The King is mine parades stars

IF YOU weren’t at the premiering of Venus Film’s new movie, The King Is Mine last Friday, then you have missed a lot. The night was indeed replete with glitz and glamour mixed with a lot of attractions.

Despite a downpour on Friday evening, the event had a considerate attendance from movie enthusiasts as well as the crème de la crème of Ghanaian movie stars, who thronged the National Theater to give the occasion the look it deserved.

The number of movie stars who graced the occasion made it look like a stars reunion ceremony. Most were those who posed with colleague stars for the paparazzi while others also signed autographs.

Other attractions included the sparkling fashion displayed by actresses in particular.

Besides the cast including Kalsum Sinare, Jackie Appiah and John Dumelo, there were also big names like Irene Opare, Kojo Dadson, Emmanuel Armah, Ziggy Netson, Nii Odoi Mensah, Yvonne Nelson, Lydia Forson, Ingrid, Naa Shorkor among others.

The premiering which was to start at 7pm eventually started at 8: 30pm due to the downpour.

The lead cast could however not take their seats before the showing starts. Jackie Appiah was the last to come at about 9:25pm after John Dumelo and Kalsum Sinare.

BEATWAVES could not sight the likes of Nadia Buari and Kofi Adjolorlor who were also part of the cast, but information had it that Nadia was not in town.

Patrons greeted some scenes of the movie especially the erotic ones with loud cheers.

The movie tells the story of a young king (played by John Dumelo) who desperately desires an heir to his throne. He inherited a wife from his late brother and predecessor but after several attempts, she failed to bear him a male child. Now the king seeks a new mistress.

But is this possible by the gods? What happened was what movie enthusiasts came to see for themselves.
The movie boasts of good visual effects, soundtrack, setting, make-up and better language among others. Acting output was okay as well as the storyline, except that the story was left hanging.

Source: Daily Guide

I’m still at post – Kotoko CEO

Embattled Asante Kotoko CEO Sylvester Asare Owusu has denied reports that he has quit the club after being indicted by a government-backed committee into February’s Baba Yara Stadium disaster.

The committee recommended a five-year ban away from football for Owusu among others.

Reports claimed the 48-year-old has distanced himself from the day-to-day administration of the club and awaiting the imposition of the ban.

The legal team of the Ghana Football Association says it is carefully studying the recommendations of the committee before applying recommended sanctions.

“I know a lot has happened in this few days but I have not resigned my post as it has been reported by a section of the media. I am still the CEO,” Asare-Owusu told Ghanasoccernet.com.

“Kotoko is the biggest club in Ghana and so it is natural to hear some of these things. But I want to put on record that I am still at post and have no intention of quitting my job with Kotoko.

“The wise King, Otumfuo Osei Tutu appointed me so if there should be any resignation or whatsoever, he will be the first to know.”

Apart from the ban, Asare-Owusu, is also to be prosecuted for allegedly stealing gate proceeds from the said match that saw four fans die and several others suffering suffocation due to excessive heat and overcrowding.

His lawyers have stated their intentions to contest the sanctions.

Source: ghanasoccernet.com

A-G not opposed to Tsatsu’s application

The Ministry of Justice and Attorney General, says it is not opposed to Tsatsu Tsikata’s application seeking leave of the Supreme Court to file further evidence to prove that Justice Henrietta Abban acted in “collusion with the Executive” in certain determinations preceding his sentencing on June 18, 2008.

“I owe it a duty to the court to place on record that I am also unable, in good conscience, to oppose the application by counsel for Mr.Tsikata to call for further evidence to establish the issues he seeks to bring before the court,” Attorney General and Minister of Justice Mrs Betty Mould Iddrisu has said.

If indeed, there was evidence to this effect, it would be in the interest of justice that such evidence be heard, she said in statement filed at the court last Friday.

This came to light Wednesday when a Chief State Attorney, Mathew Amponsah, who represented the Attorney-General in court, moved the statement to withdraw two applications he had earlier filed at the court on behalf of the A-G’s Department.

The first application is a statement of case on the effect of the presidential pardon on Mr.Tsikata’s application for review of the court’s decision of October 16, 2008, that ruled out any wrongdoing on the part of Justice Abban in convicting him. The application was filed in response to the court’s directive of February 25.

The other one, which was filed on April 6, was an affidavit in opposition to Mr. Tsikata’s motion to the court to vacate its February 25 decision to look into the effect of the presidential pardon granted him.

Minutes before the withdrawal of the two applications in court Wednesday, the seven-member panel chaired by Justice William Atugubah, dismissed the application by Mr.Tsikata to the court to vacate its move to look into the effect of the pardon on his review application.

The court held that the application was “misconceived”.

Professor E.Y.O. Dankwa, counsel for Mr.Tsikata, the former Chief Executive of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, had on February 10 moved an application for extension of time to file supplementary statement of case and called for additional evidence in the motion for a review of the October 16, 2008 decision.

In a supporting affidavit, Mr.Tsikata averred that for a judge to voice out what she would do when an application to give fresh evidence was before her is an exceptional circumstance, for which the court should give him the opportunity to provide evidence.

“For a judge to act in concert with the Executive about steps to be taken in relation to a decision when an application is before her is an exceptional circumstance,” he argued.

Mr. Tsikata said the further evidence he is seeking to give the Supreme Court is “conclusively establishing that Justice Henrietta Abban had predetermined the outcome of the application filed by my counsel to call further evidence before her sitting at 8 am on June 18, 2008 to hear the application.

“In having me imprisoned on June l8, 2008 immediately after striking out the said application, she was rather acting in collusion with the Executive, contrary to her constitutional mandate, and her judicial duty to act fairly,” Tsikata said.

The Supreme Court has fixed May 13 to rule on whether or not to grant Mr. Tsikata’s application for extension of time to file supplementary statement of case and call for additional evidence in the motion for a review of the court’s decision of October 16, 2008.

Mr. Tsikata was sentenced to five years imprisonment by an Accra Fast Track High Court after he was found guilty of three counts of causing financial loss of GH¢230,OOO to the state and misapplying GH¢2,OOO in public property through a loan guaranteed by the GNPC for Valley Farms in 1991.

However, he has since his sentence accused Justice Abban, the trial judge, of bias and embarked on a legal battle to prove his innocence and to reverse his conviction.

Source: Ghanaian Times

Mobile phone snatchers arrested at Nsawam

A group of men engaged in the snatching of mobile phones has been arrested by the Nsawam Police.

They are Issaka Nyofunleh, 25, Christopher Gbenyetorku, 30, Emmanuel Tetteh an ex-convict, 18, and Kwabena Richard, 20.

Superintendent Sebastian Atsu Wemegah, Police Commander in charge of Nsawam told the Ghana News Agency that they were arrested at their hideout at the Wofa Paye Street at Nsawam upon a tip-off.

He said the group had then broken into a nearby mobile phone store.

The Commander said two members of the group escaped but were later arrested at Achimota and the Komkomba Market in Accra.

Supt. Wemegah said the suspects would be put before court.

Source: GNA

NPP Chairman in trouble for ‘insulting’ Togbui Afede

Traditional warriors in the Volta Region have staged a demonstration against NPP Chairman Ken Wood Nuworsu for ‘insulting’ the President of the Regional House of Chiefs, Togbui Afede XIV.

Togbui Afede, also Paramount Chief of the Asogli Traditional Area, during President Mills’ visit to the region said that the people of the Volta Region were made to feel as though they were outsiders during the NPP reign.

His comments engendered a huge debate in political circles with the New Patriotic Party arguing the statement lacked factual basis.

Mr Ken Nuworsu, who disagreed with the chief’s comment, reportedly invited Togbui Afede for a tour of the region to see for himself the development projects undertook by the NPP administration.

The National Democratic Congress on the other hand stood by the chief’s comments, arguing the views were the aggregation of the feeling of the people of the region.

Supporting the chief’s position, the Volta Regional Chairman of the ruling National Democratic Congress, Modestus Ahiable said the NPP government neglected the region and starved it of development.

He claimed the government only started road projects when it was close to elections and abandoned them as soon as the elections were over.

In a swift rebuttal, Mr. Noworsu said President Kufuor had developed the region more than any government in the country’s political history and therefore disagreed with the chief.

Now some traditional warriors say his invitation to Togbui Afede was disrespectful and deserving of an apology.

The youth chief of Ho who led Thursday’s demonstration and who spoke to Joy News, said “you cannot sit on a horse and slap that same horse because if you do, it will be forced to throw you out.”

Togbui Gbongbo claimed Mr. Nuworsu described Togbui Afede’s comments as irresponsible.

“In Ewe tradition, the word ‘irresponsible’ is offensive and cannot be used on a chief,” he said.

The youth chief said the anger of the group was not directed only at Mr. Ken Nuworsu but others such as Dr. Arthur Kennedy who is also accused of making disparaging remarks about Togbui Afede.

Mr. Nuworsu has denied the claims saying he never insulted the chief and will not render any apology.

He says he will only apologise if it is established that he insulted Togbui Afede XIV.

Togbui Gbongbo warned the NPP Chairman to remember that he lives in Ho which forms part of Togbui Afede’s jurisdiction.

He threatened that if Mr. Noworsu failed to render an apology and retract statements he made in The Statesman newspaper, other measures lined up would be applied to him.

Story by Malik Abass Daabu?myjoyonline

Veep begs Libya’s Qathafi for release of Ghanaian jailed 25 years

Vice President John Mahama is in Libya to appeal to the Leader Muammar Al-Qathafi to have clemency a Ghanaian in jail in the north African country for attempting to spread Christianity.

The Ghanaian Daniel Baidoo is said to have already served the first seven years of his 25-year sentence.

He was jailed in 2001 and is serving his term at Jedidah Maximum Security Prison.

Baidoo is one of several hundreds of Ghanaians still languishing in Libyan prisons for various offences.

He is said to have tried to distribute Bible tracks to the Libyans in an attempt to convert them to Christianity.

Vice President Mahama on Tuesday made an appeal through a special Libyan envoy, Dr. Al Sayeed from Libya who called on him in Accra.

Following discussions with the special envoy, Mr Mahama presented a formal letter appealing for clemency through the Libyan Embassy in Accra to the Libyan Leader.

The vice president, meanwhile, is on a three-day official visit to Libya on Tuesday.

Baidoo was arrested at Garyan Post Office in Libya when he collected a parcel said to be containing Bible and Christian literature in Arabic which he had ordered from a Christian organization in the US.

Libya is a predominantly Muslim country and the laws in the country do not permit the practice of any other religion apart from Islam.

A media practitioner Mawuko Zormelo speaking on behalf of Mr Mahama said although the vice president’s visit would be to improve diplomatic relations with the Arabian country, there would also be talks to secure the release of Mr Baidoo.

He hinted that Mr Mahama would also use the visit to discuss ways Ghana could partner with Libya to ensure that the country derives maximum benefit from its oil reserves.

Story by Fiifi Koomson/Myjoyonline.com

Don’t polarise Ghana along NDC, NPP lines

Two prominent Ghanaians have expressed grave concern over the increasing rate at which the country is being polarised between the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The two, the Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr Kwadwo Afari-Qyan, and Prof. Miranda Greenstreet, the Chairperson of the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO), said the development had the propensity to destroy the fabric of the society and open it to attendant repercussions.

Consequently, they called on civil society organizations, faith-based organisations and concerned Ghanaians to brainstorm and evolve strategies to ensure that the canker was halted and also make the perpetrators of such polarisation to realise that they were Ghanaians first before any affiliation to any political party.

The two prominent personalities made the observation at an interaction between the EC and CODEO in Accra yesterday to review the 2008 elections, with the view to ensuring that the lapses encountered during the elections would be minimised in future ones.

Dr Afari-Gyan said currently some Ghanaians behaved as if there were only two types of people in the country, those who belonged to the NDC and those who belonged to the NPP, “making those of us without political parties, as well as those in the other political parties appear as if we are of no essence to the nation.”

He wondered whether that was so because of the winner-takes-all syndrome of the political system, coupled with the fact that the government in power was the largest employer who also controlled state resources and power.

He said it was very disturbing that people did not care about the quality of persons appointed to or nominated for certain positions but all they wanted was that such persons must of necessity be members of their party, irrespective of their capacity to deliver.

Prof. Greenstreet described the situation as very dangerous, noting that it demanded the urgent attention of all well- meaning Ghanaians because if it was allowed to continue it would not augur well for the future of the country.

She said another disturbing aspect of the development was that even when a President had made appointments based on merit, with the view that those appointed would best solve the problems at hand, people claiming to be party activists stood up against those appointments because they claimed that the appointed or nominated persons were not fully-fledged party members.

She also expressed worry that while political party activists were dividing the country along NDC/NPP lines, the media had also provided a fertile ground for such unpatriotic citizens to execute their ill-conceived agenda.

Prof. Greenstreet said it was high time Ghanaians realised that there was only one country whose unity was more paramount than the interest of any political party or individual.

The General Secretary of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mr Bright Blewu, said it was high time Ghanaians took a serious view of utterances by both politicians and media practitioners that bordered on ethnocentrism and political divisiveness.

He said it was just by sheer luck that the country did not experience the upheavals that had characterised war-torn countries after elections.

He appealed to all civil society organisations to impress upon the government and Parliament to pass the Broadcasting Law, which he said would minimise some of the irresponsible and unprofessional behaviour of some radio stations.

Spurce: Daily Graphic

Parliament to establish institute

The Majority Leader in Parliament, Mr Alban Sumani Kingsford Bagbin, has announced that Parliament will soon establish an institute for parliamentary studies to help in the nurturing of the country’s parliamentary democracy.

He stated that beside the establishment of the institute, discussions were going on between Parliament and OIMPA for the institution of a course in parliamentary democracy to nurture democratic dispensation on the African continent.

Mr Bagbin announced this when he addressed the opening session of a day’s workshop for members of the Forum for Former Members of Parliament (MPs) in Accra Wednesday.

The workshop, held on the theme: “The Role of Former Members of Parliament in Promoting and Strengthening Parliamentary Democracy”, was attended by 54 former MPs across the political divide.

He stated that the high attrition rate in Parliament had resulted in the re-invention of a number of things that had already taken place in the House.

Mr Bagbin said it had, therefore, become necessary for the House to rely on the experience and expertise of former MPs to provide new MPs with practical approach to the work of Parliament.

He thanked leaders of the forum for working tirelessly to bring their idea to fruition and asked them to come up with a draft proposal that could be enacted as a law for the institution of a social welfare scheme for MPs.

Mr Bagbin noted that it was only through such a scheme that MPs would be able to have a reliable livelihood when they were no more the representatives of their people in Parliament.

“Former MPs also deserve a better package,” he said, adding that the despicable state of some former MPs was likely to have a negative effect on the performance of some current MPs.

He noted that until MPs were given the due regard and their work facilitated, it would be difficult for the country to achieve its ultimate aim of entrenching democracy, since Parliament was not only the fulcrum but also the heartbeat of democracy.

He gave the assurance that Parliament would provide the forum with an office accommodation and logistics to enable it to stand on its feet.

For his part, the President of the forum, Mr Kosi Kedem, said the forum was extremely anxious to play an active role in promoting, sustaining and strengthening the country’s parliamentary democracy.

He thanked the President for appreciating and recognising the worth of former MPs by giving some of them the chance to serve in the current government so that their rich experience, skills and potentials could be put to maximum use.

“Your Excellency, don’t listen to those who tell you that we are old and retarded. We are still active and mentally alert. It is true that we are retired MPs, but we are certainly not retarded,” he said.

He reminded the President that the forum was reliably informed that the Council of State had been asked to review the Hesse Committee report and explained that the committee was actually set up for the 2001 – 2004 Parliament.

“We therefore want to alert you that the review will only be complete and conclusive if it gives attention to concerns of members of the Third Parliament of the Fourth Republic,” he said.

A Minister of State at the Presidency and MP for Wa Central, Mr Rashid Pelpuo, who represented the Vice-President, Mr John Mahama, assured MPs that the government would do all it could to strengthen Parliament.

He said the institution of a fund for the MPs and the provision of research assistants to MPs as announced by the President were enough proof of the government’s quest to improve the lots of MPs and strengthen Parliament as the fulcrum of the country’s democracy.

Source: Daily Graphic

MTTU prosecute owners of cars with tinted glasses

The Police Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) in Kumasi over the weekend began arresting and prosecuting commercial and private car owners who use tinted glasses.

As many as 58 of such drivers were arrested during the exercise out of which 41 were prosecuted and convicted for flouting road traffic regulations.

The convicts, who pleaded guilty to charges of using tinted glasses against road traffic regulations, were convicted on their own pleas and fined between GH¢240 and GH¢300.

A total of GH¢7, 590.00 was therefore realised from the fines and the convicts were warned to respect road traffic regulations or receive severer fines in future.

The court issued a bench warrant for the arrest of one of the suspects who failed to appear before it.

The exercise was meant to enforce the law that debars both private and commercial vehicles from using tinted glasses.

The acting Ashanti Regional Police Commander of the MTTU, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Abraham Bansah, told the Daily Graphic that 16 of the transport owners who were arrested were however warned and released.

He explained that those who were warned and released were using minor tinted glasses as compared to the 41 convicts.

Explaining why the exercise was carried out, Mr Bansah said police investigations had revealed that the use of tinted glasses had been one of the major causes of fatal road traffic accidents in the country.

He said some of the vehicles had tinted windscreens and windows, which impaired visibility anytime there was a rainfall.

That, he said, created serious danger for the driver and other road users, sometimes leading to fatal accidents and the death of innocent passengers and pedestrians.

Mr Bansah said their investigations had also revealed that vehicles with tinted glasses had been used to commit armed robbery, abduction, and drug-related crimes.

He said some of them were also used to transport stolen and smuggled goods from one point to another.

He said by their nature, it was very difficult to see the occupants of such vehicles when they were committing crimes, and therefore made it easy for them to abscond.

He said under the cover of darkness, some of those vehicles were also used to promote immoral activities, stressing that active sex took place in some of these vehicles, hence the action to weed them out from the system to enhance sanity on the road and the environment.

Mr. Bansah warned that since the MTIU would not hesitate to arrest and prosecute those who used tinted glasses, it was better for owners of such vehicles to remove them before they were arrested.

Source: Daily Graphic

Security Agencies tasked to ensure peaceful Homowo celebration

The security agencies have been urged to ensure a peaceful celebration of this year’s Ga Homowo festival.

Mr Jonathan Nii Tackie Komme, Member of Parliament (MP) for Odododiodioo, said in a statement that the vigilance of the security agencies throughout the celebration of the traditional festivities of the Homowo was very important in view of the numerous chieftaincy disputes in the area.

“This will ensure that people did not take the law into their own hands to cause trouble, which could lead to violence and the loss of lives and property,” he noted.

The MP extended his warmest greetings to the chiefs and people of the Ga state as they observe the “Mmaadumo” (the planting of millet that precedes the ban on noise making before the festival).

He also called on the chiefs and people to observe the customary rites in peace and unity since they were one people with a common destiny.

In addition, Mr Tackie Komme said as brothers and sisters from a common ancestry, they should resolve their difference in a peaceful manner devoid of violence, which retarded progress and development.

He wished the people a fruitful and prosperous season and expressed the hope that they would be able to overcome all the challenges that confront them during the year to ensure that the next festival would be marked without any dispute for the advancement of the Ga state and people.

Source: GNA

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