Mubarak: NDC party gurus bribed delegates with GH¢3,000, phones

A defeated National Youth Organiser of the ruling NDC has accused party leaders of bribing delegates in the just ended Congress held in Sunyani on Saturday. Ras Mubarak alleges that Western Regional delegates were given, GH¢3,000 each as well as mobile phones as inducement before casting their votes. Mubarak lost to Ludwik Hlose who is secretary at the office of the Chief of Staff in a competitive election which saw Anita De Souza being elected as National Women’s Organiser. I can inform you on authority that Western Regional delegates were given ¢30,000,000 (GH¢3,000) on the afternoon before election. I can tell you on authority that mobile phones were distributed in the evening and morning before elections,” he told Joy News’ Sammy Darko in an interview. Asked if he could substantiate his allegations, Mubarak responded in the affirmative, saying “to win an election in NDC, you either have to belong to the Rawlings camp or the Castle camp. Mubarak also accused party gurus of underhand manipulations in order to have Ludwik elected into office. "He was not in the race in the first place. This is someone who works in the office of the president as an aide. Automatically by the guidelines that were released by the National Executive Committee of the party, he is a government staff and did not qualify to have contested in that race," he alleged. He accused a minister, whose name he did not mention, of talking candidates out of the contest even before the elections took place. Describing Ludwik as a likeable and easy going person, Mubarak explained that his concerns were not borne out of sour grapes but out of the desire to see Ghanaian politics in which a fair playing field is created for everybody no matter the background. But the National Youth Organiser elect who takes over from Communications Minister Haruna Iddrisu has dismissed the allegations. Ludwik Hlose said his hard work and determination earned him his new position. Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana

NDC Blows ¢56bn On Bungalows

Hon Dominic Nitiwul PRESIDENT JOHN Atta Mills’ austere and cost-cutting measures are said to be skewed in favour of government appointees, as the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) blows a whopping amount of ¢56 billion or GH¢5,606,176.11 on the comfort of ministers of state. As part of the expenditure, the Atta Mills-led social democratic, modest and ‘I care for you’ governing party spent ¢8.58 billion on the renovation and furnishing of seven ministerial bungalows, with an average cost of ¢1.2 billion or GH¢122,581.45 per bungalow. The startling figures, which were contained in a written answer by the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing, to a question raised by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bimbilla, Dominic Nitiwul, a copy of which is in the possession of DAILY GUIDE, also revealed that government spent ¢41.1 billion or GH¢4,110,396.74 on 57 ministerial bungalows in Accra, tossing the bill to the Ghanaian tax payer. Additionally, ¢6.37 billion or GH¢637,709.21 was used for the renovation and furnishing of 18 bungalows for senior civil servants, further emptying national coffers at a time that government is claiming to be cutting down cost. The total expenditure on the renovation and furnishing of the bungalows, according to the document, was on civil and electrical works, furniture, appliances, curtains and carpets. As also explained by the ministry’s written answer, the civil works was said to consist of demolishing and alteration, re-roofing, carpentry, joinery, metal works, plumbing installations, electrical installations, finishes, glazing, painting, and decoration and external works. The use of such colossal amounts on renovation of ministerial bungalows has set tongues wagging, as some MPs and former ministers of state are questioning the rationale for what they described as the profligate dissipation of public funds on buildings that were recently occupied by ex-government appointees. They are questioning the level of deterioration of buildings to warrant the use of colossal amounts for their renovation and furnishing by the current government, especially when President Mills has been preaching modesty and cost cutting in almost all his public speeches. The expenditure, the MPs from the Minority side contended, was particularly questionable since these bungalows were occupied by former ministers of state who were reportedly living lavishly in these buildings. Hon. Dominic Nitiwul, who asked the Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing how many government bungalows had been renovated or were under renovation, the total cost of all the bungalows and the cost of each unit or bungalow, was at a loss as to why the ruling NDC, which claims to be pro-poor, did not use the colossal amounts for the provision of essential facilities such as potable water for the people but rather chose to use the money for the comfort of ministers of state. Although the answer was written to Hon. Nitiwul, his question could not be answered on the floor of Parliament during question time yesterday as the rules of the House did not permit the Sector Minister, Albert Abongo, to do so. However, Mr Abongo’s deputy, Dr Hannah Bissiw, was in the House to answer other questions pertaining to the ministry. According to the Standing Orders 64 (4) of the House, “A member who desires an oral answer to a Question shall mark it with an asterisk. Answers to Questions not so marked shall be communicated in writing to the Member, asking the Question and shall be printed in the Official Report”. Hon. Nitiwul however stated on the floor of Parliament that he was comfortable with the written answer. Source: daily guide/Awudu Mahama

GHANA:$850,000 fraud case takes another turn

The $850,000 fraud case involving two lawyers took another turn Thursday when the trial judge who had been authorised by the Chief Justice and the Attorney-General to hear the matter told parties in the case that he had been restrained from further hearing the matter by a High Court judge. The trial judge, Mr D. E. K. Daketsey, told the prosecution and the defence teams that he had been served with an order of injunction restraining him from hearing the case until the determination of a suit brought against him by the two lawyers. According to the judge, the lawyers, Joseph Kwame Owusu Asamani and Ekow Amua-Sekyi, who are facing charges of forgery and fraud, sought the order from the Human Rights Court, presided over by Mr Justice U. P. Dery, last Friday. According to counsel for the two lawyers, Mr James Agalga, November 12, 2009 had been fixed for hearing the motion for an order of prohibition directed at the judge whom his clients had accused of making bias statements against them. The prosecution had stated that the two allegedly prepared a Deed of Assignment, unknown to the complainant, Gordon Etroo, scanned his signature on it, registered it at the Lands Registry and presented it to Howard Eric Ewen, the Managing Director of Keegan Resources, who also signed. On March 18, 2007, the two allegedly forged a judgement titled 'Axex Company Limited versus four other defendants' and inserted an order by a High Court judge for the recovery of a mine known as Bonte Esaase Gold Mine. According to the prosecution, the two lawyers, without the knowledge of Samuel Etroo and Mr Kwame Opoku, initiated a civil suit number BL35/07, as 'Kwame Opoku versus Sametro Company Limited'. However, the two have not appeared before the court to answer the charges. The trial judge, Mr Daketsey, who did not disclose the grounds of the injunction, said he had since been served with a writ of prohibition by the two lawyers. The lawyers were said to have sought the order on the grounds that the judge was likely to show bias if he went ahead to hear the case against them. The judge told prosecutors and defence lawyers that he had instructed his solicitors to contest the case because he had no personal interest or whatsoever in the case. He also told the parties in his chambers that he felt aggrieved because the two lawyers had, on a countless number of occasions, refused to appear in his court to answer charges levelled against them. Obviously aggrieved at the turn of events, Nana Ato Dadzie, who is counsel for the complainant in the case, told journalists that the common practice was for the lawyers to be in court to state why they were absent. He said the case had had a chequered history because it took more than two years for the lawyers to be put before court. He said the Attorney-General called for the docket for study and on October 22, 2008 she formally wrote to the court authorising it to proceed with the case, adding that the Chief Justice had also authorised the judge to hear the case. Nana Ato Dadzie said although the two lawyers were at liberty to go for a prohibition order, he was of the view that such antics were calculated to frustrate the court process. He also indicated that his client was an interested party and he, therefore, intended to join the suit the Human Rights Court. He further indicated that the interest of justice would be served if all parties had their day in court. No definite date has been fixed for the hearing of the criminal matter due to the latest twist. Source: Daily Graphic/Ghana

Cash Sent To Castle In Packed Vans

The case involving a $2.5billion loan package for Ghana during Jerry Rawlings’ administration, took a new twist yesterday when an Accra-based renowned lawyer, William Adumoah-Bossman, told an Accra Commercial Court that he has in his possession an advisory letter from one Thomas Moss, an agent for the loan from the Hong Kong Trust, which indicated that the money was transferred to Ghana.

According to him, he had information that the controversial loan money was taken to the Castle, the seat of government, in boxes. The legal luminary disclosed that what made his client and the American company believe that the money was transferred, was the irrevocable mandate signed by the BoG in the name of the American company and also the commission paid to the agent.

The senior lawyer, who indicated that he believed there was some form of “collusion” at the bank, made some baffling revelations when he informed the court that some employees of BoG had visited him in his office during the period the money was supposed to come, usually around 7:30pm, and informed him that they took part in the packing of monies into vans and sending them to certain destinations within the country, although they did not specifically state that those monies were part of the loan.

According to him, the workers who looked “scared, frightened and careful so that nobody would see them coming to me had also mentioned that they parked some of the money into boxes and sent them to the Castle”. His informants, he noted, were surprised that the bank said it had no information about the money. “My Lord, I received the information shortly before the meeting with the BoG and more information was added after the meeting. Following this, I was surprised that there was no document from the bank that the money has arrived,” he added.

Thomas Moss, who transacted the business on behalf of the Hong Kong Trust which allegedly brought the money from the government, said in the advisory letter that he had taken his 2.5 percent commission of the whole package and therefore had sent the letter to Egbert Adejeso and Associates, a defendant in the case, to confirm that the money had arrived in Ghana. Mr. Adumoah-Bossman, the first to testify among four officials subpoenaed by the court presided over the Justice Margaret Insaidoo, to assist in tracing the whereabouts of the said $2.5 billion loan introduced to the Rawlings government by Van Kirksey and Associates, an American company in the late 80s, had at the last adjourned date testified that he was not certain on the arrival of the money because there was no document to prove it.

However, the one-time counsel for Egbert Adjeso and Associates made a u-turn under cross-examination by Richard Twumasi Ankrah, counsel for the American company, to admit that if the advisory letter was anything to go by, then there was no doubt that the money arrived in the country.

The court, based on this disclosure, ordered Mr. Adumoah-Bossman to present the letter in his custody today to assist the court to arrive at the truth. Van Kirksey and Associates had dragged Egbert Adjeso and Associates, P.V. Obeng and Bank of Ghana to court to demand its 10 percent share of the total package as stated in an agreement it made with the government. On the other hand, the defendants maintained that no such amount was transferred into the country.

It was at the request of Owusu Afriyie, counsel for Egbert Adjeso, that Mr Adumoah-Bossman, S.K. Appiah, then acting Governor of Bank of Ghana (BoG), S.N Adjei, then BoG counsel, and Dr. K.G Erbyn, then Chief Executive of Ghana Investment Centre, were subpoenaed to court for their account of the deal. According to Mr. Adumoah-Bossman, he was surprised when at a meeting with BoG on the issue, Dr. Kwabena Duffour, then Governor, told him that after a diligent search by the bank, no such amount had been found.

When asked by Mr. Twumasi whether P.V Obeng then PNDC member and Chairman of the Committee of Secretaries, knew about the loan, Mr. Adumoah-Bossman stated that he had on several occasions discussed the issue on phone with him and that P.V Obeng had also asked Egbert Adjeso to meet him in his house one evening to discuss the money. These discussions between him and Mr Obeng, he admitted, were after they had information that the money had arrived. According to Mr. Adumoah-Bossman, he got to know from Mr. Adjeso that the first batch of the money expected to arrive was $75million into the Standard Chartered Bank account of Van Kirksey and Associates, but failed to do so without any reason.

Mr. Adumoah-Bossman also admitted that he was the lawyer for both Egbert Adjeso Company and Van Kirksey and Associates at the time the two were in a joint venture business. According to him, he later abrogated the agreement after a gentleman’s deal between the two, with Adjeso Company still maintaining him as the company’s lawyer while Van Kirksey employed one Joe Reindoff as its counsel. Mr. Adumoah-Bossman, after going through exhibits in court, admitted that Egbert Adjeso had written to the then Speaker of Parliament, Justice D.F Annan, and Director of Immigration, stating that he was the one who brought the loan and this led to the seizure of Mr. Van Kirksey’s passport.

Source:Daily Guide

Mabey and Johnson: Mr.Miles Potter (Director D): The Man Who Paid Sipa Yankey & Co

EARLY THIS PAST Monday morning, Dr George Sipa-Yankey, who had resigned his post as Ghana’s Health Minister 48 hours earlier, was seen arriving in London.

Barely 24-hours earlier, he had had a row with the nominated Ghana High Commissioner to Nigeria, Alhaji Baba Kamara, over allegations reportedly made by him on radio that the later was the one who collected his passport to facilitate payment to him from M&J.

Sources say Kamara had not taken kindly to the allegations and minced no words in telling the troubled Yankey to go and check his records well before speaking loosely.

Shaken and under criticism from NDC party supporters, some of whom had earlier supported him but were now turning on him, Sipa Yankey decided to do the wisest thing. He flew the next available flight to London to call on his bank to call all records of his transactions within the period under review to be able to speak properly to the issue and to possibly meet the other man who could help refresh his memory on the scandal threatening to end his political career.

Unfortunately, Gye Nyame Concord can authoritatively reveal that the man who could have helped refresh his memory was not in London.

Mr Miles Potter, the Mabey and Johnson man who dealt with and largely paid a number of top Ghanaian officials accused of receiving bribes from the British bridge building company, and who is identified as “Director D” was no longer in London. He now lives on the Asian continent, sources in London told this paper.

The then fresh university graduate spent almost four years in Ghana in the 90s and managed to worm his way into the heart and minds of top public officials through the doling of ‘freebies’ in cash.

Those freebies transferred to various accounts in London and elsewhere are what the soft-spoken 56-year-old head of the British SFO, Richard Alderman (picture on the front page), now says were part of a deliberate bribery scheme put in place by M&J to corruptly procure contracts.

M&J, according to the Queens Counsel for the SFO, John Hardy, paid “a wide-ranging series of bribes” totalling £470,000 to politicians and officials in Ghana, with Dr George Sipa-Yankey, Messrs Amadu Seidu, Ato Quarshie, Boniface Abubakar Saddique and Edward Lord-Attivor allegedly travelling to Britain to collect various sums of money from bank accounts in London.

In the eyes of the SFO, M&J paid public servants modest sums which were relatively small in proportion to the commercial gain the company got.

What the SFO, however, stopped short of doing was to disclose the identity of the man it said oversaw the Ghana situation and whom it only identified as “Director D” in court.

Truth is, the late Danny Ofori Atta had a running battle with the young Englishman with an expertise in finance, who had been brought into the country to supervise the work of M&J and who was to rise as an executive officer to become a Director of the company after a successful stint much later in life in the Philippines.

According to the evidence led by QC John Hardy in court, on April 3, 1996, the late Ofori-Atta stormed the Twyford offices of M&J in London with a relative to meet with the Office Manager of M&J following his frustration with Potter in Accra.

The records show that the complaint from the late Danny Ofori Atta, a former kingpin of the EGLE party, was that he did not have total control of the 15 per cent commission due him and some of which should be shared to public officials.

Miles Potter, who was then in Accra, was not delivering on the bribes to him, the SFO suggests.

In the words of the SFO, Danny Ofori Atta had problems with Potter’s presence in Accra and did not believe Mr Potter was distributing “5% to the “relevant personnel” or “local personalities”.

Records sourced from M&J by the SFO noted that Danny, who is identified in the documents as Mr Ofori, complained that he had been sidelined by Potter, who was now dealing directly with other Ghanaians and that when he (Danny) was involved in the payment scheme of the total amount of the “15% commission the present difficulties would not have existed”.

This was because he had dealt with the situation ably in the past.

Again it was about Miles Potter on whom Danny wrote a letter dated March 14, 1996 and sent via fax on a “Danielli Mabey Ltd” letterhead marked for the attention of his wife, Mrs Margaret Ofori, in Accra to be passed on to M&J head office.

In the fax, Danny complained that “the situation in Ghana has been deteriorating gradually ever since Director D (Potter) came into Ghana.”

Potter according to the SFO had equally sent a “confidential memo” dated 25 March 1996 directly to Director B (David Mabey)) rebutting Mr. Ofori’s assertions, and detailing how it was that he had had a meeting recently with the only person who “can guarantee M&J’s position in this market”: Kwame Peprah.

All these disputes occurred because the Mabey family firm, whose worldwide empire is based on exports of steel bridges, had decided at the time in the word of the British SFO to “sideline” Danny and “to impose more direct control over the payments made to “local personalities” by” Potter “supervising and control from 1994”.

Significantly, after his stint in Accra, Potter was assigned a duty post in the Philippines where he successfully managed to change the fortunes of the British firm by bringing in more than a billion British Pound bridge building contracts.

The story on his Philippine exploits, which nearly marred the presidency of that country’s president, was captured in the following terms by the UK-based Guardian newspaper.

“A little-known family who became one of the richest in Britain have been accused of making excessive profits in an aid project, by building what their critics call “bridges to nowhere”.

A Guardian investigation has discovered that steel bridges costing more than £400m have been sold to the Philippines by the Mabey family, all secured with UK government-backed loans and grants. But many of the crossings, which were supposed to open up the flood-prone jungle terrain, have no roads to go with them.

The British construction company, Mabey & Johnson, owned by the Mabey family, has been handed virtually all the supply contracts for the bridges, despite being more expensive than its competitors. Accusations of corruption and overcharging are now being made in the Philippines. Mabey denies any impropriety, saying the allegations are made by rivals or are politically motivated.”

Source: GYE NYAME CONCORD

M&J saga: CHRAJ writes to 'accused'

Mr Short: the material obtained from the Attorney General was insufficient. The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) says it has delivered letters to some of the public officials implicated in the Mabey and Johnson bribery scandal, as a first step towards a full scale investigation into the matter. This, it said, was in accordance with regulations in the investigation of complaints contained in the Complaint Procedure Regulations, Constitutional Instrument No 7. CHRAJ, however, said it had encountered some difficulties in its attempt to serve the letters on Alhaji Abubakar Siddique Boniface and Lord Attivor, two of the officials mentioned in the case, as they could not be found. Mr Emile Short, the commissioner, said preliminary investigation was underway to gather evidence to determine whether there was some substance in the allegations made. "If satisfied there is some substance to the allegations, we shall conduct a full investigation which would involve setting up a panel to investigate the allegations," he told the Daily Graphic. "At the moment, we do not have all the information we require to make that determination," he added. Mr Short said the material obtained from the Attorney General was insufficient for CHRAJ to decide whether the case merited a full scale investigation or not. By the Complaint Procedure Regulations of CHRAJ, a complaint to the Commission is to be made in writing or orally to the national office of the Commission or to a representative of the Commission at the regional or district branch of the Commission. In its preliminary investigations, CHRAJ must contact the people against whom the allegations have been made with a request for their response and they in turn shall respond within 10 days from the day of the receipt of CHRAJ's request. Although the regulations stipulated how a complaint is to be made to CHRAJ, the President's request is not being considered as a complaint nor is the President himself considered as a complaint, Mr Short Said. Rather, the President's invitation was being considered as a request to an independent body like CHRAJ to conduct the investigation to avoid any allegation or perception that an investigation by the Attorney General would result in a cover-up or whitewash of the whole affair. Source: Daily Graphic

Scancem/Diamond Cement Bribery

Alleged Attempt To Bribe Nana Konadu And Abodakpi – A “Cock And Bull” Story!

Following the publication of the Scancem bribery scandal, various people including former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, apparently one of the characters in the eye of the bull - so far as the story is concerned – tried to make comments challenging the credibility of the story.

Speaking on “Joy FM”, a private radio station in Accra and elsewhere, Nana Konadu submitted to the effect that the bribery allegation made against them – herself, J.J. Rawlings and P.V. Obeng – was because of the monopoly status denied Scancem due to the establishment of a rival cement factory - Diamond Cement, in Aflao.

However, this paper’s investigations have proved Nana Konadu’s assertion as false. According to the records, as at 1991, Government of Ghana’s (GoG’s) share in Ghana Cement Works Ltd. (GHACEM), was 75 percent. The rest 25 percent was held by Scancem of Oslo, Norway, (24.5%) together with Dr. J.A. Addison (0.5%).

By August 12, 1992, Scancem had bought 45 percent shares of the GoG’s 75 percent shares in GHACEM. US$4,074,000.00 was the money the GoG received for the 45 percent shares.

And, before the year 1999 run out, GoG sold the rest of its shares in GHACEM to Scancem for USD 17 million.

However, Diamond Cement (Ghana) Limited received its certificate of incorporation on 3rd August, 1998 and commenced business in April, 2000.

Even then, as our investigations revealed, Diamond Cement at that time had not started manufacturing cement, rather, it started off by importing 30,000 tonnes of cement monthly from Togo, which was distributed to agents for the Ghanaian market.

According to documents sighted by this paper, the company had acquired 30 acres of land at Akporkploe, Aflao, in the Volta Region, for the construction of the factory, which was to start “on 13th June, 2000 and it is anticipated to be completed by August 2001, and production of cement will start in September, 2001”.

Investigations have it that Diamond Cement Ghana Ltd, was registered with the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) and given certificate to that effect on 11th February, 2000.

The address at which the Company could be reached was stated as C/o Mobile House, 4th Floor, 25 Liberia Road, Accra. Location: R.S. Agbenoto & Associates, 4th Floor, Mobile House.

Readers will recall that R.S. Agbenoto was Captain Kojo Tsikata’s counsel at the National Reconciliation Commission’s (NRC’s) hearings. He is a retired army officer of the Legal Directorate.

The company was issued with a Registration Certificate number 80798/0932. The warehouse was located within the yard of West Coast Spinning Industry, Tema, and the factory at Aflao.

There were two foreign shareholders who also constituted the first two directors, who had invested an initial US$ 350,000 as foreign equity.

Readers will recall that the sod-cutting ceremony for the construction of the factory was performed by the then Vice President, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, on 13 March, 2000.

It will also be recalled that one Henry Ametefe, a former District Chief Executive (DCE) of Ketu in the Volta Region, was heard on “Citi FM”, an Accra-based radio station recently making comments in support of Nana Konadu’s assertions pertaining to the Scancem bribery and monopoly of the cement industry.

According to him (Ametefe), Mr. Dan Abodakpi, a former Minister for Trade in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government and Member of Parliament (MP) for Keta Constituency, one morning called him and queried him for dragging his (Ametefe’s) feet in the acquisition of land for the construction of the Diamond Cement factory at Aflao.

The ex-DCE said Abodakpi said the GHACEM officials did not like the idea that a rival cement factory was going to be sited in the country – Aflao – and hence they had gone to see Nana Konadu with 500m to stop the construction and operation of the factory.

According to him, Abodakpi said Nana Konadu had turned down the offer.

The ex-DCE said Abodakpi expressed fears that the GHACEM officials could come down to Aflao and bribe the people not to give out any land for the construction of the factory.

Ametefe said Dan Abodakpi’s fears stemmed from the fact that the GHACEM officials had come to see him to stop the construction of the cement factory in Aflao, after they could not influence Nana Konadu to do same.

When we tried to reach the ex-DCE to elaborate on the interview he granted “Citi FM” sometime ago, he refused to make any comment, saying he had nothing to say anymore on the issue since he had already talked to our Editor-In-Chief, Kweku Baako Jnr., who is on leave.

Our Editor-In-Chief, however, told us that in a brief interaction with the ex-DCE over phone, he (DCE) said the bribery attempt happened in March, 2000. The money intended for the bribery was 500m; but the ex-DCE could not say whether it was in cedis or dollars, he rather asked Baako to check from “The Enquirer”, a private newspaper based in Accra, whom he (ex-DCE) had talked to on the matter.

According to Baako, the ex-DCE insisted that the GHACEM officials could not bribe Abodakpi and Nana Konadu. He (ex-DCE) refused to further answer any questions, saying Baako had the tendency of misquoting people in his submissions on radio and television.

You may please turn to page two where we have scanned some supporting documents for your perusal.

Source: CRUSADING GUIDE

Scancem Bribed NDC

... and accuses NPP too ? NDC Ex-Minister

The Statesman has in its possession documentary evidence of bank transfers from Scancem, the Oslo-based multinational cement company, through a conduit into the coffers of the National Democratic Congress two months before the 2000 general elections. The evidence include a letter dated October 13, 2000 authorising the transfer, a bank statement confirming the transfer and a signed handwritten letter from a former NDC Minister to the National Chairman of the party confirming the receipt of the money and related matters.

When we confronted the former Minister with the details yesterday, he confessed to the transaction. He, however, added that Scancem routinely bribed political parties. One of such transactions, details of which are with The Statesman, involved about $232,000 (?116,000) to the NDC. The money was transferred into the accounts of a now defunct company in Tema. It was then transferred from that company's account at the Trust Bank to the former Minister's account, details of which are in our possession. $30,000 was also paid in cash to the said former Minister, plus $10,000 in bankers? draft. The Statesman can further disclose that the NDC was led to Scancem by a 'betweener? who is now a diplomat.

Read tomorrow?s edition for more details, including the disclosure of the former Minister who confessed in a tape-recorded interview with The Statesman that the bribery took place. The former Minister, who said he knew nothing about the alleged $4 million bribery scandal before Norway?s appeal court. In that case the one party is claiming he used the money as intended to bribe top government officials, including President Jerry John Rawlings. But, the new owners of Scancem are alleging that the defendant stole the money intended for bribing government officials.

When this matter was put the former Minister yesterday, he said the bribery from Scancem, at least what he knew was for political parties: "It?s not about Rawlings it?s about funding political parties,? he said. The interview took place in our office at Kokomlemle, where he was confronted with the evidence. But, his demeanour gave the impression that the bribery was not viewed as a ?big deal? then.

Source: The Statesman

Corruption galore POLICE GRILL NDC CHAIRMEN

TWO constituency chairmen of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), in the Ashanti region, are helping the police in their investigations into the alleged extortion of various monies from employees of Zoomlion in the Afigya Kwabre district.

Messrs Osei Bosie and D.Y. Kwarteng, chairmen for Kwabre West constituency and Afigya Sekyere constituency respectively are said to have connived with the local Supervisor of Zoomlion, Mr. Yaw Boakye, to extort a total amount of GH¢11,900 from 169 employees of Zoomlion in the district.

Twenty of the employees paid GH¢100.00 each to the chairmen, while the remaining 149 workers contributed about GH¢66.00 each.

The Chronicle has gathered that the said monies were meant to grease the palms of some top officials who allegedly facilitated the employment of the workers.

The District Chief Executive, Mr. Kaakyire Oppong Kyekyeku, confirmed the story when this reporter contacted him.

According to him, he had already ordered that the extorted monies be refunded. He however said the directive does not stop the police action to investigate the case.

Our sources indicated that the Zoomlion supervisor and his accomplices managed to manipulate salary vouchers of the workers to make it appear as if the company owed its workers four months salary arrears, instead of three months.

The three persons are said to have positioned themselves at the premises of the Afrancho branch of the Sekyere Rural bank, so that they would collect one month's salary from any of the workers who collected his or her accumulated salary.

When some party executives were informed about the deal, a formal complaint was lodged with the police at Boamang, upon which the persons involved were interrogated pending further investigations.

In a related development, the Boamang Police have mounted a search for Mr. Osei Bosie, Kwabre West constituency of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for allegedly masterminding the assault of Mr. Ben Kusi, the constituency vice chairman, by a group of thugs last Sunday at Kodie.

Bosie, who feels threatened by the ambition of his vice for the chairmanship position in the impending constituency polls, is said to have engaged some thugs to beat up his lieutenant at the residence of the District Chief Executive, without any provocation.

When the police got to Bosie's Buoho residence early one Tuesday morning, the constituency chairman had absconded with his vehicle - registration number GR 4334 R. As a result, the police have declared the NDC chairman wanted, in order to face assault charge in a court of law.

It all started when Mr. Kusi was prevented from attending a meeting of constituency executives at the DCE's residence.

The constituency Youth Organizer, one Seth, is said to have refused Kusi entry into the DCE's residence where a meeting of constituency executives was supposed to take place that Sunday afternoon.

In the ensuing commotion, followers of Kusi and the constituency chairman engaged in a bloody clash. It took the intervention of Offinso police and reinforcement from the Striking Force Unit of the Ghana Police Service in Kumasi, to prevent the lynching of Mr. Kusi.

The District Security Committee, headed by the DCE Mr. Kaakyire Oppong Kyekyeku, has met to see the way forward towards the security situation in the district.

Source: Sebastian R. Freiku Kumasi - Ghanaian Chronicle

Obed Asamoah: NDC accusations of NPP corruption political gimmick

The National Democratic Congress' accusation of the New Patriotic Party government of corruption, especially about the findings of the Public Accounts Committee and the Auditor-General's report is "a political gimmick” Obed Asamoah, Founder of the Democratic Freedom Party has said.

In an address at the weekend at the inauguration of the Ho Polytechnic and School of Hygiene chapters of Tertiary Education Students Forum of the DFP in Ho, he said the Public Accounts Committee never sat in public and reports of the Auditor Generals Department were not made public during the NDC regime for the public to know the level of corruption of that era.

Dr Asamoah said corruption permeated the public services in successive governments but were ignored and said if voted into power the DFP would appoint an independent prosecutor to prosecute all corruption cases.

He said the formation of the DFP was the result of the imperative necessity for a new thinking and a paradigm shift in the Ghanaian culture of politics.

Dr Asamoah said DFP government would give full meaning to the concept of private enterprise, as it was the engine of growth and would subsidize agricultural inputs and create markets for the produce of farmers as a means of eradicating poverty since farmers constitute about 70 percent of the population.

He accused past governments of not protecting local industries against unfair competition.

Dr Asamoah said a DFP government would create a new region in the Volta region and establish a Technical University in the region.

He called on the TESFORD to educate the public about politics of lies, vilification, vendetta, violence and threats of violence.

Dr Asamoah called on the people of the Volta region to assess their interest and “adopt a policy of the pursuit of their interests and not commit themselves to the permanent service of individuals no mater the circumstances”.

”The NDC’s hope of coming back to power is a mirage, as the DFP will form the next government or any party that will win the 2008 elections will do so on the back of our party,” he said.

Manfred Nuku-Dei, Interim Volta Regional Secretary of the Party, said what most Ghanaians were looking for now was a viable alternative to the two political protagonists in the country and called on members and supporters of the party to work hard to win more people into their fold.

Wisdom Deafeamekpor, Regional Youth Organiser, said a DFP-led government would create a platform for the youth to play a central role in all government decisions.

The 14-member executive of the Ho Poly Chapter has Solomon Sefakor Deku as President, Seyram Agbogah as secretary, Ernest Ekor, Organiser and Saviour Afi Nartey as Treasurer.

The School of Hygiene Chapter has Samuel Sapatey as President, Cephas Zigah, Secretary, Peter Adamu, Organiser and Newlove Kpodo, Treasurer.

Random Acts of Corruption: A National Malady with Enduring Consequences.

The air in Ghana has become harder to breathe, not because of insidious climate changebut from being poisoned with a new gas called “corruptogen”, which has reduced the available amount of Oxygen available to the ordinary citizen. During a 2 week visit Kwame casually, heard, observed or experienced the following events without any effort on his part.

On arrival at Kotoka Airport on the morning of Kwame Nkrumah’s birthday, while Akan – speaking Kwame was being processed in the “Other Nationals” line, he overheard the fellow passenger in the adjoining booth saying “I don’t have anything small right now” in response to a demand for cash from the immigration officer dealing with a fellow traveler. It was eventually resolved with “Here’s my mobile number. Call me when you close.”

Later that evening, Abena learnt that her friend’s nephew who had been arrested over a year ago for printing fake $100 US bills was overseas for an extended holiday. How had he managed this feat? For $2000.00, the police had repeatedly told the judge they were still “gathering evidence” whenever the case came up in court.

As the week went on, Paapa learnt from his physician friend that when Ghana government auditors showed up at his hospital, they began by offering to cover up any problems they would find if he agreed to play ball. He said he wasn’t a soccer star!

Not long after, Kwame had to make a quick trip to Takoradi. At Öbi “Nyim Okyena near Elmina, he was stopped for driving above the 50 mph speed limit. The kind officer seeing he was a big man in a hurry suggested that if he wanted to proceed, he knew “what to do”. Variations of this theme repeated itself many times that day. At the Weija toll gate, his co- passenger Kwasi was fumbling for the woefully inadequate 5p fee when the officer in the booth, growing impatient said “It’s alright, drive on!” Did he have the right to deny the state of the 5p? How many times a day does he exhibit this largesse at the expense of the taxpayer?

Then came Kwabena, a young vibrant Ghanaian young man full of promise, who had just relocated to Ghana after completing his Masters in Business administration in California. He had arrived without his California driver’s licence so he announced that he had to take a driver’s test. Later that day he returned home and was asked perfunctorily by his uncle how things went. He reported that he explained his circumstances to the testing officer before the road test began. After a few short minutes, he was bewildered as the officer blurted exclaimed “Bail yourself out!” as he was driving. It took him a few seconds to realize that he was not being accused of a crime but that the officer wanted to receive a cash payment to dispense with the formality of the process.

At the hospital where Maame was visiting her sick brother, he was not the only vulnerable person in the system. The nurses openly asked to be “looked after”, which care if not delivered in hard currency would affect the care her brother was to receive. Did someone mention professionalism? Please go to the cemetery where she resides. It’s so sad that it is laughable.

While Maame was trying to figure out who needed more care at the hospital, two strangers called Mabey and Johnson entered the premises. They had just plead guilty to the crime of being generous to many Ghanaian and other politicians in a foreign land with a reputable court system to which our court system could credibly claim to be related in years gone by. At an agonizingly slow rate and after a lot of legal gyrations and jet –setting, two ministers in the present government resigned because of the kindness of these strangers who were supposedly experts in building bridges.

The CHRAJ is now to determine if crimes have been committed for which punishment must be doled out. Now, if President Mills doesn’t find a serious way to reduce the amount of “corruptogen” in the air, we will all be suffocated in this dear land of ours even before we lick our lips from tasting the much vaunted Black Gold from Nzema. All these problems have a simple solution. After Singapore and Malaysia cleared their air of “corruptogen”, look how rapidly they developed. President Mills is at a point where he is being called to become a great leader not just a president. There is a big difference. He needs to engage the services of the likes of Lee Kuan Yew, Minister Mentor of Singapore and there will be no turning back.

With visionary and strong leadership the air has been cleared of “corruptogen” in many countries. Nothing is more important than the very air we breathe. Let’s hope that in the bidding war between Exxon Mobil and CNOOC of China for the Kosmos stake in the Jubilee Field, the M & J kind of generosity does not become a bridge to disaster for our country. The lesson for the President, all his men and women is simple. No one representing the state should receive gifts for the work they do, while employed by the people of Ghana. The argument that these large sums of money were paid as gifts begs for a decent explanation. In many countries, it is required by law that all gifts received in ones official capacity are surrendered to the state. In order to serve the state with diligence and fidelity, public servants can have no other interests. If the do, they must not be in public service.

The task of ending this pandemic in our country will require more than a “business as usual” bureaucratic approach. It requires creative leadership and believable and effective interventions along with fearless enforcement. Others have done it. So can we, if we are sincere about changing our society for the common good and speedy development. This administration is reminded that “legacy is better than currency”.

Prof. T. P. Manus Ulzen

tulzen@yahoo.com

Resigned Health Minister admits receiving 'gift' from 'Baba Kamara'

Former Health Minister Dr Sipa Yankey Email Print Have Your Say ( 32 ) The resigned Minister of Health, Dr George Adjah-Sipa Yankey, has admitted for the first time that he financially benefited from Mabey and Johnson (M&J), a United Kingdom(UK) based construction firm convicted of bribing Ghanaian state officials under the Jerry John Rawlings administration. Mabey and Johnson worked in the country in the 1990s during the era of ex-President Rawlings when President John Evans Atta mills was the vice President and Chairman of the country’s Economic Management Team. Dr Sipa-Yankey, then Director of Legal Services at the Finance Ministry, however explained that the money (£15,000) he took from the company was not a bribe but a gift freely offered him for a job well done. The money was paid into his London account. On or about 29th October 1996, Amadu Seidu, who has also resigned and was a Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Roads and Highways, received £5000 in his Woolwich account held in St. Peter Port, Guernsey and Dr George Sipa Yankey received £10,000 in his Midland Bank account at Hill Street, London W1. Dr Yankey told Hello FM in Kumasi on Saturday after his resignation that he was approached to do an arbitration work when the M&J Directors in the UK had problems with their local agent, Danny Ofori-Atta of NDC/EGLE party. According to him, Baba Kamara, a former Deputy National Treasurer of the NDC and High Commissioner designate to Nigeria who was the new local agent of M&J in Ghana, together with other officials, approached him for the arbitration work, an exercise he voluntarily agreed to do without a fee while serving at a ministry that was dealing with the British firm. The resigned Health Minister said because the problem was so huge to the extent that it nearly halted the work of the company, he had to spend a number of sleepless nights working around the clock to ensure that the dispute was amicably settled. Sipa-Yankey stated that the company was excited when he successfully resolved the impasse and therefore wanted to show appreciation for his efforts by offering him money. Dr Yankey noted that because he did not charge any fee before undertaking the exercise and that he did the work with a view to reviving the company, he severally rejected the offer. He said at one point, Baba Kamara and some officials of the company came to his office and entreated him to accept 'something small' from them as appropriate for his service, but he sternly refused. According to him, Baba Kamara followed up to his residence one weekend and pleaded with him to accept the offer and that if he would not personally use the money, he could donate it to charity. He disclosed that Baba Kamara, after successfully pleading with him to accept the offer, then asked for his bank account which he readily gave to him for onward depositing of the money. According to the Daily Guide, £15,000 which was Dr Yankey’s share of the alleged Mabey and Johnson booty, was paid into his foreign account in the UK. Meanwhile, Francis Emile Short, Commissioner of human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), has told Kessben FM in Kumasi that his outfit is ready to investigate the alleged bribery scandal involving some ministers of state and other government officials. He said even before President Mills referred the matter to them, his outfit had already contacted the British High Commission for some information regarding the issue so that they could investigate the matter. Source: Daily Guide/Ghana

Punish politicians for corruption - Kojo Asante

Former Sports Minister, Mallam Issah tried and convicted of corruption under the Kufuor-led administration The Legal Officer of the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Mr Kojo Asante says the society’s failure to punish politician for corruption accounts for the pervasiveness of the menace. He said if politicians know that there is a political price to pay if they engage in corruption, there will be an abeyance. Speaking to Joy FM’s Super Morning Show host Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah Tuesday, he said if society shunned people accused of corruption as happens elsewhere, many a Ghanaian will exercise restraint especially in conducting public business. Placard-wielding people chanting slogans and supporting persons alleged to have engaged in corruption must cease, he intimated. According to Mr Asante, while the nation has done well in the formulation of laws and institutions to fight corruption, enforcing the measures remained largely abysmal. The biggest challenge militating against the fight against corruption in the country was the lack of political will, he observed. For the anti-corruption campaigner, if the executive arm of government which wields considerable power showed serious commitment to the fight, the country would have seen some significant progress. He said dealing with corruption requires more than just expression of intention, which is all executives appear to do. Responding to cries of political witch-hunting when allegations of corruption are being investigated, Mr Asante said the cross-political trails of supposed corrupt officials accounted for the situation. He said apart from the Mallam Issah case tried under former president Kufuor, many governments try their political opponents for corruption ignoring members of their own political parties accused of the crime. “One feature of our fighting of corruption has almost always been post incumbent and so anytime there is a change in government, people are tried for corruption”. When this happens people are bound to suspect political witch-hunt. Story by Malik Abass Daabu/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana

‘I Took Cash from Baba Kamara’ -Sipa Yankey

The toppled Minister of health, Dr George Adjah-Sipa Yankey, has admitted for the first time that he financially benefitted from Mabey and Johnson (M&J), a United Kingdom(UK) based construction firm accused of bribing Ghanaians officials under the Jerry John Rawlings administration.Mabey and Johnson worked in the country in the 1990s during the era of ex-President Rawlings when President John Evans Atta mills was the vice President and Chairman of the country’s Economic Management Team.

Dr Sipa Yankey, then Director of Legal Services at the Finance Ministry, however explained that the money (£15,000) he took from the company was not a bribe but a gift freely offered him for a job well done.

The money was paid into his London account.On or about 29th October 1996, Amadu Seidu, who also resigned and was a Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Roads and Highways, received (£5000 in his Woolwich account held in St. Peter Port. Guernsey and Dr George Sipa Yankey received £10,000 in his Midland Bank account at Hill Street, London W1.

Dr Yankey, who was convicted over the Quality Grain scandal where an American woman was given over $20 million to grow rice, told Hello FM in Kumasi on Saturday after his resignation that he was approached to do an arbitration work when the M&J Directors in the UM had problems with their local agent, Danny Ofori-Atta of NDC/EGLE party.

According to the ex-convict, Baba Kamara, a former Deputy National Treasurer of the NDC and High Commissioner designate to Nigeria who was the new local agent of M&J in Ghana, together with other officials, approached him for the arbitration work, an exercise he voluntarily agreed to do without a fee while serving at a ministry that was dealing with the corrupt British firm.The immediate past Health Minister said because the problem was so huge to the extent that it nearly halted the work of the company, he had to spend a number of sleepless nights working around the clock to ensure that the dispute was amicably settled.

The deposed minister stated that the company was excited when he successfully resolved the impasse and therefore wanted to show appreciation for his efforts by offering him money. Dr Yankey noted that because he did not charge any fee before undertaking the exercise and that he did the work with a view to reviving the company, he severally rejected the offer.He said at one point, Baba Kamara and some officials of the company came to his office and entreated him to accept something small for them as appropriate for his service, but he sternly refused.According to him, Baba Kamara following up to his residence one weekend and pleaded with him to accept the offer and that if he would not personally use the money, he could donate it to charity.

He disclosed that Baba Kamara, after successfully pleading with him to accept the offer, then asked for his bank account which he readily gave to him for onward depositing of the money.Daily Guide learnt that an amount of £15,000 which was Dr Yankey’s share of the Mabey and Johnson booty, was paid into his foreign account in the UK.Ironically, Dr Yankey who was forced by President Mills to resign over the weekend, stressed that he had never received bribe and that he comes from a decent family whose member would not stoop so low in that regard.

He said if he would ever be interested in receiving bribes, he would go for bigger offers and not £15,000.Emphasizing that he was a well-to-do man who did not live on bribes, he noted that he had a son who was a cardio surgeon at the New York University Hospital in the United States and a daughter who was a designer in Canada.According to him, immediately he assumed office as Minister of health in February this year, his son asked him to forfeit his salary and that he was ready to pay him $10,000 a month. Against this background, Dr Yankey noted that he had never taken his salary since he assumed office and that instead of even living in a government bungalow, he was rather staying at his own residence.

He accused the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of masterminding the Mabey and Johnson bribery scandal that led to his overthrow from office, indicating that his excellent performance in office was a threat to the NPP.Stressing that he would defiantly be back in government to serve the nation, Dr Yankey said he was ready to do anything possible to clear his name even if he had to travel to the UK to fight his case. He passionately appealed to president Mills to appoint Dr Benjamin Kumbuor, Deputy Minister of health as his replacement, pointing out that the legal luminary was a fine brain who could easily fill the vacuum his overthrow had created at the ministry.

Meanwhile, Francis Emile Short, Commissioner of human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), HAS TOLD Kessben FM in Kumasi that his outfit is ready to investigate the alleged bribery scandal involving some ministers of state and other government officials.He said even before President Mills referred the matter to them, his outfit had already contacted the British High Commission for some information regarding the issue so that they could investigate the matter.

Source:Daily Guide

Mabey and Johnson, Resignations are not enough

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Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am "thrilled" that corruption has been exposed within our borders again, this time by powers far and yonder. Is it not a shame, that rather than we doing the job ourselves, we have allowed authorities elsewhere to reveal what this present government has always known?? Well, I strongly believe it is a shame and the players deserve no credit.

On Saturday 10 October 2009, Right Honourables George Sipa Yankey and Amadu Seidu became the latest victims in these turn of events. In short, we are told, they have resigned their positions. Ghanaians in our gullibility have commended them( the 2 ministers) for resigning and others have leapt to heaping praises on this president for tackling corruption. But let us look deep. Are we sure they deserve the praises we seem to be according them?? Did the government not know anything about this?? Did it have to send the Attorney General on a day trip to ascertain truths it(the government) has always known??

I am not certain the government knew nothing about it because it could have quizzed Chairman later President Rawlings for what he knew and the depth. Vice President John Evans Attah Mills, now President would have also known something about this too. To claim his ignorance of this issue would suggest two things; either he lied or that his eye was not on the ball and goes to suggest that his ability to do a better job is probably highly in doubt.

Instead, they wasted more tax payers money( apart from the cost to our country in bribes, loss of quality projects and probable loss of lives), for the Attorney General and Minister of Justice to travel to the United Kingdom for more answers. Perhaps, the AG, classed an "outsider" may not have known what the truth was and decided to hear things for herself. When they sent her out, they knew she would find the answers they always had. When she got back, we were told, there were closed door meetings between the Veep, the Chief of Staff and other close aides. See http://news.myjoyonline.com/politics/200910/36251.asp

I am personally of the view that the answers could have been sought by phone or video conference from Ghana and the cost would have been a third of what was spent for the round trip. This could very well have been done from the British High Commission in Accra. Even if this was funded by the SFO in the UK ( though I doubt it), it will still be a blot on our balance sheet somehow, in cash or in kind, one day.

The most troubling aspect of all of this is that, the government appointed people with doubtful ability, credibility and past and I am strongly of the view that Ex-President Rawlings knew what he was saying when he called those appointees "mediocre". After all, he was President at the time and a lot happened on his clock, though he is not prepared to tell and instead prefers to tell riddles and proverbs.

The president recently expressed full confidence in his ministers which to me was a bit disconcerting, especially when he knew that things could be heading disastrously wrong in his direction. Maybe, he did this as a politician, but this is an issue far too dear to Ghanaians and Africa for it to be toyed with. Leadership is difficult but once you ascend to it, you must govern and speak with care and a lot of wisdom.

Daily Post International, a Ghanaian newspaper also declared that Dr. Yankey is clean and claimed that was according to its intel. What an Intel that was! http://news.myjoyonline.com/news/200910/36237.asp

So far, 3 ministers have resigned from this government due to some underhand deals(Muntaka, Amadu Seidu and George Sipa Yankey). How many more are lined up to go?? There are others in other departments who also have questions to answer, including the current President and Ex-President Rawlings. They know a lot more than they are letting on and it is time we got some answers. No taking this lying down.

Here is what I think should happen; Ghanaians must demand of the government what it knows about the Mabey and Johnson issue. The government must not get away with a few resignations. It must explain to all of us what really happened and what it intends to do. I am not necessarily suggesting custodial sentence for those involved but I believe an explanation is good for us to plug the gaps in the tendering process. This is the first.

Again, if the court has seen fit that reparations be paid to the Ghanaian government, then it is only too right for those involved to also cough up money that was given them, for which reason, they stare into the political abyss.

Added to this, let's also see if due to bribery and corruption in this case, the projects (Mabey and Johnson's) delivered were late, shoddy or never delivered and whether they have resulted in the loss of lives of Ghanaians. In fact, was anything delivered by Mabey and Johnson at all?? It is all too easy to blame the police for accidents on our roads but it is also becoming increasingly clear that our politicians are equally culpable. If that is the case, then the courts must prosecute.

There are lessons for all of us to learn. Corruption is a serious issue that retards Africa's development. No country is immune from it, but it is how you go about it that shows whether you are serious and committed to tackling corruption or not.

In 1961, when Osagyefo Dr. Nkrumah's ( Ghana's President at the time) attention was drawn to corruption in his government, he began the dawn broadcasts, told it all and dismissed many from his government who were involved. This is what is laudable and a step that must be followed. This government and the others aren't prepared to "wash their dirty linen in public" but it must if it is serious about corruption. Ex-President did little or nothing about corruption, despite his pledge of zero tolerance towards corruption. Apart from Mallam Issah's jail term, nothing substantial was done about corruption. Those who commit crimes must pay for their crimes.

Thus far, in my humble opinion, it has not shown any will to honour its promise of fighting corruption "tooth and nail". It is rather throwing a "few dogs to the wolves" to appease the people. Not enough. The government must sacrifice a lot more and that may mean it goes all the way to the top.

In sum, we must do our "own house cleaning" and not allow others to do it for us, because after all, "The Black man is capable of managing his own affairs".

Kwaku Nkansah was the CPP Parliamentary Candidate for Offinso North in the 2008 Elections. These opinions are personal and do not in any way reflect what the CPP believes in. He can be reached at kwakunkansah@dkn4offfinsonorth.org

Source: Nkansah, Kweku