Kufuor Jet Lands

Posted: Daily Guide |www.dailyguideghana.com
Friday, 01 October 2010
By Charles Takyi-Boadu

The much-awaited Presidential jet, Falcon 900EX Easy aircraft whose inauguration was postponed because of a delay in its arrival, has finally touched down at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) in Accra.

Sources at KIA told DAILY GUIDE that the aircraft, whose acquisition became the subject of a heated debate between members of the erstwhile New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration and the then opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in 2008, arrived yesterday at exactly 5pm.

This was confirmed by Defence Public Relations (DPR) Director Colonel Akintande Mbawine.

At press time yesterday, the DPR was said to be preparing a statement to the media.

The aircraft is thus expected to be outdoored at what promises to be a colourful ceremony any time soon, after officials of the Armed Forces take delivery of it.

In the absence of President Mills, who is currently in Japan in search of financial assistance, Vice President John Dramani Mahama was expected to perform the inauguration of the jet. But it was cancelled at the last minute when the military authorities were not sure of the arrival of the jet.

The Falcon 900EX Easy Aircraft was purchased by the Kufuor administration to replace the Fokker 27, otherwise referred to as the ‘flying coffin’ that the Ghana Air Force had used for the past 37 years as a presidential jet.

It was scheduled to be outdoored on Thursday, September 23, but had to be postponed because the jet could not arrive in the country as earlier reported.

The acquisition of the jet by the Kufuor administration attracted criticisms from the then opposition NDC who questioned the rationale for the plane at a time when the NDC claimed critical sectors of the economy, such as health and education, were badly in need of funding.

However, when Professor Mills took over the reins of government, the plane was configured to his specifications.

President Kufuor refused to use a Gulf Stream Presidential jet acquired by the Rawlings administration because its transaction was shrouded in mystery. He therefore began the process of acquiring the US$37million Falcon 900 presidential jet and an Airbus for the Ghana Air Force in 2007.

We Painted Konadu Mum’s House - Minister

Posted: Daily Guide |www.dailyguideghana.com
Wednesday, 29 September 2010
By Charles Takyi-Boadu
It seems there is some confusion in government or a deliberate attempt not to tell Ghanaians the truth about the renovation works carried out by the Mills administration on the private residence of the mother of former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings.

This became evident when a deputy Minister of Information, James Agyenim-Boateng appeared before the Commission on Human Rights and Administration Justice (CHRAJ) to answer questions about the issue which became a matter of public interest, when the Ridge residence of former President Rawlings was razed down by fire on Valentine’s Day, this year.

Mr. Agyenim-Boateng told CHRAJ yesterday that some works including painting were carried out on the private residence of the mother in-law of former President Rawlings at Nyaniba Estates, Osu, Accra.

But government, in a statement to the commission, said no state funds were used for the renovation, raising questions about the credibility of the deputy minister.

Agyenim-Boateng, in reaction to a statement that the former first couple was homeless after the February 14 fire, had said that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government had spent money to renovate the private residence of Mrs. Agyemang to enable Nana Konadu to stay with her.

This statement was greeted with a petition by a pressure group, Ghana Youth Movement (GYM), in which its spokesman, Kwabena Tandoh charged CHRAJ to investigate the use of state funds being used to renovate the said private residence.

The group said it was illegal and unacceptable for government to spend state funds on the private residence of the former First Lady or her mother.

CHRAJ Commissioner Emile Short sought to know the basis of Mr. Agyenim-Boateng’s claim during an interview he granted Joy FM, in which the latter stated that the government had indeed carried out some considerable amount of work on the said building.

CHRAJ had meanwhile received responses from the office of the President and the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing indicating that no state resources were used in the renovation works on the former First Lady’s mother’s private residence at the Nyaniba estates.

But Mr. Agyenim-Boateng contradicted this other official account, insisting that at least some renovation works were carried out on the said residence at government’s expense.

“I have said that at least painting was done. That I still want to stay on the records,” he told CHRAJ.

Herbert Mensah, a businessman and close pal of the former First family, had said that he paid for the renovation works on the said house after fire razed down their Ridge-based official residence but had not been reimbursed by government.

The deputy Minister of Information said he could not tell which office funded or carried out the painting on the residence of Mrs. Agyeman because “it’s a security issue.

“Even though I serve as deputy Minister of Information, I am clearly not privy to every single issue that borders on the security.

There are issues that sometimes depending on the situation that one may or may not know. I think that clearly in this case, it is a security issue and the security people would have handled that. I don’t want to believe that My Lord, it took the former First family to move on their own.”

He added “the security authorities would have done reconnaissance, what they call Recce to be sure that they were taking them to a place that was safe and reasonably guarantee their safety” and “maybe what we are yet to hear is what the security authorities themselves have said about this issue.”

At the time he made those comments about the renovation works on the building, Mr. Agyenim Boateng told the Commission he was away on a duty tour in the Brong Ahafo region and that he was completely out of touch with base (his office in Accra) and therefore told Ghanaians what he knew about the issue.

This, he said, was because the state was duty-bound to ensure the safety of the former First family.

When asked whether his comments were based on facts or assumptions and where he got the information from, the deputy Minister insisted they were facts, noting “as deputy Minister I’m privy to all sorts of information within the set up.”

Muntaka Disowns ‘Girlfriend’

Posted: Daily Guide |www.dailyguideghana.com
Tuesday, 28 September 2010
By Charles Takyi-Boadu
Former Minister of Youth and Sports, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, has denied having any amorous relationship with Edith Zineuali, the lady he was said to have assisted to procure a German visa as alleged in the infamous ‘pampers and khebab’ scandal.

This was revealed when one of the lawyers representing him at the ongoing investigations by the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Kwesi Baffour Intsiful was cross-examining his (Muntaka’s) accusers, the Progressive Nationalist Forum (PNF), led by its spokesman Richard Kwesi Nyamah.

Muntaka, who was alleged to have ordered the release of over GH¢1.4million to the Sports Council without the approval of the Chief of Staff when he was the Sports Minister, was not at the hearing because he was said to have traveled to the United States on official assignment and scheduled to arrive yesterday evening.

Prior to the commencement of the hearing, Mr Nyamah and his lawyer, Anthony Namoo indicated the PNF’s discontinuation in pursuing 15 of the 16 allegations that they had earlier made against the former minister who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Asawase constituency in the Ashanti region, with the exception of one that has to do with the acquisition of a German visa for his supposed ‘girlfriend’.

This, he said, was because the witnesses on whom they were banking their hopes to prove their case, especially the former chief director and principal accountant of the Sports Ministry, Albert Anthony Ampong and Adim Odoom respectively, have all declined to testify before the Commission in order not to compromise the case they are currently pursuing against the state in court for their wrongful dismissal from the civil service, which is scheduled to be heard sometime in November this year.

During cross-examination, lawyer Intsiful asked Mr Nyamah the basis of his allegation, to which he indicated that the said Edith Zineuali was Muntaka’s girlfriend.

Mr Nyamah said his claim was based on the fact that President Mills had at a meeting with the media sought to ask whether Muntaka was the first government official to have travelled with a girlfriend; and the fact that the MP himself had indicated his preparedness to pay for any such liabilities was in itself an admission of guilt.

He tendered in as evidence a copy of the government white paper that was issued and signed by then Presidential Spokesperson, Mahama Ayariga, after the National Security had conducted investigations into the allegations against Muntaka.

Though counsel for the embattled MP raised issues about the authenticity of the document because it did not bear the insignia of the Government of Ghana (the coat of arms), the chairman of the Commission, Emile Francis Short, admitted it in evidence.

Mr Nyamah also tendered in a copy of the petition sent to the President by Mr Odoom, in which he asked the President to cause investigations into the allegations he made against the Minister in question as evidence.

But Muntaka’s lawyer put it to him that his client had no such relationship with the woman, Edith Zineuali.

Aside that, lawyer Intsiful said his client (Muntaka) did not have anything to do with the lady’s visa application; let alone the processes that led to its acquisition from the German Embassy. And neither did he have the opportunity to vet the application since it did not come before him.

For this reason, he said his client might have been misrepresented, taking into consideration the fact that the officer who processed the visa application described her as a staff of the Ministry of Youth and Sports when she was indeed a staff of Parliament and specifically the Secretary to then Majority Leader in the House, Alban Kingsford Sumani Bagbin.

The Commission has since adjourned sitting to Thursday, September 30, 2010, by which time Muntaka would have returned to the country to enable him cross examine his accuser.

Muntaka, who was barely four months in office, reportedly traveled with Edith Zineuali to the finals of the 1st CHAN tournament in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, under very unusual circumstances.

He was said to have presented the lady as an employee of the Ministry of Youth and Sports when Edith was indeed a staff of the office of Parliament.