State Prosecutors say they have not yet received case docket on the Member of Parliament for Assin North, Kennedy Agyapong, being tried for terrorism and treason felony for allegedly inciting and making inflammatory statement on radio.

Chief State Attorney Merley Wood, who announced this to the Accra Fast Track High Court yesterday, further said that it had been difficult getting Mr. Agyapong to assist in police investigation into the matter.

She attributed it to the fact that the court in granting Agyapong bail on April 19, did not make it a condition for him to report to the police to assist in investigations.

Ms. Wood therefore, prayed the court for a two-week adjournment.

But lawyers for Mr. Agyapong, led by Nii Ayikoi Otto, said the prosecution’s argument that it had not received a docket on the case was not justified, especially when they had prepared a charge sheet with all the facts, asking, “so where did they get the facts from?”

Counsel contended that the charge sheet on which their clients was arraigned, was prepared and signed by a Principal State Attorney, Anthony Wiredu, who is a member of the prosecuting team; therefore, “they cannot tell the court that they have no case docket yet.”

After listening to them, the court presided over by Mr. Charles Quist, granted the prosecution’s request and adjourned the case to May 23.

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Gov't To Close Down Oman FM?
* Source: Source: Daily Guide/Ghana



There seems to be a deliberate and well-orchestrated plan by the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) to close down Accra-based Oman FM under the pretext of saving the public and national interest.

DAILY GUIDE sources have hinted that the radio station is the next target after its tough-talking owner and Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin North, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, was arrested and detained over comments he made during a discussion programme on the network a couple of weeks ago.

DAILY GUIDE has stumbled on a copy of a letter written and signed by the Director-General of the National Communications Authority (NCA), Paarock Van Percy, to the CEO of Oman FM, Mrs. Stella Wilson Agyapong, and copied to the Minister of Communications and the NCA Board, in which he asked the station to give reasons it should not be closed down.

Sources at NCA say that government is mounting pressure on the body to use regulatory guidelines to get the station closed down since it has been a rallying point for the opposition and thorn in the flesh of the NDC government.

In the said letter to the owners of the station dated May 7, 2012, Mr Van Percy quoted portions of its statute which stipulates that “any breach of its provisions and conditions of the Frequency Authorisation shall attract relevant penalties including a revocation of the company’s authorisation or as the NCA may determine.”

He therefore stated, “The NCA, as required under section 13(2) of the Electronic Communications (EC) Act, 2008, Act 755, is by this letter directing Oman FM Limited to show cause why the authority should not invoke the said sections 13(1)(a) and (e) of the EC Act 755 against the company.”

He also quoted section 13(1) (a) and (e) of the (EC) Act 2008, Act 755 which mandates the Authority to either suspend or revoke a licence or frequency authorization to support his claim.

The controversial MP was said to have declared ‘war’ on Oman FM’s ‘National Agenda’ morning show hosted by Fiifi Boafo who has equally been made to give a statement to the police.

Section 13 (a) of the provision states, “The licence or the authorization holder has failed to comply materially with any of the provision of this Act, Regulations or the terms and conditions of its licence or frequency authorization”, whilst (e) states, “The suspension or revocation is necessary because of national security or in the public interest.”

Management of the radio station has been given eight days, by Tuesday, May 15, 2012, to give reasons its licence should not be revoked or suspended.

Meanwhile, the NCA’s own regulation that prescribes sanctions, suspension or revocation of licences and frequency authorization states in 13(2), “The Authority shall, before exercising the power of suspension or revocation under this section, give licence or the authorization holder thirty days’ notice in writing of its intention to do so and specify in the notice the grounds on which it proposes to suspend or revoke a licence or the frequency authorization.”

Sources at the NCA say pressure is mounting on the Director-General to carry through government’s intention by revoking the licence of the station in a bid to cripple MP.

It is also considered an attempt to disconnect the station from its listeners who depend on it for information, majority of whom are supporters of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the Rawlings faction of the NDC.

Management of the station remained tight-lipped on the issue when contacted.




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AFAG says Mills can’t prosecute Woyome
* Source: Ghanaian Chronicle


President John Evans Atta Mills has come under heavy criticism for playing footsie with the prosecution of the National Democratic Congress bank roller, Alfred Agbesi Woyome, over the payment of a colossal sum of Gh¢51 million in judgment debt.

According to pressure group Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG,) the government’s posture towards the criminal trial of the Woyome scandal smacks of a deliberate attempt to cover up the “biggest series of corruption cases in Ghana’s history.”

“Our suspicion, based on both intelligence that we have gathered, and the prosecution’s own unprofessional approach to this matter, is that the government has no intention, and, indeed, no appetite to go ahead with the prosecution of the man who has been accused of defrauding the state of some GH¢51 million.”

The group could not fathom why months after an investigation had been conducted by no mean an institution than the Economic and Organised Crimes Organisation (EOCO), appointed by President Mills himself into the scandalous state prosecution, is again, asking for the case to be returned to the police for further investigations.

To the AFAG, this development “is just the next in a series of delay tactics that government intends to deploy between now and the end of 2012.”

Addressing a news conference in Accra yesterday, the Chairman of the group, Dr. Nana Ayew Afriyie, further noted that the dramatic circumstances under which former Attorney General (A-G) Martin Amidu was booted out of office by the President, when he (Amidu) had commenced the process to recover the money paid Mr. Woyome for the state, was indicative of the President’s unwillingness to get to the bottom of the matter.

The former Attorney General, Mr. Martin A.B.K. Amidu, on 16th January 2012, filed an affidavit to amend an earlier writ, praying the court to set aside a consent judgment awarded to Woyome, in which the then A-G alleged that the negotiated judgment payment by his predecessor to Mr. Woyome was procured through fraud.

“Indeed, the fact that Mr. Amidu was forced to resign after revealing that there was a grand scheme to cover up this ‘gargantuan crime’ against the state, adds to the suspicion that President Mills has no intention to prosecute his financier for stealing from the state.”

He said it was only strange that ever since the EOCO finished its investigations, some names have been mentioned as people who allegedly benefited from Woyome’s tainted millions, and yet, not a single one of these names was connected to the ruling party, the party that Woyome admits to funding.

“What accounts for this? Is it, as some intelligence has it, that the concealment of the names is serving as a bargaining chip? Could it be true, as published some months back, that Woyome has threatened to release names of top people in government that he has given money to if the state goes ahead to prosecute and convict him,” he further queried.

That aside, the group is of the opinion that Mr. Woyome should not be the only person on trial. And that he ought to have been joined by Mrs. Betty Mould Iddrisu, Finance Minister Dr. Kwabena Duffuor and Ebo Barton-Oduro to mention a few.

AFAG, therefore, urged the A-G’s office to stop dragging its feet, as the threshold of public tolerance to the opening of the case and the commencement of the Woyome trial, was already overstretched.

“Ghanaians are running out of patience with this government in the way it is taking the people of this country for granted, and the way it has taken corruption to new heights.”

“June 4, 2012, the case returns to court. There is no reason for the prosecution not to continue with the case on that day,” the group noted

The group also used the occasion to salute the President of Tanzania, Jakaya Kikwete, for his firm commitment to the fight against corruption.

President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania is reported to have sacked six cabinet ministers on an allegation of corruption.

He had stated un-equivocally that “it is not enough for a minster to take responsibility alone, but the new approach is that even those who caused the mishap will be to taken to task as well.”

“President Kikwete appears to be up for the fight against corruption. Is President Mills? Unhappily for the Ghanaian people, it appears not,” AFAG noted




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NDC to decide on Nana Konadu's 'akatamanso'
* Source: Citifmonline / Ghana


The leadership of the NDC will be meeting to make a decision on the party’s logo.

The former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings has threatened to place a ban on the use of the NDC’s logo, the umbrella, if the leadership continues to disrespect the ideals of the party and her family.

In a letter written to the National Chairman of the NDC, Dr. Kwabena Adjei, she stated that she holds the copyrights to the logo known as the ‘akatamanso’ which is the party uses as its symbol.

Stanley Ahulu, legal counsel for the former first lady on Citi Eyewitness News, said “When somebody has intellectual property interests and feels it has been violated in anyway, she has the right to protect it.”

He revealed that the Mrs. Rawlings had made her concerns about the party’s logo known in the past and would take action if those concerns were not dealt with.

The propaganda secretary of the party, Richard Quashiga, on the other hand, said the party executives will deliberate on the matter.

“Nevertheless the NDC will remain united and victorious in the upcoming elections,” he added.




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If govt has achieved single digit inflation, let Ghanaians judge – Bawumia
* Source: JoyfmOnline


Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the NPP vice-presidential candidate, has indicated that even though he does not doubt the credibility of the Ghana Statistical Service, the single digit inflation touted by the government is questionable.

Admitting that many countries all over the world are finding it “difficult” to bring inflation to a single digit, Ghana’s single digit, he said, leaves much to be desired, explaining that Ghanaians are yet to experience the goodies that come with it.

On Metro TV’s Good Evening Ghana programme on Thursday with Paul Adom Okyere, Dr Bawumia, a former Deputy Governor of Bank of Ghana, said single digit inflation comes with, but not limited to: low interest rate, low cost of doing business, job creation and low cost of living.

However, in the case of Ghana, he maintained that “what has been achieved is not consistent with the development we have seen in the cost of living” – food prices have gone up in the market centres, he claimed.

Dr Bawumia who said he was part of a team at the central bank that worked towards single digit inflation was asked by the host, categorically, whether the government has achieved single digit inflation.

The affable and calm-looking opposition vice-presidential candidate responded, albeit not forthright, “that is for everybody to judge”.

But he insisted that whatever has been achieved by the government does not seem to reflect in the cost of living.

Dr Mahamudu Bawumia recently came under severe criticisms from the ruling National Democratic Congress government accusing him of being dishonest on his thought of Ghana’s inflation. The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) which churned out the figures being used by the government felt their work has been slighted as well and had cause to reply him at a press conference this week.

The Service accused him of attempting to undermine its integrity. The Acting Government Statistician, Madam Philomena Nyarko on Wednesday, said Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s interpretations of figures from the Statistical Service were misleading.

In response, he told Paul Adom Okyere that the erstwhile NPP government and the central bank where he worked “relied on GSS for inflation figures – they produce”.

“Right in my speech I did not impugn the integrity of the high people in the statistical service,” he averred.

“But that does not mean if you see numbers that do not make sense to you, you don’t ask questions. Interest rate doesn’t seem to be reacting to the stable inflation rate,” he observed.

He therefore asked rhetorically: “So practically what are we achieving?”

He said his presentation at the 5th Ferdinand Ayim Memorial Lecturers has “upset” a number of people, hence attracting harsh backlash from mainly the ruling National Democratic Congress.

He also accused the government of being "dishonest" in how it uses figures from the rebasing of Ghana's economy which increased the country's GDP by 60% to corroborate its achievements.


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National Petroleum Authority Suspends 24 Companies
* Source: Daily Guide


The Board of Directors of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) has withdrawn the operating licenses of 24 operators and expunged their names from the list of accredited petroleum service providers in the country.

The companies, which include operators in Oil Trading, Petroleum Product Exporters, Offshore Bunkering Companies and Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs), failed to comply with the obligations and conditions under which they were granted licences to do business in the country.

Additionally, the black-listed companies refused to honour decline pay licensing fees as well as financial obligations to the Authority.

They were engaged in fuel adulteration and lacked urinals at their premises, among others, which were unearth by the Inspection and Monitoring Department of the NPA during unannounced compliance monitoring activities.

After several warnings to the operators who appeared to be violating the rules of engagement, the Inspection and Monitoring team suggested to the Board of the Authority to take punitive measures against such companies.

A source close to the NPA explained that the decision of the Board to revoke the licences of the said companies was in line with Section 19 of the NPA Act, 2005 (Act 691).

Out of the 24 companies, 19 of them fall in the category of oil trading companies.

They include Kingdom Energy, Generation Investments, Capital Trust Logistics Limited, Yimpex Ghana Limited, Forester Associates Limited, Petrodel Resources Ghana Limited and Petro-Ghana Limited.

The others are Tanzila Petroleum Ghana Limited, H. Wagner Limited, West African Petroleum Company Limited (WAPCO) and New Frontiers Energy Limited.

Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs), which have been affected, include Tropic Oil Company Limited, Petro Ghana Limited and Deebabs Energy.

Free Enterprise Group Of Companies Limited, a petroleum product export company and Lottoj Oil And Gas Services Limited and Offshore Bunkering Company also faced the sanctions.

The decision was taken at the Board’s ordinary meetings held on March 19 and April 26, 2012 to review and approve the application of sanctions on companies that are not in good standing.

A statement signed by Alexander Mould, Ag. Chief Executive of NPA, cautioned that any individual or companies that transact or conduct business with the afore-mentioned companies “do so at their own risk.

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