NDC makes formal case on voters' register to EC

The governing National Democratic Congress in Ghana has made a formal proposal to the Electoral Commission against a new voters’ register for the 2016 general elections.

The party in a 71-page document urged the interest groups to rather support the EC to carry out more reforms that will further improve election management in the country.

The NDC document signed by the General Secretary and the National Chairman described the call by the NPP as one borne out of bad faith, bad-loser syndrome, and a deliberate and calculated strategy for political expediency.

“The NPP habitually condemns the Electoral Commission anytime they lose elections and commend the same institution when they win. This characteristically undemocratic approach of refusing to concede defeat at the polls, has become an institutionalized practice by the NPP to manage electoral defeat and ascribe their failure to the doing of others.”

It further stated: “… our political opponents the NPP, are in the habit of demonstrating breach of faith when they step out of collective agreements to table extraneous agenda items and try hard to force the hand of the EC to adopt their lone ranger demands. “The current debate around the replacement or maintenance of the Biometric Voters’ Register is evidence of the break-away decision-making habit of NPP. After having participated in and endorsed the collective Report of the Elections Reform Committee set up by the EC to review electoral reform issues emerging from the post 2012 events, the NPP has single handedly raised the issue of the replacement of the BVR outside the consensus reached on the roadmap of electoral reforms and is seeking in the process to railroad all other stakeholders to accede to their false demands.”

Meanwhile, aside the NPP some political parties including the United Progressive Party in their proposal to the Electoral Commission said they want a new voters’ register.

General Secretary of the party, Razak Opoku told Joy News the current register lacks credibility. Former Chairman of the NPP Peter Mac Manu, who is leading his side on the need for a new register, told Joy News the party has added additional documentation to buttress their call for a new register. He said their demand has nothing to do with winning or losing the forthcoming elections. It is about “credibility and accuracy of the voters' register,” he noted.

“Because the entire process anchor on the register if the foundation becomes mouldy then the structure can’t pass the test,” he explained. Mr. Mac Manu cautioned that “time is not on our side, they must act and act expeditiously”.

Meanwhile, the Principal Public Relations Officer of the EC, Sylvia Annor has told Joy News about plans by the EC to address the concerns of the parties.

She said the Commissioner would hold a stakeholders' forum with the parties to deliberate on the issue for the EC to take final decision, but would not tell how soon the meeting would be held.

Source:Adomonline.com

Anas video: 10 things I learnt about Ghana’s judiciary

And so it came to pass, Anas Aremeyaw Anas publicly screened his latest expose on judicial corruption on Tuesday. Despite threats of court injunctions, hundreds of Ghanaians turned up at the Conference centre to watch the documentary on judicial corruption. It was painful to sit and watch all three hours of it. And it’s not because it was long or the air conditions in the auditorium were not working. The behavior of the judges and court officials caught on camera was sickening. The way clerks, interpreters and judges met and negotiated bribes made me physically sick. I have seen many documentaries by Anas, none was as nauseating as this one. Some of the judges took as little as 500 cedis to throw cases. The documentary raises so many questions. Here are my takeaways from the documentary.

Ghana’s judiciary is in tatters

Prior to this, a number of surveys had revealed that the judiciary was perceived as corrupt. Forget what you were told when the reports from the Afrobaromter and the Ghana Integrity Initiative were published – the corruption within the judiciary is real. Our judiciary, the third arm of government is beyond the broken. That people appointed to uphold the law and the rights of citizens violate it without consequence. None of the over 30 judges and 100 court officials had to be coerced. Anas and his Tigereye just had to find a facilitator and that was it. Murderers, armed robbers, rapists and other criminals were freed for as little GHC500 in some cases. The system works in favor of the highest bidder.

Supervision is poor

I’m not buying the entrapment argument. I don’t believe the judges and court officials took their first bribes from Anas. It did not look like it was their first time on camera either. That means they’ve have been retailing injustice for however long they have been on the bench. That none of the 34 judges came to the attention of their bosses is unbelievable. Is it that no one reported them? Even if the corruption of the judges was hard to spot, how about the court officials implicated in the scandal? How come no one in the system blew the whistle? What about the suspicious rulings? Because to be honest, some of the judgements stunk! Is it that no one was reviewing the judgments of the judges? No one noticed the noxious trend? (*Shudders*) Like many other systems in our country, the judiciary seems to be on auto pilot. There are no supervisors. Some of the supervisors are also too corrupt to point fingers. Some of the bribes were taken under the nose of the Chief Justice, the Bar, the General legal Council and the Judicial Council. Has the judicial process ever been reviewed besides increasing filing fees?

Judges have no sense of propriety

Seriously, I can’t even count the number of potbellied men who received the team half-dressed at their homes. Nearly everyone was in boxers or bare chested when the team called with goats, yams and cash. That is not the worst part, isn’t there some sort of law that requires judges to meet parties involved in the case with their lawyers present? Are they not supposed to uphold the rights of all citizens? Their residential addresses are sealed to prevent people involved in cases going to their homes to influence them. Even in their chambers, lawyers must be present when they meet litigating parties. But most of the judges just allowed people they don’t know to walk in with the goats and yams.

Injustice is cheap

All it took for one court clerk to grant Anas’s people access to a judge was GHC40. The judge himself took GHC800 to free a man who defiled a 13-year-old. There was talk about the victim or even conditions for the accused when released. Six armed robbers, one of whom had confessed to the robbery were freed for as low as 2,500 cedis.

Judges and officials will go any distance for bribes

The recklessness displayed by some of the judges in the documentary is shocking. One met the group at the mall for the rest of the money agreed on. He drove himself after allowing them to come to his house with a goat and cash. Another met in a carpentry shop. Some of the court officials took their bribes right under the sign at the court premises that says; “justice is not for sale.” What my untrained mind knows is that judges must always meet all parties with their lawyers, but none of the judges exercised caution.

The corruption chain is entrenched and pervasive

It is an interesting web of people willing to break the laws they’re supposed to uphold at the right price. In this chain, there are drivers of judges, court clerks, police, prosecutors, court registrars, interpreters and the judges who are the last to be seen. The Tigereye team just had to find the right person for right judge and the deed was done. Justice Ajet Nassam’s clerk, King George, Dzata and the Major guy seem to be well-established players who know which palm to grease and where. From Bolgatanga through Juaben to Accra, there was always a well-connected court official who worked as a fixer for the judges and users of the court – the reason no one blew the whistle on any of the people caught in this scandal.

Court systems are archaic

It’s no justification, but why are people using paper for every procedure in the court? Some of the courtrooms, buildings and the living quarters of the judges could compare to a shack in a slum. Why won’t people working in these horrible, unsafe and often dilapidated spaces be corrupt? The neglect is a sign government doesn’t care about justice delivery.

There are honest judges

What is reassuring is that, out of rotten lot, there were some judges that threatened Anas’s people with arrest for coming to their homes. Others outrightly declined his gifts. But I wonder why they did not alert the authorities about these attempts. Looks like offers are made daily and people know which judges to see on the side.

Judges are powerful

Everything rests with the judge – the rights of both the accused and victims, plaintiffs and defendants. Of course, they are supposed to be guided by the evidence, rules and regulation and the law. But again, i’m wondering if it isn’t time to review this system. The Anas' documentary shows the rights of citizens are abused depending on which side has more.

Finally….

Although it looks really bad, this might be our best chance to radically reform the judicial service. This opportunity cannot be wasted because further drop in the public’s trust in the system.

Source:citifmonline.com

Anas is the most lawless person in the world-Ndebugri

Counsel for some of the judges implicated in the judicial scandal has described investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas as one of the most lawless people in the world.

A livid John Ndebugri believes that it is a blatant abuse of the law for the ace investigative journalist to premiere the much anticipated video on judicial corruption despite an application injuncting the showing of the video .

Tiger Eye PI, the investigative company headed by Anas, broadcast the documentary on judicial corruption at the Accra International Conference Centre on Tuesday.

Thousand of Ghanaians trooped to the venue to view firsthand the explosive content of the documentary which shows judges allegedly collecting bribes to subvert justice.

But John Ndebugri on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme Wednesday said the premiering of the documentary is an act of “lawlessness and impunity”. He could not fathom why people are hailing the investigative journalist and acting as if “only this 30- year- old Anas who will come to salvage this country”.

The legal practitioner added that those who “ignorantly” trooped to the Conference Centre just to satisfy their curiosity are all in contempt and could be jailed for flouting the law.

John Ndebugri believes “we are in very abnormal times” because the constitution and the law since Anas’ exposé is being turned upside down.

Dumsor vigil caused June 3 disaster in Ghana

The Ga Traditional Council has blamed the June 3 twin fire and flood isasters on the celebrity vigil held in protest of the crippling power crisis in the country.

President of the Council Nii Dodoo Tackie said the organisers of the vigil flouted the rules of traditions for which reason the country had to pay dearly with human lives.

Over 150 people died when they were trapped by floods and later burnt to death in an explosion at the Goil filling station close to the Kwame Nkrumah Circle.

While the cause of floods have been blamed largely on the choked Odaw river at Circle, the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.

Many reasons have been cited for the blast but the impact was devastating. President John Mahama has constituted a three-man committee to investigate the cause of the fire but it appears the Ga Traditional Council already has answers.

At a press conference in Accra, the president of the Council said failure by the celebrities in the country to respect the ban on drumming and noise-making is the cause of the disaster. The celebrities led by Yvonne Nelson, Van Vicker, led thousands of aggrieved Ghanaians onto the streets to protest the power crisis which has affected economic activities in the country.

Prior to the vigil protest there was boundary dispute between the Ga Traditional Council and the La Traditional Council over who controls the Legon stretch of the road where the vigil was scheduled to take place. The La Traditional Council claimed the Legon stretch fell within the territorial boundaries of the La Traditional Council and since that Council had yet to declare a ban on drumming and dancing the protestors could go ahead. The La Wulomo, Nuumo Yemoh Obroni VIII indeed took part in the vigil.

But the Ga Traditional Council also claimed ownership of the land and threatened to disrupt the vigil. But the police intervened and gave the protestors the right to hold the vigil which was held on May 16, 2015. Three weeks after the vigil, the June 3, disaster occurred.

Joy News' Latif Iddrisu who was at the Ga Traditional Council press conference reported Nii Dodoo Tackie as saying the vigil caused the disaster.

The president of the council also chronicled a number of disasters in the country which he claimed were recorded as a result of the citizens' failure to respect the ban on drumming and noise making.

He also mentioned the May 9 disaster which claimed the lives of 127 football fans. Nii Tackie said the fans of Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko disrespect the gods by flouting the ban on drumming and dancing and had to pay with their lives.

NPP primaries: A wrap of defeats, victories, blows and pepper spraying incidents

Like all elections there are controversies, drama, shocking results and outstanding victories.

The New Patriotic Party primaries to elect Members of Parliament for the 2016 elections had all of these in leaps and bounds.

Perhaps the most shocking of results are the big falls, especially in the Ashanti Region. At Nhyiaeso former Roads and Highways Minister, Dr Richard Anane lost the primary to former Ashanti Regional NPP Organiser Kennedy Kankam.

Isaac Osei also lost his Subin seat to Eugene Boakye Antwi. He will be enduring life without Parliament together with Addai Nimoh and Dr Owusu Afriyie all of whom lost the Mampong and Kwadaso primaries respectively.

It was mixed results for women aspirants in the primaries. The party may perhaps be gnashing its teeth for not 'protecting' its incumbent women parliamentarians enough because some bigwig women MPs have become casualties to the primaries.

Gifty Klenam and Gifty Eugenia Kusi representing the Lower West Akim and Tarkwa Nsuaem constituencies have all lost the primaries but 23-year-old Francisca Oteng Mensah, a student at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology has a rather fascinating story to tell.

The young woman has snatched the Kwabre East seat under the incumbent MP Kofi Frimpong and is on the verge of making history as the youngest MP if she wins the 2016 elections.

For journalists and members in corporate Ghana there is good news to report at Ofoasi Ayirebi and Awutu Senya West where Kojo Oppong Nkrumah and George Andah all won the primaries to represent the NPP in 2016.

But Ken Kuranchie has a sad story to tell because he lost the Okaikwei North poll. He did not lose to Seth Adjei Baah but to Fuseini Issah who is thought to be the local boy.

After such a big storm, "Suame Messi" the new name for the Minority Leader Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu managed to beat the "Don Bortey" who contested him in the Suame poll.

If the results were shocking, perhaps, developments before, during voting and declaration of results were jaw dropping.

Maxwell Kofi Jumah in a gangster fashion tore election papers and destroyed voting materials at his Asokwa constituency. This dastard act is something mostly done by hired miscreants during elections but the former MP decided to do the job himself. He ended up in handcuffs and whisked away to prison to cool-off for a while. To cap a day of shame, Jumah was beaten mercilessly by the incumbent Patricia Appiagyei.

There was fisticuffs at the Wa Central constituency in the Upper West Region and pepper spraying at the Madina constituency in the Greater Accra Region.

At the Dome Kwabenya Constituency in the Greater Accra region, incumbent MP Adwoa Sarfo did not disappoint as she held on tight to her seat but not without controversy. Delegates 'attacked' Joy News' Seth Kwame Boateng for reporting an incident that happened at the voting centre. Tema East MP Titus Glover had gone to the constituency to support Adwoa Sarfo but some of the delegates did not take kindly to that and began verbally attacking him. When Kwame Boateng reported the incident, the delegates turned their fury on him. He had to flee the area.

There were others who also attempted to impersonate dead delegates but found themselves in prison for their silly act.

There have been several acclamations for many candidates who went unopposed but the story in Ada East constituency was shockingly different. Former presiding member for Dangbe East Municipal Assembly Kanor Senakey who was the only candidate in the election by some strange reason was rejected.

The delegates would rather have a candidate who did not have money to contest the primary

Source:www.myjoyonline.com>

Tension mounts ahead of Saturday NPP primaries

Scores of supporters of two aspiring Members of Parliament have besieged the head quarters of the New Patriotic Party in a last gasp attempt to have their candidates passed for Saturday's parliamentary primaries.

Carlos Ahinkorah contesting for the slot of Tema West and Nii Noi Nortey for Korley Klottey have both been disqualified in a preliminary vetting held in their respective constituencies.

But at the party's headquarters, Thursday, is a final meeting by an appeals committee to take a second look at the basis for disqualifying the two aspirants.

Nii Noi Nortey has been accused of submitting a fake certificate from the University of Ghana.

The fate of the two men hangs menacingly in the hands of the appeals committee members but their supporters are not living any stone unturned to have them passed.

And they came with threats, demands and accusations. The supporters believe Naa Torshie and Philip Addison both of whom are contesting the Tema West and Korle Klottey constituencies respectively are behind the disqualification of their candidates.

With placards and chants the supporters want their candidates passed for Saturday's primaries or they will not vote for the NPP candidate in the 2016 elections.

Joy News' Kwakye Afreh Nuamah says the committee members are deep in deliberations on the matter and will soon come out with a decision.

One of the embattled aspirants Nii Noi Nortey later told Afreh he had been cleared by the Appeals Committee and would contest the primaries. Even though the party is set for its primaries on Saturday July 13 to elect new Members of Parliament, Nii Noi said the part has decided to have that of Korley Klottey on the 27 June, 2015.

Members of the Appeals Committee are yet to confirm this detail.

Photos-Korle Bu's orthopedic emergency centre flooded after Accra rains

The orthopedic emergency centre of the nation’s premier hospital, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) has been flooded after rains in the capital.

The orthopedic emergency centre of the nation’s premier hospital, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) has been flooded after rains in the capital.

Patients at the centre were relocated to other units.

Nurses and other workers were forced to scoop water from the centre.

Source: Adomonline.com

Our parents still feed us-striking doctors

Junior doctors across the country say they cannot continue working after serving the country for nine months without salary, a situation which has caused them pain and anguish.

At the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, a doctor explained that the doctors have endured untold economic hardships because of the state's failure to pay them their salaries.

“We still go to our parents for money. Some are going for loans to survive, we go through all this hell and sacrifice for the patient, it is too much” he told Joy News Tuesday. Earlier, a pregnant woman sobbed uncontrollably at the hospital's Polyclinic where in Room 5 of the Gynecology unit, patients had been sitting for a very long time.

Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital

was told by the nurses to go home and return whenever she hears the doctors are back. A doctor at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital in the Central Region argued that although the Hippocratic oath binds doctors to attend to patients, a section of the same oath requires doctors to be in “a good state of mind” before attending to patients. Working for nine months without pay, he maintained, will definitely put one in a poor state of mind to work. He described the delays in payments as “amazing” and “mind-boggling”.

He said the mental impact of working without pay since September is turning doctors into patients too.

“This is serious. We do not see ourselves coming back to work” he doctors laid down their resolution.

At the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, some 160 doctors did not turn up for work Tuesday.

A woman whose brother was involved in an accident Tuesday dawn was disappointed with the delivery of healthcare at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital where the junior doctors had also laid down their tools.

The pace of service delivery had slowed down, Joy News' Hannah Odame reported.

Source:www.myjoyonline.com

Fuel tanker runs into parked pickup killing one at Tema

A man in his 50s died this morning at Tema roundabout leaving his son who is in his mid 20s unconscious when a fuel tanker heading towards Tema from Accra veered off its lane smashing into their Nissan Fontier vehicle which was parked at the Tema to Accra side of the motorway roundabout.Occupants of the tanker did not sustain any form of injury. The tanker was also in a good condition.

This is how life ended. So sad.

J J RAWLINGS 'TEACHING' TWI

60-year old dies from bee attack

A sixty year old farmer, Kweku Broni lost his life after he was attacked by bees at Koti in the Brong Ahafo region in Ghana.

Kweku Broni according to Yankee FM reporter, Prince Williams was attacked by the bees after he went to farm on a day declared as a sacred day.

According to him, the chiefs and elders in the community decided to pray to the gods to offer stricter punishment for persons that break the taboo that prevents persons from going to farm on the sacred days.

Despite knowing the sacred day, the late Broni was said to have decided to go to his farm on that day with the excuse that he was only going to bring some food home.

“However, just as he started digging in his farm, he was attacked by a swarm of bees which beat mercilessly until he became unconscious…,” Prince William stated.

The wife of the deceased who arrived in the farm on time could not save her dying husband as he was too weak. The farmer therefore died in the farm.

Ada speaks at last

The

controversial YFM presenter in Ghana, Adaeze Onyinyechie Ayoka aka Ms Ada, who has been on admission at the Police Hospital after stag­ing her own kidnapping and gang- raping, has finally given out her statement to the police.

The Accra Regional Crime Officer, Chief Superintendent Paul Kontomah, confirmed to Daily Guide that Ada had given her own statement but declined to reveal its content.

He said the police were waiting patiently for Ms Ada to be officially discharged by doctors attending to her for her to assist them in their investigations.

Meanwhile, information gathered indicates that she is still in bed at the Police Hospital under 24-hour police guard. Ada allegedly receives regular telephone calls from friends but pretends to be sick when the investigator-in-charge of the case visits her at the hospital.

The radio presenter and four other people reportedly staged the rape and kidnapping episode at a hotel at Abossey Okai in Accra, as told by the police and corroborated by the hotel owner in a later inter­view with Daily Guide.

I.J Frimpong, the owner of Joeregi Hotel located at the heart of the Abossey Okai spare parts mar­ket, said he rented out the hotel room to Ada and her gang upon being told that they were going to act a movie.

An 18-year-old painter, Nelson William, who was arrested on April 14, 2015 as an accomplice in the 'gang-rape' scandal, confirmed to the police that he was only carrying out the wish of Ada.

He been granted bail, as investigation in to the case continues.

I killed the Americans-Suspect confesses

A suspect in the ongoing trial in the murder of two African Americans at Akwamufie in the Eastern Region of Ghana has confessed to committing the crime. Anokye Frimpong, who is among five others standing trial in Accra, Wednesday confessed to the police of killing and burying the two sisters, Joy News has gathered.

Mamlena, 75, and 69-year-old Nzinga were kidnapped, murdered and buried in a shallow grave.

Their bodies were exhumed after Acting President of the Akwamu Traditional Council dispatched over 70 people to complement a police search for the two when it became apparent they had gone missing.

It is not clear yet the motive for the killings even though six arrested suspects, including two African Americans, appeared before court, Tuesday.

Anokye Yaw Frimgpong, a driver and a caretaker in one of the apartments the crime was committed, was charged with murder.

Five of the accused, Nana Appia-Nti III, a mechanic, Nana Obiri Yeboah, a farmer, Brenda Kareema Mohammed, a pensioner, Yazid Alazim Mohammed, a businessman and Mensah Kamaugogo Muata, a surgeon assistant were charged with conspiracy to commit crime to wit murder.

Joy News’ Latif Iddrisu who has been following the story, reports Thursday that Anokye Frimpong after confessing, demonstrated to the police how he murdered the two.

Income online