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21.02.2007 New controls ease blood diamond fears - gov't
ACCRA, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Ghana, fearing its reputation will be tarnished by traffickers in "blood diamonds" from Ivory Coast, has stepped up monitoring of diamond production and exports, a government minister said.
An international inspection team will visit Ghana on March 26 to assess its compliance with the Kimberley Process, a U.N-backed scheme set up in 2002 to ensure "blood diamonds", also called conflict diamonds, are not sold on the black market to buy weapons.
"We have put in place very strict structures ... When the team comes they will be happy," Dominic Fobih, minister of Lands, Forestry and Mines, told Reuters late on Tuesday.
Ghana faces possible suspension from the Kimberley Process after a U.N report last year found that diamonds from the rebel-held north of war-divided Ivory Coast were being sold through Ghana and Mali in breach of a ban on Ivorian diamonds.
"We took the matter very seriously. We have obligations to fulfil ... The image of this country would be damaged if it were associated with the war in the Ivory Coast," Fobih said.
A ministerial taskforce has been set up while customs and immigrations officials have been trained, he said. Responsibility for monitoring the country's compliance with the Kimberley Process is now shared by the Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC), previously the sole inspector, and the Minerals Commission.
But the main difficulty remains in assessing Ghana's diamond output.
About 80 percent of Ghana's diamond production comes from small-scale miners. With little data available on their output, it is difficult to compare domestic production with export data, raising fears that non-Ghanaian diamonds could slip unnoticed into the supply chain.
About 490 local buyers have been registered and local miners -- believed to number as many as 10,000 -- are currently being registered, said Fobih.
"We are registering them so we can collect data on production ... The main issue is matching the production levels with the marketing levels," he said.
Ghanaian gem exports have risen in recent years from 626,000 carats in 2000 to about one million in 2005, a rise that has been driven, local authorities say, by higher gem prices.
Source:
Reuters More Rawlings Men For Trial
Kwamena Ahwoi, Eddie Annan, Kwame Peprah, Konadu, Abodakpi, Totobi Quakyi, Sherry Ayittey & Cecilia Johnson Cited
Twenty years of unmonitored political tinkering with the socio-economic and political fortunes of Ghanaians has created huge credibility hiccups for appointees of Jerry John Rawlings, including his wife, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, former First Lady and President of the December 31st Movement.
A document in the possession of the Ghanaian Observer (GO), newspaper leaked from our sources at the Police Headquarters, and which document has been confirmed by a source at the Serious Fraud Office as authentic reveal that, any moment from now, more of Rawlings’ `Men Of Integrity` will be lined up and tried for criminal offences related to corruption under the NDC`s own crafted `Causing Financial Loss To The State` law.
The document carries a long list of NDC leading members and appointees under investigations for various offences, as well as companies and project names under which the cases of economic crime or corruption were committed. Significantly, December 31st as an institution, is cited in four cases regarding funds accessed from ECOBANK, without interest being paid.
Top on the list is Mrs. Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, Kwamena Ahwoi, jailed former Minister of Trade and MP for Keta Dan Abodakpi, Kofi Totobi Quakyi and former Minister for Finance and Economic Planning Mr. Kwame Peprah. Jailed MP Dan Abodakpi, caught in another $400,000 deal has his name appearing three times in the `black document.` Depending on the outcome of investigations, Abodakpi may also have yet another day in court to answer charges about his alleged 30 per cent shares in Irani Brothers, kickback paid by COTECNA to NDC and $32m CIBA funds that cannot be accounted for under his administration.
Mr. Kwamena Ahwoi, head honcho of the erstwhile dreaded Citizens Vetting Committee created by the Rawlings December 31 coup may also have to answer charges together with Eddie Annan respectively in deals involving waste disposal companies City and Country Waste and Groupe Chagnon. Sati Ocran, a top December 31st activist, has also been cited in the Groupe Chagnon case.
Former Minister of Finance and Economic Planning Kwame Peprah has four other cases pending against him in respect of VANEF-STC, CP, La Palm Royal Beach Hotels and New York Bay International. Former Minister of National Security Totobi Quakyi is also to face trial for causing financial loss of $6m to the state in the divestiture of Ghana Film Company. Dr.Lindsay, former IGP Peter Nanfuri and Nii Okaidja Adamafio, former Minister of Interior, have also been cited in a case of fraudulent procurement of Tundra vehicles for the Police Service. The vehicles were allegedly diverted from a South African company to an American company.
Significantly, Konadu Rawlings's December 31st Movement is cited four times in the document regarding cases of economic crime or causing financial loss to the State. The first is a deal with ECOBANK in which they are alleged to have failed to pay interest on a $500,000 loan facility received from the bank. Besides the CARIDEM case, the Movement also has on its hand other cases under investigation, including a Chinese loan and other Africa Development Bank (ADB) loans totaling $4m.
The Obotan Project with SSNIT and SSB Investments, and Charles Asare, Ekow Awoonor and Enterprise Insurance, feature in the document as is the case of Aluminium Enterprises Ltd Kwatsons, also cited for a $7M deal. The name of former Divestiture Implementation Committee (DIC) boss, Emmanuel Agbodo, also found space in the document. He is cited in the case of Gold City Communications, with Peprah again as well as Yankey and others being cited in the infamous Presidential Jet case.
All cases listed in the document are either still under investigation or have dockets on them ready for trial processes to begin. Cases in the list number 25, and hard currency involved runs into several millions of dollars.
Source:
Ghanaian Observer
| < BACK GO to > 20.02.2007 Domestic Violence Bill passed
Accra, Feb 21, GNA- Some Member of Parliament went into spontaneous jubilation when the House passed the much awaited Domestic Violence Bill on Wednesday.
Some female Members of Parliament, thrilled at the passage, moved from their seats and shook hands with their male counterparts in an expression of joy over the Bill, which aims at offering protection for women and children particularly from domestic violence.
A shout of over-echoed "No" seemed to boom the Chamber, when the Speaker, Mr Ebenezer Begyina Sekyi-Hughes put the third reading of the Bill to a vote, but the Speaker ruled in favour of the "Ayes" whose response was also very loud.
The Bill has generated much heat since it was presented and read for the first time in Parliament in May 2006, with reactions and counter-reactions of some provisions by Members of Parliament, gender advocates and civil society groups.
Divided in three parts, the first part of the Bill makes provision for the Meaning of Domestic Violence; Meaning of Domestic Relationship; Prohibition of Domestic Violence; Number of Acts which Would Amount to Domestic Violence, Filing of Complaints to the Police, Police Assistance, Arrest by Police and Arrest by Police Officer Without Warrant.
In the second part, provisions are made for Protection Order as Jurisdiction of the Court, Application for Protection Order, Conduct of Court Proceedings, Interim Protection Order, Grant of Protection Order Reference to Family Tribunal and Power to Discharge Protection Order. Part Three of the Bill covers miscellaneous provisions including Relation of Act to Criminal Code, Promotion of Reconciliation by Court, Publication of Proceedings, Criminal Charges and Protection, Civil Claim for Damages, Procedure Rules for Domestic Violence, Regulations and Interpretation.
Among the new clauses of the Bill is the establishment of Victims of Domestic Violence Support Fund, which shall source funds by voluntary contributions to the Fund from individuals, organizations and the private sector; the amount of money that Parliament may approve for payment into the Fund, and any other source approved by the Minister Responsible for Finance.
Moneys of the Fund shall be applied towards the basic material support of victims of domestic violence, tracing the families of victims of domestic violence and for any other matter connected with the rehabilitation and reintegration of victims of domestic violence in their best interest.
The moneys shall also be applied for the construction of reception shelters for victims of domestic violence in the regions and districts and for training and capacity building to persons connected with the provision of shelter, rehabilitation and reintegration.
Source:
GNA
Ghana Police Service is being transformed - IGP
Koforidua, Feb. 21, GNA -
Mr Patrick Kwarteng Acheampong, Inspector General of Police (IGP) on Tuesday said plans were far advanced to transform the Ghana Police Service to control crime in the country. The plans include reformation in the infrastructure, communication systems, logistics and human resource development.
Mr Acheampong announced this in an address read on his behalf by Mrs Elizabeth Mills-Robertson, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Administration) at the opening session of a two-week basic Detective and Domestic Violence training for 100 Police Officers in the Eastern Region at Koforidua.
He noted that without a well trained, disciplined and motivated police personnel, no amount of logistics would be enough to transform the service to the standard being envisaged by the Police administration.
Mr Acheampong said it was in line with the vision of the Police administration that comprehensive in-service training programmes were being organised for police detectives throughout the country, after a successful pilot programme at Pwalugu in the Upper East Region. The IGP assured Ghanaians that the Ghana Police Service was ready to discharge its mandate under the constitution to protect life and property.
Mr Acheampong expressed appreciation to Mr Gordon Wetherell, British High Commissioner to Ghana, for sponsoring the training and his contribution to enhance image of the service.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr Felix Asare-Darko, Eastern Regional Police Commander commended the Police administration for including the region in the programme to help improve performance of police personnel.
Mr Yaw Barimah, Eastern Regional Minster, said the police had the responsibility to maintain the enviable record of the country being a safe haven within the West Africa sub-region. He noted that the training would enhance police-public relations in the region and the country. Source:
GNA
| CJA Press Statement
COMMITTEE FOR JOINT ACTION (CJA) PRESS CONFERENCE STATEMENT PEOPLE’S 6TH MARCH GOLDEN JUBILEE PROCESSION
Ladies and Gentlemen of the media:
1. We thank you warmly for meeting once again with us so soon after our last meeting. We had not hoped to engage with you again until after 6 March when we would report to you on the success of our “People’s Jubilee Procession”. Unfortunately, as you know, the Ghana Police Service has opposed our jubilee procession and requested a postponement. We, in turn, have rejected the Police objections and indicated that we will go ahead as announced. These events have inspired considerable public discussion with the inevitable misconstruction and misrepresentation. We invited you here today to request your assistance in making our views clear to the public.
The arguments against a Peoples’ procession 2. Ladies and Gentlemen: let us first clarify a few issues. We welcome a debate. Our critics have made several arguments. They claim that our agenda is simply to embarrass Government. They deny that the official programme is narrow and exclusive. They say that in any case, this is the way we have always done things in Ghana. They insist that because of the international focus on Ghana, the golden jubilee is not the time to expose our national divisions. We think these arguments go right to the heart of our concerns and demonstrate why a Peoples’ Procession is absolutely the right thing to do.
Embarrassing Government
3. Our objective is to present Ghanaians and the world with our views about the true political significance of Ghana’s independence. We wish to pay tribute to the organised masses of ordinary Ghanaians and the progressive political leadership that made independence possible. We wish to honour Kwame Nkrumah as the pre-eminent leader of our independence struggles. We will congregate at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle and the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum - the only public monuments to his memory (tragically and shamefully neglected by the powers that be). We are all for a pluralistic celebration. We do not seek to deny any other strand of political opinion in Ghana access to the celebrations – not even those who fought so hard against republican independence in Ghana. We are certainly not looking for opportunities to embarrass Government. On the other hand, if the truth is unpalatable to some sections of society, or if honouring our heroes embarrasses some people or diminishes their self-importance, then we humbly suggest that it is these people, and not us, who should reconsider their positions. There is an interesting historical parallel. In the forties and fifties too there were those who were willing to silence the masses and even surrender compromise our right to sovereignty rather than embarrass the colonial ruler. They are not the ones we honour during our golden jubilee. We celebrate those who put the people’s needs first. These are the lessons of Independence.
Expanding Participation
4. We say the official programme is narrow and exclusive. And we are not alone. The leadership of the Nkrumaist parties, the CPP and PNC have said so. The largest minority party the NDC has said so. Other social groupings have said so. Why is it that by far the major events that appear to have any political, intellectual or cultural significance are strictly by invitation? It is significant that even a Member of Parliament and Government Minister Kwesi Nduom has complained in the last week about political exclusion and even suggesting that the management of the official process is not sufficiently accountable to our Parliament! Last week’s belated noisy effort to bring President Rawlings on board is also an official acknowledgement of this exclusion. Why is it that the highlighted entertainment and social events carry price tags that make them inaccessible to all but the rich? Nowhere is there a street party, or a free concert; events through which ordinary people can express themselves creatively and freely. Why did we not see a fitting official celebration of the anniversary of “Positive Action”? Just a few months ago the public responded as one to our world cup success in an unprecedented festival of national colours. Yet, in the last week the same public has shown almost complete indifference to innovative and potentially unifying concepts like “National Chocolate Day” or “Rally ‘round the Flag”! We ask “why?” The reason is simple. The masses disapprove! They have either been completely shut out or have been relegated to the role of spectators at self-congratulatory official events such as parades. This is wrong and we have a right to correct this. These are the lessons of independence.
There is no alternative ..
5. The argument that this is the way things have always been done is a defeatist and even colonial argument. If we are doomed endlessly to repeat our mistakes over and over again, then our independence is meaningless. The independence revolution was nothing if it was not a declaration that we would no longer tolerate business as usual. Will we celebrate its golden jubilee by rejecting our own creativity and self-empowerment? Will we also continue to tolerate the collapse of our water, electricity, health and education systems – just because they are not new? Will we say that because political and public service corruption and indifference did not start in 2005 then we should be content to live with them? Again, those who make this argument are thinking not of the public well-being but the comfort of our rulers. They are desperately seeking to let the current Government off the hook. Let us lift our eyes above this petty partisan approach and for once try and do the right thing for the country. These are the lessons of Independence.
National Unity!
6. What of the appeals for a show of national unity during the 50th anniversary? We say: “who are we fooling?” Our country is more divided today than at any point in its history (except the tragic "ma te me ho" period!). We are indeed interested in unity. However we want the substance and not just the appearance. Genuine unity and stability will come from open, tolerant engagement about our differences. We cannot achieve unity by silencing dissent.
The effort to tightly control every aspect of the jubilee and create a false media image of national consensus and support for the ruling elite’s agenda has already failed. The embarrassing and insincere efforts to secure President Rawlings’ participation in the official 6 March celebrations are pointless. President Rawlings can attend all the parades and banquets, sit at President Kufuor’s right hand and smile nicely for the cameras. It would not mean national reconciliation or unity. In a country with such extremes of wealth and poverty there cannot be a common agenda – only class agendas. In a country where large sections of opinion continue to be suppressed by the police, there cannot be nation-wide unity. And no one – not the invited VVIPs or the Ghanaian public is fooled. It is only our leaders who will be lulled into a sense of false security by their own security and media management machines. This self-deception too has colonial parallels. Our colonial masters once deceived themselves that we loved them because the colonial elite and helpless school children lined up on Empire Day to chant “Rule Britannia”. These are the lessons of independence!
The police Response
7. Ladies and Gentlemen: We turn now to our discussion with the Police. As citizens we must cultivate correct constitutional relationships with the Police. To protect and expand our constitutional freedoms we must always ask: are the police operating within their legitimate authority? In this case we think that they are not. The Public Order Act is explicit about the grounds on which the Police may suggest modifications to citizens’ plans for special public events. Section 3 subsection (4) reads:
Where a police officer notified of a special event under subsection (1) has reasonable grounds to believe that the special event if held may lead to violence or endanger public defence, public order, public safety, public health or the running of essential services or violate the rights and freedoms of other persons, he may request the organisers to postpone the special event to any other date or to the relocate the special event.
8. DCOP’s Akrofi’ letter dated 14 February 2007 gives only two reasons for requesting a two-week postponement of the procession.
a. Paragraph 2 states: “In view of police preparation towards Ghana’s 50th anniversary, majority of our personnel shall be detailed for the Anniversary parade and other security coverage duties”.
b. Paragraph 3 states: “...considering the number of Heads of States, VVIPs and visitors arriving in Ghana, prior, during and after the Anniversary, the Police shall be over burdened”
9. The Police do not claim to have reasonable grounds to believe that our procession will “lead to violence or endanger public defence, public order, public safety, public health or the running of essential services”. Nor do the police suggest that the procession will “violate the rights and freedoms of other persons”. Accordingly, the Police have no right under the Public Order law to interfere with our procession. The letter of 14 February does not meet the requirements of the Public Order Act and has no effect. Mr. Akrofi’s radio appearances do not constitute formal police communications. More importantly the Police have not established the formal or substantive basis for an application to the Court under the Public Order Act for an order prohibiting the Peoples’ Procession.
10. The arguments that the Police make in their letter are arguments about inconvenience. We indeed sympathise with their difficulties. However, as we have argued many times in the past the Police’ constitutional duty to support the exercise of citizens’ constitutional rights overrides considerations of administrative convenience. In this case we gave the Police a full month’s notice precisely to enable them to address logistical issues effectively. That is enough. In any case, we do not believe there is the slightest risk either to ourselves or the public and we are quite happy to regulate our own procession without Police assistance. We are satisfied that there are and can be no legal obstacles to our 6 March procession and we will proceed as announced. Once again we invite believers in independence – nationalists and Pan-Africanists to join us.
Thank you very much for listening to us. As usual, we would be happy to take any questions you might have.
Kyeretwie Opoku On behalf of the CJA 19th February 2007
Source:
CJA
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