rLG Boss Again!! - GH¢33 Million For Trees Not Planted

As details emerge of how the John Mahama led government sunk GH¢15 million into an NGO owned by Roland Agambire, of rLG fame, for a Guinea fowl project which has so far only 600 birds and 20 eggs to show for the money, he has been associated again with another ‘scandal’ of gargantuan proportions. Asongtaba Cottage Industries, the NGO owned by Mr Agambire, was handed GH¢33 million to plant trees in a re-afforestation project. Thus far, there is little on the ground to show for the huge investment sunk into this project. According to details emerging from this project, the John Mahama government, through SADA, gave GH¢33 million to Asongtaba for the planting of five million trees. This puts the cost per tree planted at GH¢6.60, a cost insiders claim has been inflated by as much as 70%. But even then, those who took part in the tree-planting exercise in the North say that less than 300,000 trees were planted in the project which took off in the second half of last year. It is recalled that on November 27, 2012, the Chief Executive Officer of SADA, Gilbert Seidu Iddi, claimed that it had cultivated 4,200,000 seedlings of tick, mahogany, cassia and shea in the five regions of the SADA ecological zone aimed at greening those areas and reducing climate change effects. This claim, the New Statesman can reveal, is not true but was only made a few weeks to the December 7, 2012 elections, solely to boost the electoral chances of then caretaker President, John Dramani Mahama. Evidence available to the New Statesman shows millions of Ghana cedis of cheques were issued from Ghana Government accounts into accounts of Asongtaba in Stanbic Bank, Access Bank and Ghana Commercial Bank just weeks before the election. Ongoing investigations by this paper suggest that hundreds of millions of Ghana cedis was spent in the last few weeks to the election to allegedly “buy and steal votes.” The details are shocking and go to show how much of the taxpayers’ money was used by the NDC to influence the election, only to come back after the election to demand of the people to tighten their belts and pay for the record overspending of 12.1% of the budget.   The Face Behind GHc12m Guinea Fowl Project RLG BOSS The New Statesman can disclose that the Chief Executive Officer of Ghanaian Telecommunications company, rLG communications, Roland Agambire, is the face behind Asongtaba Cottage Industries & Exchange Programme, the company behind the GH¢12 million Guinea fowl project. The guinea fowl project is a joint partnership between Asongtaba Cottage Industry and Savanna Accelerated Development Authority. Chief Executive of SADA, Gilbert Iddi, in justifying the investments, said model farms had been established in five regional capitals, with many more farms expected to be established in all the regional capitals. SADA is the initiative of President Mahama, who is said to have influenced all projects, as well as major decision, of the Authority. Checks conducted by the New Statesman at the Registrar General’s office indicate that Mr Agambire, a businessman with very close links to the President John Mahama, is the member of the Executive Council of this Asongtaba Cottage Industries and Exchange Programme, which was incorporated in the year 2004 and registered as a Non-Governmental Organisation. A Joy FM news report, filed yesterday by its Upper East regional correspondent, Albert Sore, revealed that the incubators on the guinea fowl farm, for which government sunk GH¢12 million, housed only 20 guinea fowl eggs. Also, through Asongtaba, the John Mahama-led NDC government took out GH¢33 million and said it used that to plant five million trees. This puts the cost per tree planted at GH¢6.60, a cost insiders claim has been inflated by 70%. But even then, those who took part in the tree-planting exercise in the North say that less than 300,000 trees were planted in the project which took off in the second half of last year. Further evidence available to the New Statesman shows millions of Ghana cedis of cheques issued from Government accounts were paid into accounts of Asongtaba in Stanbic Bank, Access Bank and Ghana Commercial Bank just weeks before the election. Ongoing investigations by this paper suggest that hundreds of millions of Ghana cedis was spent in the last few weeks to the election to allegedly “buy and steal votes.” The details are shocking and go to show how much of the taxpayers’ money was used by the incumbent to influence the election, only to come back after the election to demand of the people to tighten their belts and pay for the record overspending of 12.1% of the budget. The objectives of Asongtaba (translated from Guruni to mean ‘You scratch my back I scratch your back’) as spelt out on the ‘Form 3’ of the Company’s registration documents include: “To establish and train the youth in cottage industries like basketry etc., with the view to making them self employed; To help members in times of need; and To engage in cultural exchange programmes.” The business occupation of Roland Agambire, as stated on the form is that of an “Exporter” with residential address “H/No. 485/3, Madina, Accra”. As of 2004, four other Directors of the company included Miriam Ajavon, Lucy Ajavon, Paul Ajavon and William Asare. Strangely enough, all four directors have the same residential address as Mr Agambire and are all “Exporters”. The Secretary of the company, as stated on the registration form, is one Gregory Yeye, who is also an “Exporter”. “Eddie Nikoi Accounting Consultancy” is the company that has been provided on the registration document as the Auditor of the company. However, a notification in the change of directors was made to the Registrar General’s Department on October 30, 2009, where the original directors in the persons of Lucy Ajavon, Paul Ajavon and William Asare, all resigned from the company. George Yeye also resigned as secretary of the company and was replaced by Miriam Ajavon.

Source: Fiifi Arhin/thestatesmanonline.com

Justice Kpegah Warns Nana Akufo Addo.

Retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Francis Yaonasu Kpegah has called on the 2012 flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to enter appearance and file a defence to claim of impersonation he [Kpegah] has brought against him in court. Justice Kpegah also asked Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to “desist from using his paid agents and assigns to vilify me in the media”. Below is a full statement he issued FROM JUSTICE: FRANCIS YAONASU KPEGAH TO: ALL MEDIA HOUSES I hope and pray that NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFO-ADDO in the spirit of respect for the rule of law which the legal fraternity holds dear to our hearts enters appearance to the suit I have filed against him at the Fast Track Division of the High Court and not claim he has not been served with the writ of summons and statement of claim. As a former Attorney General and leader of the Ghana Bar, he should have respect for the sanctity of our courts and repose trust in the Ghanaian legal system. He should stop using his paid agents and serial callers to defend him and castigate me in unprintable language on the air waves. I have always trusted in the judicial system and will have my day in court. The battle to defend himself should be in a court of law and not the air waves. 1 am a former Supreme Court Judge, who had to struggle in life to achieve that feat. My judgments in high profile cases are ample testament and there for all to see. I am convinced beyond a scintilla of doubt that posterity will surely judge me in that light. 1 did not have life the easy way and that is why humility and respect for humanity have always been important to me. Let me make the point that I am not doing the bidding of any person or group of persons as is being represented by the henchmen and paid assigns of NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFO- ADDO. 1 have been described by one Kwame Akuffo who is a known close ally of NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFO-ADDO as a 'senile old man'. I am not surprised by utterances from young men like that since that has been their stock in trade. Why rain insults on me because I have sued your pal and mentor. The young man in question I am reliably informed and verily believe same to be true trained under NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFO - ADDOos a lawyer in his Chambers. 1 can understand the discomfort and apprehension of people like him since one of the reliefs I am seeking from the honourable court is: •A declaration that the LAW FIRM established as AKUFO-ADDO, PREMPEH AND CO.at 67 KOJO THOMPSON ROAD, Adabraka, Accra is an ILLEGAL LAW FIRM and therefore not competent to represent any party in litigation before any court in Ghana'. If the honourable court grants this relief, the implication would be that persons such as Kwame Akufo would be deemed not to have done their pupillage which is a non-negotiable requirement by the General Legal Council. All persons therefore who after training under NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFO ADDO established their own law firms and purported to take on pupils would also be in serious trouble. I am reliably informed and verily believe same to be true that the said Kwame Akufo accused me of being guilty of a criminal offence by using the stamp which bear my title as a Justice of the Supreme Court on the statement of claim before signing same. He however, failed to name the offence there off. I am convinced that his knowledge of the law and common sense is in serious doubt. I will use this limited opportunity to educate him. Legal practice goes way beyond wearing expensive suits and jewellery. It entails hard work, sacrifice and denying oneself of most if not all the ordinary pleasures of life. Per my statement of claim I pleaded a material fact that 1 am a retired Justice of the Supreme Court. Let me also state unequivocally that the title of a retired justice of the Supreme Court in Ghana remains with him until death. There is no serious lawyer who does a bit of reading who would be oblivious of this fundamental fact. That is why 1 am still referred to as JUSTICE FRANCIS YAONASU KPEGAH and not FORMER JUSTICE FRANCIS YAONASU KPEGAH. My advice to him is that if there are any extra curricula activities taking his mind away from learning the law he should abandon same and get back on track. In the words of the inimitable Oliver Wendell Holmes 'the life of the law has not been logic, it has been experienced'. The experiential value of learning the law is sacred. He must devote time and energy to learning the law rather than doing social commentary on radio. If an 'senile old man' as Kwame Akufo has described me has a better appreciation and grasp of the law than him then one wonders what he is. Some lawyers have virtually become 'radio lawyers' spewing nonsense in the name of legal commentary which is an affront to the ethics of the bar. It is an elementary fact in legal circles that it is only when a party to a suit knows he has no defence and or a weak defence that they resort to speaking of peripheral issues such as the use of a stamp as alluded to by Kwame Akufo to the complete neglect of the substantive matter which is that NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFO -ADDO stole the identity and is impersonating one WAD Akufo-Addo who was called to the Ghana Bar and is No. 1190 on the ROLL OF LAYERS IN GHANA who may have been murdered in London or Ghana . For the sake of himself, his party and the reputation of his late father I am calling on NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFO ADDO to sit down and pray to God for guidance and do a self-introspection of himself. He should forthwith enter appearance and file a defence to my claim in court and desist from using his paid agents and assigns to vilify me in the media. This case is a very serious one and it should be treated as such. I have nothing personal against the person of NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFO ADDO. My interest is that the right thing must be done at all times. Let me state that the infantile attempt by NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFO ADDO, his paid assigns and agents to use one Nelson Coffiea so called veteran lawyer who wrote an article in the Statesman Newspaper (a pro New Patriotic party Paper with strong ties to NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFO- ADDO) appealing to me to drop the case against NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFO ADDO will not wash with me. This childish act only indicates to me that my writ is hitting NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFO ADDO hard because he knows and 1 know that he was never called to the Ghana Bar. He should stop pretending he has not been served with the writ of summons and statement of claim. He should come out of his rat hole and defend himself in court and not on the air waves. MEDIA RED ALERT 1 will be securing an order from the courts directed at the Coroner of Accra to exhume the mortal remains of the dead body that was found under very mysterious and inexplicable circumstances in the Law Chambers of NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFO-ADDO and buried under even more mysterious circumstances. The case must be revisited for all Ghanaians to know what really happened to the victim whose right to life as guaranteed by the 1992 constitution was truncated. Those who aspire to rule this Country must come just as in the Law of equity 'with clean hands'. I am going to pursue my suit against NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFO -ADDO to its logical conclusion. I consider this action as purely a public interest one and no amount of name calling, castigation on the air waves by paid agents and assigns of NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFO -ADDO or the death threats directed at me and my family will make me renege on my decision to ensure that justice is done. 1 am challenging NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFO -ADDO to contest the case against him in a court of competent jurisdiction and stop this cheap and vile propaganda on the media. NO MEDIA HOUSE SHOULD CALL ME FOR COMMENT. As a retired Supreme Court Judge I believe in the Courts and will always preserve and protect their sanctity. I shall have my day in court. I promise all Ghanaians a THRILLER IN MANILA which will be replicated right here in Ghana. There will be an UNPRECEDENTED STORM. Yours in the service of our dear country:

Source: FRANCIS YAONASU KPEGAH

Ghana Has A Cheap Opposition Leader – Gabby Otchere-Darko

The Executive Director of policy think tank Danquah Institute, Asare ‘Gabby’ Otchere-Darko has described Ghanaians as “lucky” to have a “cheap opposition leader,” weeks after a tension-filled election whose results are still being resolved. Gabby Otchere-Darko believes a more rabid opposition leader would have incited his supporters to take to the streets and violently challenged the 2012 presidential and parliamentary elections but Nana Akufo-Addo has constantly urged his party members to stay off the streets and seek redress in the courts. “Ghanaians are lucky to have a cheap opposition leader in Nana Akufo-Addo, because he chose the cheaper option of going to the court and keeping the peace, rather than the more expensive option of telling his supporters to take to the streets and protest. “So yes, Ghanaians are lucky the main opposition leader chose the cheap option,” Gabby declared on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem morning show of Tuesday March 26, 2013 in response to an article in the Africa Watch magazine, which claimed that Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP were scheming to bring about chaos if the Supreme Court ruled against the party. He accused the New York City-based magazine of seeking to “cause mischief when there is no mischief”. Mr Otchere-Darko had also warned in an earlier article that major actors in the political sphere especially the National Peace Council (NPC), Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) and others were guilty of shirking their responsibility to Ghanaians, by remaining silent in the face of the simmering tensions in the country. The Publisher of the New Statesman is particularly worried about the failure of civil society groups and other stakeholders to prepare the minds of the electorate to accept the verdict of the Supreme Court, pointing out that whatever the outcome, one side of the political divide will feel aggrieved. Asare Otchere-Darko took particular issue with the Peace Council, wondering why they had gone so quiet so soon after the elections. Ghana, he said, is enjoying “negative peace” and “we are not preparing ourselves to accept the verdict of the Supreme Court. We are not doing it, we are all such quiet as if Ghana cannot experience any disturbances. “Perhaps the National Peace Council will only act when they see people violently protesting. They want to see a conflict before they act. “I doff my hat for them, they played a positive role in ensuring a peaceful election, but the election results are in dispute, and this is not the time to keep quiet.” Source: Adomonline.com

Parties Back To Court On April 2

The Supreme Court will resume sitting on April 2, 2012 to resolve, consider and adopt issues to be raised by lawyers in the petition challenging the legitimacy of President John Mahama.

Lawyers for the parties met on Monday March 19, 2013 following a directive from the court advising them to meet, deliberate and arrive at issues to be set out for trial and determination, but that agreement could not be reached by the parties.

Following the communication of the deadlock to the registrar of the Supreme Court on March 19, 2013, the registrar in a letter dated March 25, 2013 fixed April 2, 2013 as the date for the court’s next hearing.

Under the procedures of the court, the legal teams for the petitioners, the President, the Electoral Commission (EC) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) are expected to officially announce the areas they agreed on and those they disagreed on. The court will then consider the issues disagreed on and arrive at a solution before the hearing of the substantive case begins. 

Following that, a memorandum of issues would then be set out for trial. Key among the memorandum of issue to be set out for trial are whether or not persons were allowed to vote without biometric verification and whether or not votes cast in 11,916 polling stations should be annulled by the court.

On March 4, 2013, the petitioners filed issues to be set out for trial, while the President, on March 13, 2013, also filed an application for directions.

Both sides agreed on a request for the court to determine whether or not persons were allowed to vote without biometric verification, among others.

However, the President prayed the court to decline the petitioners’ prayer for the court to allow parties in the case to adopt audio-visual aids in the presentation of evidence.

On the petitioners’ prayer that parties in the case be made to exchange documents to be relied on seven days before the trial, the President is pleading with the court to reject that request.

President Mahama is also praying the court to decline the petitioners’ suggestion that seven days before the trial, all parties must be made to present a list of witnesses and a brief summary of the nature and relevance of each witness’ testimony to enable the court to determine its probative value.

Agreed issues on record

President Mahama has, however, not opposed the petitioners’ suggestion that the hearing of the petition should take two months.

The parties are also not opposed to the application on whether or not persons were allowed to vote without biometric verification.

The issues that are likely to be set out for trial include: whether or not persons were allowed to vote without undergoing prior biometric verification and whether or not votes cast exceeded the ballot papers issued to voters at polling stations during the polls in some polling stations.

The court will also decide whether or not to annul votes cast in 11,916 polling stations.

The EC has said the petitioners had failed to fully comply with the court’s orders to supply it with further and better particulars.

The stalemate

The court, on March 14, 2013, gave the legal teams in the case seven days to sit and narrow issues for determination and indicate the areas they did not agree on for the court to resolve.
However, barely seven days after the court’s directive, lawyers for the petitioners, President Mahama, the EC and the NDC met, deliberated and hit a deadlock.

Following the stand-off, the legal team for the petitioners, on March 19, 2013, wrote to the registrar of the Supreme Court and indicated that they and lawyers representing President Mahama, the EC and the NDC met and agreed on relatively few issues.

They officially wrote to the registrar to indicate the outcome of the meeting and prayed the registry to set a short date to enable the parties to appear before the court for resolution.

The letter, dated March 19, 2013 and signed by Mr Akoto Ampaw of Akufo-Addo, Prempeh and Co. and addressed to the registrar of the Supreme Court, stated, “This is formally to notify the Supreme Court that following the order of the court, counsel for all the parties met in an attempt at reaching an agreement on the memorandum of issues as set out in the applications for direction and further directions.

“We however, regret to inform the court that with the exception of the relatively few number of issues agreed on, we were unable to reach a substantial agreement on the issues.”

“We would, accordingly, be grateful if a short date could be fixed for the parties to appear in court to take directions as to the issues and the mode of trial in order to expedite trial of the petition,” it said, adding, “We will, at the hearing, give notice to the court with respect to the issues we managed to reach agreement on.”

The letter was copied to the lawyer for President Mahama, Mr Tony Lithur; counsel for the EC and counsel for the NDC, Mr Samuel Codjoe.

Lawyers for the parties in the case, as a sign of respect to the court, have declined to disclose the issues they agreed on and those they disagreed on.

The petitioners, Nana Akufo-Addo; his running mate, Dr Mahamadu Bawumia, and the Chairman of the NPP, Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, filed the petition at the highest court of the land, praying the court to annul votes cast in 11,916 polling stations due to what they termed “gross and widespread irregularities”.

They had, in a December 28, 2012 petition, called for the annulment of votes cast in 4,709 polling stations but amended their petition on February 9, 2013 after the court had granted them permission to do so and cited 11,916 polling stations as the total number of polling stations where alleged irregularities were recorded.

The three had initially called for the cancellation of 1,342,845 valid votes cast during the election at 4,709 polling stations due to the alleged irregularities recorded during the elections but are now urging the Supreme Court to pronounce an additional 3,327,659 valid votes cast as invalid.

The Supreme Court, on February 7, 2013, granted the petitioners’ prayer of amendment and, accordingly, allowed the amendment.

President Mahama, who is the first respondent, the EC and the NDC, the second and third respondents, respectively, have filed their responses.

They have all refuted the petitioners’ allegations on the grounds that President Mahama won the elections legitimately in the full glare of the media, local and international election observers.

The NDC applied to join the petition on December 31, 2012 and was duly granted permission by a 6-3 majority decision of the Supreme Court on January 22, 2013.

On March 14, 2013, the Supreme Court unanimously dismissed applications filed by 327 people who sought to join the petition. The nine-member panel held that the presence of the 327 applicants “was neither necessary nor convenient”, adding that their being allowed to join would defeat the purpose of the Supreme Court (Amendment) Rules 2012 (C. 1. 74) which calls for an expeditious trial in an electoral petition. Per the court’s ruling, nobody can join the petition. The matter is being heard by the court, presided over by Mr Justice William Atuguba, with Mr Justice Julius Ansah, Mrs Justice Sophia Adinyira, Ms Justice Rose Owusu, Mr Justice Jones Dotse, Mr Justice Annin Yeboah, Mr Justice P. Baffoe-Bonnie, Mr Justice N.S. Gbadegbe and Mrs Justice Vida Akoto-Bamfo as members.

Source: Daily Graphic

Accra Mall bans sex in their toilet!

t is not a joking matter as the management of the Accra Mall has decided to prosecute all offenders who come to their toilet to wash their kitchen items, change their clothes, buy & sell (only God knows what they are buying and selling),stand on the toilet bowl, brush their teeth,smoke and wait for this…have SEX.

Call this the seven (7) laws of the Accra Mall’s management and you will not be wrong.

Come to think of it, where there is no law, there is no crime and where there is no crime, there is no punishment therefore that could explain the recent position of the management.

It means that if that the law has always been there from the beginning it would have restrained people’s actions and hence no need for this development.

It may be funny but what attracted us to the piece was that of all places in the world, people can actually choose the toilet as their pampampamground-at least it’s written as the sixth law there.

Can we say that those involved who are already in a relationship just want to experience another atmosphere? After all, a romantic date at the mall could end up in adventure, possibly we cannot rule out any option here, anything can happen.

It may be funny, but we must understand that sometimes problems don't require a solution to solve them; instead they require maturity to outgrow them.

Ghanaweb.com

No Sex For Mental Patients..

Some drugs administered to mental patients are said to increase their libido (level of sexual desire), resulting in situations where some of those on admission openly express their craving for sex. The Medical Director of the Accra Psychiatric Hospital, Dr Akwasi Osei, in an interview with The Mirror conceded that, indeed, some of the drugs given to mental patients could heighten their sexual yearning but was quick to add that some of the medicines also tended to reduce the patients’ sexual drive. “Though, some patients may have sexual desires, which is a normal physiological need, the psychiatric hospital has no provisions on conjugal rights, thus we do not have any intentions to make it possible for patients to bring in their partners for sexual activities and I do not think that would be necessary,” he said. He denied reports that there were increased sexual activities among the patients at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital, which had resulted in the introduction of family planning measures to those on admission. “If some sneak out once in a while to engage in sex and return to the wards I am not aware. I am also not aware that there are increased sexual activities among the patients here,” he said. However, Dr Osei admitted that one female patient had recently become pregnant while on admission but could not tell whether she took seed inside or outside the hospital. When asked whether it was safe for patients of the opposite sex to live among sexually charged individuals who have mental problems, Dr Osei explained that though people may have mental challenges, they could function perfectly in many respects including sexual behaviour. “Why is it that people who may be considered mentally ill are able to avoid danger on the roads by running away when they see a vehicle speeding towards them,” he queried. A senior psychiatric nurse, who spoke on condition of anonymity, corroborated the assertion that some drugs made some patients feel sexy but also denied reports of increased sexual activities among patients. He also failed to comment on the family planning initiative allegedly taken by the hospital. “In fact, for some of them when they cannot bear the sexual pressure any longer they subtly come to ask to be discharged from the hospital”. “I have a wife/husband at home and I cannot stay away from them for so long, some of them may say. When they make this particular request frequently some of us are able to see that they are sexually starved,” the nurse said. He said it was because of such needs that mental health professionals were advocating community care for patients so that they could have their families and friends around them to help speed up the healing process. “The healing process can never be completed at the psychiatric hospital. The patients must go back to their regular environments and go through life out there for us to see if they are okay,” the nurse pointed out. Dr D. O. Clayton and Dr W. W. Shen of the Department of Psychiatry, St Louis University School of Medicine, Missouri USA have suggested that there is more than anecdotal evidence that psychotropic drugs (medicines used to treat psychiatric conditions) can induce sexual function disorders in the epidemiologically (health conditions) vulnerable population of psychiatric patients. Sexual dysfunctions caused by psychotropic drugs can be divided into two groups: sexual inhibition (inhibited desire, inhibited arousal and inhibited orgasm) and increased sexual function disorders (increased sexual desire, priapism and premature ejaculation). They said the diagnosis of psychotropic drug-induced sexual function disorders is easy if the psychiatrist is sensitive to the existence of these adverse effects. Diagnosis is usually established if the sexual function disorders develop when the patient is receiving a psychotropic drug and then disappear when the drug is discontinued.

Source: William A. Asiedu/The Mirror

Have a Blessed Monday and a Fruitful Week ahead!

When you seem like a champion in the midst of people who are not better than you, do something higher than you are currently doing. When everyone gives you a pat on the back when your performance deserves a knock on the head, don’t be misled, improve yourself and your efforts. When it seems you have become a champion for doing nothing much, don’t sit back and celebrate a non- existent championship, just do something higher, something better and something more challenging.

Don’t wait for a new boss to discover how incompetent you are. Don’t wait for a new rival in business put you out of circulation. Be a True Champion,go higher and get better!

Pray with me, “Lord, help me to constantly and consistently improve myself irrespective of the applause of men in Jesus name”.

Follow on Twitter @jerrystreams

Have a Blessed Monday and a Fruitful Week ahead!