Day: January 29, 2024

The General Transport, Petroleum, and Chemical Workers Union (GTPCWU) of the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC) has described President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s promise to revamp the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) as mere rhetoric.

The President, on Friday, January 26, 2024, commissioned the newly built private Sentuo Oil Refinery located a few metres from TOR, where he assured Ghanaians of his government’s commitment to revamping the dying state oil refinery.

He said that they would stop at nothing to bring TOR on stream so that, together with Sentuo, more of Ghana’s oil would be refined in the country.

Mr Bernard Owusu, the National Chairman of the GTPCWU, reacting to the statement, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that the promise was just another piece of rhetoric that would not yield any result.

Mr Owusu questioned that if, for the past seven to eight years that the president had steered the affairs of the country, he had not stepped foot in TOR, which is a national asset, what would he do wh
en his term was coming to an end?

‘The President, for eight years, had not visited TOR, even though we have raised a lot of issues there.

‘He has refused to even pass by and give encouragement to the workers, but he passed in front of the refinery to go and open a private refinery some few metres from it. What he said is just rhetoric, nothing serious,’ he emphasised.

He questioned how Sentuo, a private investment, was listed under the One District, One Factory (1D1F) initiative when the government could have also used the same 1D1F initiative to revamp the operations of the ailing TOR.

On whether the opening of Sentuo would affect the viability of TOR, he said it would rather bring some competition into the sector, indicating that it was their hope that the government would address TOR’s issues to put it in a better position to compete since it has the capacity to produce.

The Tema Oil Refinery, which commenced operations in September 1963 with a capacity of 45,000 barrels per stream day, is currently f
aced with numerous operational challenges.

Sentuo Oil Refinery, which has the capacity to produce 100,000 barrels per day when fully completed, is currently in its first phase and is expected to produce 40,000 barrels of refined products per day.

Source: Ghana News Agency

One more person allegedly involved in the alleged GHC203,000 job scam case has been arrested and arraigned.

Iddrisu Suka, who appeared in an Accra Circuit Court, has been remanded into Police custody to reappear on February 5, 2024.

The Court presided over by Mrs Samuel Bright Acquah issued a bench warrant on June 19, 2023, for Suka’s arrest.

The Police, through intelligence, picked up Suka and put him before the court.

Meanwhile, the first accused person, Dorcas Nartey, a 28-year-old unemployed, who had earlier appeared before the Court, is on GHC200,000 bail.

Dorcas and Suka are said to have collected GHC203,000 from 32 prospective job seekers who wanted to join the security services.

They have jointly been charged with conspiracy to commit crimes namely – defrauding by false pretences and defrauding by false pretences.

They have denied the charges.

Chief Superintendent of Police Augustine Yirenkyi said the complainant, Alex Mensah Twumasi was the Assemblyman for Accra Newtown.

The prosecution sai
d Dorcas was unemployed and a resident of Gbawe in Accra.

The prosecutor said before January 2022, the complainant met Dorcas, and she told the complainant that she had protocol connections at the Jubilee House and if the complainant parted with cash in the sum of GHC 203,000, she would be able to secure 32 prospective applicants of his constituency job in the security services – the Ghana Police Service, Ghana Immigration Service, Customs, and the Ghana National Fire Service.

The prosecution said the complainant became convinced and paid GHC203,000 to Dorcas.

The prosecutor said after the payment, Dorcas was unable to fulfil her promise and started ‘playing hide and seek’ with the complainant.

The prosecution said the complainant became alarmed and on September 29, 2022, he reported the matter to the Police for investigations.

On November 18, 2022, Dorcas was arrested and in her caution statement, she admitted receiving GHC 203,000 to secure jobs in the various security services and said she gave the am
ount to Iddrisu Suka, who was then at large.

The prosecution said Dorcas claimed that Suka worked at the Jubilee House and could assist her in securing jobs for the 32 prospective applicants, but he failed.

It said Dorcas promised to refund the GHC203,000 to the complainant but failed.

Source: Ghana News Agency

A 27-year-old driver who had sex with a 14-year-old girl in a church at Sowutuom has been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment.

Appearing before the Gender-Based Violence Court at the Police Headquarters, Enoch Mensah pleaded guilty to the charge of defilement.

The court convicted Mensah on his own plea and sentenced him accordingly.

Apart from the church premises, Mensah is said to have defiled the victim on four separate occasions in the complainant’s house.

Detective Chief Inspector Opoku Aniagyei prayed the court to hand down a deterrent sentence because the victim innocently followed Mensah who sought her assistance, but he ended up defiling in the church.

The prosecution recounted the increasing number of defilement cases, saying a harsh sentence would serve as a deterrent to like-minded persons.

The case of the prosecution is that the complainant is a trader, residing at Apotro near Sowutuom in Accra and (Complainant), the mother of the victim, aged 14 years.

The prosecutor said Mensah, a driver,
also resided in the same vicinity.

In June 2023, the victim went to the Church name withheld at Nsumfa, near Sowutum to help the accused clean the church.

It said Mensah locked the church and took the victim to one of the offices where he had ‘unprotected sexual intercourse’ with her on one of the tables and warned her not to tell anyone.

The prosecutor said Mensah went on to have sexual intercourse with the victim on four occasions in the complainant’s house.

It said on August 23, 2023, the complainant noticed some changes in the victim and quizzed her.

The prosecution said the victim disclosed her ordeal and the complainant reported the matter to the Police and a Police Medical form was issued to the complainant to seek medical care for the victim.

When the endorsed medical form was given to the Police, they (police) caused Mensah’s arrest.

In Mensah’s caution statement, he admitted the offence.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Benjamin Aboagye, aka Rapture, has been sentenced to 35 years imprisonment by an Adentan Circuit Court for robbing a banker at gunpoint at Pantang, Accra.

This was after Aboagye, a 28-year-old musician, was found guilty at the end of the trial on charges of conspiracy to commit robbery and robbery.

The court presided over by Mrs Sedinam Awo Balokah sentenced Aboagye to 20 years on the charge of conspiracy and 35 years on the charge of robbery.

The sentences are to run concurrently.

Amos Tetteh, a driver who waited and transported the booty was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment on the charge of abetment of crime.

One Ben, who conspired with Aboagye is said to be at large.

The prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Maxwell Lanyo, said the complainant was a banker (name withheld) residing at Pantang P and T.

Chief Inspector Lanyo said Aboagye resided at Firestone, near Madina while Ben, now at large and Tetteh resided at Pantang Hospital.

On November 4, 2021, the prosecution said at about 1:30 am, two arm
ed men went to Pantang P and T and attacked the complainant with a pistol and made away with one 65-inch Samsung Television valued at GHC24,000 and an HP Desktop Computer valued at GHC 10,800, two PlayStation 4 valued at GHC6,000 and cash of $22,000 and GHC6,000.

The prosecution said the complainant called for police assistance and when the Adenta Divisional Patrol Team was on the way to the scene, it met Tetteh on board his Toyota Vitz with registration number GE 130-20 with the booty.

The prosecution told the court that Tetteh was arrested, and the complainant identified the items as those stolen from his room.

The prosecutor said Tetteh was interrogated, and he mentioned Aboagye as one of the people who called him to convey the booty to Madina and during the interrogation of Tetteh, Aboagye kept calling for the items.

The prosecution said a team of policemen was sent to Madina with Tetteh and he identified Aboagye, who was waiting to collect the booty and he was arrested.

Source: Ghana News Agency

An Accra High Court through a jury trial has found William Baah, a former Assemblyman for Denkyira-Obuasi and 11 others guilty of the murder of Captain Maxwell Mahama. 

In a unanimous verdict of a seven-member jury, the convicts were found guilty of abetment to murder, conspiracy to commit to wit murder and murder.

The Court presided over by Justice Mariama Owusu, a Justice of the Supreme Court, sitting as an additional High Court Judge, accordingly, convicted and sentenced them to life imprisonment. The sentences are to run concurrently.

She said from the evidence available to the court, there was no doubt that the Captain was dead and the cause of death was not natural.

Before the verdict was given, GNA observed that some extended family members came in their numbers dressed in all-black apparel with red armed bands with same dressed in all Kente to support the immediate family.

The other convicts are Bernard Asamoah alias Daddy, Kofi Nyame a.k.a Abortion, Akwasi Boah, Kwame Tuffour, Joseph Appiah Kub
i, Michael Anim, John Bosie, Akwasi Baah, Charles Kwaning, Emmanuel Badu and Kwadwo Anima.

Meanwhile, the court has also acquitted and discharged Bismarck Donkor and Bismarck Abanga for conspiracy to commit a crime, to wit, murder.

This is after a seven-member jury in their unanimous decision returned a not guilty verdict in their favour.

The convicts, who were initially calm before the verdict dressed in all-white shirts over a pair of trousers, started raising their hands to catch the eye of the court and to be heard.

During the trial, the prosecution called 14 witnesses and led several pieces of evidence to prove their case, where a prima facia case was made against them.

Fourteen persons stood trial at the Accra High Court over the murder of Captain Mahama, who was an Officer of the 5th Infantry Battalion, at Burma Camp.

The late Captain was on duty at Denkyira-Obuasi in the Central Region, when on May 29, 2017, some residents mistook him for an armed robber and lynched him.

The mob had ignored his
persistent plea that he was an Officer of the Ghana Armed Forces.

Mr Godfred Dame, the Attorney-General, told journalists after the court sitting that the State was satisfied with the conviction, and they could only express sympathies to the family of the late Captain.

He said the verdict would act as a deterrence to people who practice mob justice in the country.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr Promise Sefogah, General Secretary, Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Ghana, has expressed worry about how the country is increasingly losing many young women to cervical cancer.

Dr Sefogah said out of the 30 million population, about 10 million women, 15 years and above were at risk of developing cervical cancer.

‘Every year, we diagnose nearly 3,000 cases and out of this, almost 1,700 people die from the disease.’

Dr Sefogah told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that most of the cases were diagnosed at late stages, where very little could be done to save lives.

Cervical Cancer is the fourth commonest cancer among women globally.

It is the second commonest cancer in Ghana and the first killer of women due to its high mortality rate.

The disease is caused by the Human Papilloma (HP) Virus, which affects the cervix of the female reproductive system.

The human papilloma virus is caused through unprotected sex, where the virus stays in the cervix for 10 to 15 years without symptoms.

A
ffected women may experience abnormal vaginal bleeding and bleeding after sex, offensive vaginal discharge, back pain and weight loss when the disease has gotten to the last stage.

Dr Sefogah, who is also a Consultant Obstetrician Gynaecologist, SHAPE HEALTHCARE Specialist Medical Centre, refuted claims that some family planning methods were the cause of cervical cancer.

He said: ‘For the record, Intrauterine Devices (IUD) do not cause cervical cancer, rather it is one of the effective ways of preventing unwanted pregnancy.’

IUD, he explained, did not provide a barrier protection so, if someone had an IUD and went ahead to have unprotected sex with multiple partners, they were likely to get exposed to the human papillomavirus.

The Gynaecologist said getting a Pap smear screening and vaccination would save many women from the disease.

He said: ‘The good thing about Cervical Cancer is that it can be prevented through vaccination. When we screen, we can detect activities of the virus and then interventions
are put in place.’

‘For every woman, it is important to do pap smear screening every year. When you screen and you are negative then we can recommend that you take the vaccine. Women need to be encouraged to get screened and vaccinated to save their lives,’ he added.

Dr Sefogah said despite availability of an effective vaccine that could prevent cervical cancer, financial barriers to accessing the vaccines had remained a challenge, adding that many of the women had abandoned vaccination due to the cost involved.

He called on the Government to help do away with the financial barriers to make the vaccines accessible and make it a routine vaccination package in Ghana.

Dr. Hilda Mantebea Boye, President Pediatric Society of Ghana, said it was important for children to be vaccinated before they became sexually active.

‘For children, we encourage them to be vaccinated against the human papilloma virus so, from the age of nine years, they get the shots that they need to protect them, bringing down drastically t
heir risk of infection.’

Dr Boye, who doubles as Maternal and Child Health advocate and a member of the Medical Women Association of Ghana, noted that despite the huge death toll among women, not much noise had been made about the situation.

‘It is for this reason that we are embarking on advocacy through teaching and training across the country to sensitise people about the disease.

‘We are also doing free screening for women in collaboration with selected hospitals, including Lester Ghana and sensitisation at schools and markets to educate young girls and our mothers.’

Source: Ghana News Agency