of a random selection by the network to reward its loyal clientele.

That, according to ACP Gyening, was a ploy by the two suspects to dupe unsuspecting clients some of whom they had already taken monies from for the processing of a special identification pin to enable them to access their winnings.

The two Nigerians, according to the regional commander, admitted producing the documents in their caution statements after preliminary investigations carried out from the institutions had revealed that they were forged.

He said the 11 suspects would be put before court after investigations. He appealed to the general public to volunteer information on suspicious activities within their neighbourhoods as the police made strides towards the protection of the citizenry.


Source: Daily Graphic/Ghana



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