Maame Dokono in Police Dragnet

Posted: The Chronicle February 6, 2009
By Charles Takyi-Boadu

Ace actress and gender advocate, Grace Omaboe, a.k.a Maame Dokono, was yesterday arrested by the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, following a sodomy incident, which occurred at her orphanage, Peace and Love, at Adenta, a suburb of Accra, about two weeks ago.
There were heated exchanges between the actress, and the police personnel, who went to the orphanage and wanted to whisk her away. She resisted arrest, amidst tears, insisting she had to first see her lawyer. She later reported herself to the police, in the company of her lawyer.
Sympathisers, including the likes of ace actor and presenter Amankwaa Ampofo, Prince Yawson a.k.a 'Waakye of Akan drama fame, and Nana Fredua Agyemang, a staunch New Patriotic Party (NPP) supporter and social commentator, were also the offices of the DOVVSU with their colleagues.
She was later released on bail, after hours of closed-door meetings between her lawyers, represented by Joyce Attafuah of Kulendi@law Chambers, and the Regional Coordinator of the DOVVSU.
It all began, when an 8 year old boy was alleged to have sodomised a six month old baby at the Peace and Love Orphanage, which is owned by Maame Dokono, about two weeks ago, at a time she (Maame Dokono) was said to be receiving medical treatment in Holland.
This led to the removal of some of the orphans from the orphanage, by the officials of the Department of Social Welfare.
The Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit of the Police said the action was meant to protect the inmates of the orphanage.
That notwithstanding, the Public Relations Officer of DOVVSU, Chief Inspector Irene Oppong, told The Chronicle that Maame Dokono was operating the orphanage illegally, because her Certificate of Recognition had long expired, since 2006.
According to her, the license of the orphanage expired in March 2006, and had since not been renewed.
Maame Dokono used to be a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and a staunch activist of the 31st December Women's Movement, until she crossed carpet to the NPP before the just-ended elections, which saw the NPP's defeat.
She thus believes she is suffering this fate, because of her decision to throw her weight behind the NPP and Nana Akufo Addo.
If what the police are saying is anything to go by, then Maame Dokono would likely be charged with for a criminal offence, since under the provisions of the country's criminal code, a person under 12 years cannot be charged with a criminal offence, but rather the parent or guardian of the child.
Later in the day, over 200 NPP supporters, led by former National Women's Organiser of the NDC and now NPP stalwart, Frances Essiam, besieged the offices of the DOVVSU to protest against what they considered to be unfair treatment being meted out to Maame Dokono.
They accused the NDC government of politically motivating the arrest.
They, therefore, noted that they would not sit in laxity for the NDC to take the law into its own hands.
At press time yesterday, she was said to be in a crunch meeting with executives of the NPP at the party's headquarters in Accra, discussing the next line of action to be taken.
Madam Grace Omaboe was a vocal member of the Nana Addo campaign team in the run up to the December elections, and was reported to have, on numerous occasions, spoken ill of the members of the present government, which was then in opposition.

As Majority Leader overrules questions on malfeasance

MUMUNI SPARKS A WALK-OUT

Posted: The Chronicle Tuesday, February 10, 2009

By Charles Takyi-Boadu

The coming event of Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni’s stormy experience in Parliament, cast their shadows long before he took his seat to be vetted yesterday, and walked straight into a sea of controversy, which ended with the Minority Leader leading a boycott, by members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), of the process.
It started when the issue of a forensic audit report, commissioned by Messrs, Baffuor Awuah and Associates at the instance of the Auditor-General, which was tabled by a group calling itself Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG) popped up.
The group had petitioned the Appointments Committee to disqualify the President’s nominee for the position of Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Alhaji Mumuni, on the basis of the findings of the report, which implicated him during his term of office as Minister of Education, during the Jerry Rawlings former NDC government.
For more than an hour, members of the Committee engaged in a heated debate, over whether or not it was prudent for the nominee to be vetted on a controversial forensic audit report, commissioned by Messrs. Baffuor Awuah and Associates at the instance of the Auditor-General, which is currently pending before the law courts.
Each and every member of the committee made a convincing argument on the subject to back their position.
Though the issue in contention was in court and pending a ruling, the nominee said he would avail himself for questioning, if the members thought it wise to do so.
Considering the fact that the Standing Orders of Parliament does not allow issues in court to discussed on the floor, virtually all members of the committee stressed on the need to be circumspect in the line of questioning, in order not prejudice the court proceedings, in which Alhaji Iddrisu is seeking to quash the findings of the report.
Whilst admitting that the issues in contention were grave, and that he would have been happy if they proceeding were held in-camera, the Minority Leader and MP for the Tafo-Suame constituency, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, said “the issues raised are relevant.”
He, therefore, stressed the need for further probing into the matter, by asking the nominee certain pertinent questions for him to answer.
After listening to the various submissions of the members, the Chairman of the Committee and MP for Ave-Avenor, Edward Doe Adjaho, ruled for the nominee to be vetted without asking questions bordering on the issue in contention.
His reason was that the report in question, had not been properly tabled before Parliament as an institution, hence could not be admitted in evidence as a credible supporting document.
But the Minority Leader, who disagreed with the Chairman’s ruling, quoted sections of the Standing Orders of Parliament and that of the Appointments Committee, citing Order 91 and 93 to back his claim.
But the Chairman stood his grounds, giving an indication that his ruling stood and nothing more.
At this stage, the MP for Adansi-Asokwa, K. T. Hammond, who disagreed with the Chairman on his ruling, got to his feet, with his documents in hand, and attempted to leave, but was convinced by the Minority Leader to sit down.
Matters turned worse, when the Chairman of the Committee, again, overruled the Minority Leader’s submission.
This compelled Hon. Kyei Mensah-Bonsu to describe the ruling as nothing but ‘whimsical and capricious’, shouting “your ruling on this matter is bogus, and of no effect.”
He then rose to his feet, and signaled his other colleagues in the Minority to boycott the vetting of Alhaji Mumuni.
Not even the pleadings of members on the other side of the House could make the Minority back down on their decision to boycott Mumuni’s vetting process.
In the heat of events, the MP for Sene constituency, Felix Twumasi Appiah, was compelled to make a submission that a precedent was set during the vetting of the former Roads and Transport Minister, Dr. Richard Anane, sometime ago.
During Anane’s vetting, Hon. Twumasi Appiah noted that a similar issue arose, in which it was agreed that considering the nature and scope of the Standing Orders in Parliament, he could not answer questions pertaining to an issue pending before court.
However, this could not influence the decision of the members of the Minority, who were grumbling about the turn of events, and the continuous use of arbitrary discretionary powers by the Chairman of the Committee.
The Minority then staged a walkout of the vetting of the President’s nominee on Foreign Affairs, whilst proceedings continued.
By all standards, the vetting of Alhaji Mumuni witnessed one of the rigorous intellectual exercises in the history of the Appointments Committee of Parliament.
The Minority later returned to participate in the vetting of the President’s nominee for the position of Minister of Science and Environment, Ms. Sherry Ayittey.