Day: April 12, 2023

Veteran comedian, Bright Okpocha, popularly known as Basketmouth, has finally addressed his feud with his colleague, AY Makun.

In an interview earlier this year, AY claimed that their longstanding beef was over N30,000 owed to him by Basketmouth.

However, Basketmouth has now debunked AY’s claims, stating that they were never friends, and that the working relationship they had was a one-off deal.

Speaking on The Honest Bunch podcast hosted by media personality Nedu, Basketmouth explained that he had heard some things about AY that he was not supposed to know and, as a result, kept his distance.

He said, “The reason I used style mind my business, na because of when there was that coming together [between AY and I], I heard something that threw me off. I heard some things wey I no supposed to hear or know. As I hear am, I was like ‘What the f*ck! Really?’ I no supposed know. And I no fit tell am [AY] so I kept quiet.”

He also clarified that the issue of the N30,000 was not about a client owing him money, as AY had claimed, but about a single job for which he had instructed the client to pay AY.

Basketmouth stated that AY had omitted this information and that he believed AY needed to sell tickets for his shows.

Basketmouth concluded by saying that he had tried to ignore the matter for a long time, but felt the need to set the record straight.

He expressed his disappointment that the issue was still being discussed in 2023, saying, “Ukraine dey fight war, we dey talk of 30 thousand [naira].”

Source: Ghana Web

The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has reacted to the 2022 US State Department Human Rights Report on Ghana.

The executive summary of the report, which was published on the State Department’s website, indicated that there were serious human rights issues in Ghana in 2022.

It cited unlawful killings of persons, serious restrictions to free expression and media, baseless arrests and prosecutions of journalists as well as restrictions to freedom of assembly as serious human rights issues in the country.

“Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: arbitrary or unlawful killings including extrajudicial killings; torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment by the government or on behalf of the government; arbitrary arrest or detention; serious restrictions on free expression and media, including violence and threats of violence against journalists, and unjustified arrests or prosecutions of journalists,” parts of the executive summary read.

The other human rights issues include “substantial interference with the freedom of peaceful assembly; serious government corruption; lack of investigation of and accountability for gender-based violence, including domestic or intimate partner violence; crimes involving violence or threats of violence targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or intersex persons; laws criminalizing consensual same-sex sexual conduct between adults, although not fully enforced; and crimes involving violence or threats of violence targeting persons with disabilities”.

The report also indicated that even though the government is taking steps to resolve issues of corruption and human rights abuses by officials, “impunity remained a problem”.

Okudzeto Ablakwa, in a statement shared on social media, said that the report showed that the international community is worried about the high level of corruption in Ghana.

The legislator added that the world is also worried about the necessary brutalities and killings by the country’s security services.

“It is apparent that the international community is deeply worried, particularly about unresolved killings and alarming levels of corruption in Ghana.

“This is the irresistible conclusion when one reads the latest 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices published by the U.S. Department of State.

“It is a national embarrassment for the Country Reports to now have this to say about the state of corruption in Ghana: ‘officials frequently engaged in corrupt practices with impunity.’ There were numerous reports of government corruption. Corruption was present in all sectors of government…,” parts of Ablakwa’s statement read.

The MP also said that the report also indicated issues surrounding the killings of the Ghanaians in the 2020 elections have still not been resolved which is worrying given the fact the 2024 election is just around the corner.

“The report highlights the 2020 election killings and how none of the investigations officials announced have been completed, and no perpetrator has been brought to Justice after more than 2 years. This is a significantly troubling observation as Ghana prepares for another round of presidential and parliamentary elections next year.

“President Akufo-Addo has heartlessly refused to make any public comment on the killings or commiserate with grieving families even though it occurred under his watch as Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces and even though he was the greatest beneficiary of that bloody election,” he wrote.

Source: Ghana Web

Greater Accra Regional Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Theophilus Tetteh Chaie, has taken Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to the cleaners over the latter’s claim that the NPP has constructed more roads and created more jobs than any government in Ghana’s history.

He stated that it was not surprising that the Vice President, known to be “a liar is making these false claims”.

“Dr. Bawumia is someone who has no integrity when it comes to speaking the truth,” he said on Rainbow Radio 87.5Fm’s Frontline. He entered politics on the basis of lies. His entire personality, attitude, and personality are built on lies. I sometimes wonder if he looks at himself in the mirror. No wonder the NPP is a party that thrives on lies and believes that Ghanaians will accept them as the truth”.

The former MP declared that the assertions by the Vice President have no basis and any data to support them, and he would state it clearly that the record of the late Atta Mills and former President John Dramani Mahama is unbeatable.

Tetteh Chaie said the railway projects the Vice President referenced were started and initiated by the previous NDC government under former President John Dramani Mahama.

“Under this government, the rail lines have collapsed. They have sold the rail lines to their party supporters as scraps. That is what they have done. Dr. Bawumia thinks they can keep peddling lies so they would win power. Those days are over. They can no longer use lies.”

” Let’s talk airports. What exactly have they done? They’ve been in office for seven years and have done nothing. We completed Phase 1 of the Kumasi Airport, Ho Airport, Sunyani, and other locations. I would like you to show me a single airport or seaport that they have built. They have nothing to show for their efforts.

They don’t have any bridges. Dr. Bawumia has no remorse. He lies. If you Google his name, you’ll discover that he’s a liar.”

Source: Ghana Web

Ghanaian musician Adomaa has recently opened up about her struggles with insecurity and depression.

In a recent interview with content creator Yaa Somuah, Adomaa admitted that she almost resorted to skin bleaching due to being frequently mocked for her dark skin while attending boarding school in Nigeria.

“I used to hear statements like Oh you are so dark, oh my God the sun in Ghana, does it burn people. It made me feel very very insecure. I am not proud of it but there are times I actually attempted bleaching just to fit in,” she said.

Adomaa also spoke about the challenges of being a celebrity and the lack of privacy that comes with it.

“The celebrity kingdom is not normal. I feel like everybody has vulnerable moments, has everyday lives and there are certain things you want to keep for yourself,” she said.

Despite her struggles, Adomaa has made a successful comeback in the music industry, with popular songs like Healing Blossoms, Real Time Love, Breaking Me Down ft Flowking Stone, and Becoming Adomaa. She remains focused on her goals and aims to “rule the world.”

Source: Ghana Web

The first prosecution witness in the criminal case against the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and owner of the defunct Beige Bank, Mike Nyinaku, has alleged that the bank was turned into a ‘cash cow for the accused where customer funds were siphoned at his will.

Julius Ayivor, a chartered accountant said the withdrawals were done at the beck and call of Nyinaku himself and his many companies, including The Beige Group Limited.

The proceedings of the High Court held at the last sitting on April 3 was largely centred on one of the prosecution’s case involving a total of GH¢141 million that was allegedly siphoned out of the accounts of 23 customers of the defunct Beige Bank on the instructions of the former CEO.

The funds were allegedly siphoned to The Beige Group Limited, a company wholly-owned by the accused person.

Evidence

Two customers, Tobinco Pharmaceuticals Limited and Ernest & Barbs Construction Limited, were cited in Mr Ayivor’s witness statement, as examples of the 23 affected customers.

The first prosecution witness used the case of Tobinco and Ernest & Barbs to explain to the court how the alleged siphoning was done on the accused person’s instructions.

In the case of Ernest & Barbs, the witness alleged the siphoning of GH¢17 million from Ernest & Barbs’ account in January 2018 while an amount of GH¢20 million was siphoned from Tobinco’s account in March 2018, all to the benefit of the accused person and his company, The Beige Group Limited.

Cross-examination

During cross-examination of the witness, the counsel for Mike Nyinaku, Thaddeus Sory, suggested that the evidence provided by the prosecution indicated that customers whose funds were allegedly siphoned from their accounts knew that their funds were being transferred to The Beige Group Limited and also indeed sanctioned the transfers.

Mr Sory asked: “as the Receiver who investigated, did you find out if those customers were specifically targeted or there was a special reason why their deposits were a subject of the transfers to The Beige Group Limited?”

In response, Mr Ayivor said: “I do not know if they [the affected customers] were specifically targeted or whether there was a special reason that necessitated the siphoning of their funds. What is apparent from the grand scheme that was perpetrated by the accused person is that once he noted that the customers had a lot of funds in their account, that became an opportunity for the accused person to oversee the siphoning of those funds to himself and his companies”.

In a rebuttal, Mr Sory said: “I am putting it to you that the only reason why these customers had their funds transferred to The Beige Group Limited is because they sanctioned those transfers.”

Mr Ayivor vehemently disagreed with that suggestion, describing it as a blatant untruth.

“First of all, The Beige Group Limited, which is a company limited by liability, is not licensed to take deposits, neither is it licensed to operate the business of banking and fund management.

“So, there is no way that any of the affected customers would have sanctioned the siphoning of their funds to The Beige Group Limited. The Beige Group Limited is just a holding company with the responsibility of supervising companies owned by the accused person,” he said.

The chartered accountant further explained that The Beige Group Limited had no power and authority to take deposits.

Mr Sory then asked the witness if he was aware that The Beige Group Limited sourced funds from various sources, including the Beige Bank and from its business, to support the bank’s payment of interest to those customers to which the witness said he was not aware.

“All I know is that The Beige Group Limited, under the supervision of Mike Nyinaku, turned the bank into a cash cow where funds placed by customers were siphoned to The Beige Group Limited and to the accused person at will.”

Account statement

The counsel for the accused later cited a few instances in the bank account statement of The Beige Group Limited, which had been tendered in evidence, and cited a few instances in which funds were being paid out to some of the affected customers, including Tobinco and Ernest & Barbs.

Mr Sory, for instance, drew the court’s attention to two transfers of GH¢473,000 each, made from the account of The Beige Group and described as “funds transfer from BG to Tobinco Pharmaceuticals Ltd”.

The counsel, who also tendered through the witness, copies of cheques issued by The Beige Group Limited to Ernest & Barbs and and signed by Mike Nyinaku, which cheques cleared on the account of The Beige Group, put it to the witness: “I am putting it to you that your testimony confirms clearly that Tobinco and Ernest & Barbs received payments directly from the Beige Group account, all of which payments represent interest on their investment, which confirm that the customers knew they were dealing with the Beige Group”.

The witness vehemently disagreed with that suggestion, saying: “My Lady, that is not true, and it can never be true. As I stated earlier, all the transfers involving the 23 affected customers were done without their knowledge and express instructions.”

The witness had stated in his witness statement and at the beginning of the cross-examination that The Beige Group Limited was not a licensed financial institution, as such, any suggestion that it (The Beige Group Limited) made interest payments to any of the affected customers could not be true.

Background

Mike Nyinaku was the former Chief Executive Officer of The Beige Bank Limited and on 1 August 2018, Bank of Ghana revoked the banking license of Beige Bank and placed it in receivership.

Mike Nyinaku is standing trial on forty-three (43) counts of stealing, fraudulent breach of trust and money laundering, involving the siphoning of a total of GH¢1.2 billion from the defunct Beige Bank between 2015 and 2018, in a case presided over by Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, a Justice of the Court of Appeal sitting with additional responsibilities as a High Court Judge. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The case has been adjourned to 17 April 2023 at 10am to be held at Financial Court 2 of the High Court.

Source: Ghana Web

Former presidential staffer and a staunch member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. P.V Jantuah Dadson, has chided the President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, saying there is no integrity in his ‘I put my Presidency on the line’ promise on the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as ‘galamsey.’

President Akufo-Addo in 2017, while addressing a workshop on galamsey for traditional leaders, said “I have said it in the Cabinet, and perhaps this is the first time I am making this public, that I am prepared to put my Presidency on the line on this matter.

“If by the grace of God, my party allows me to go again and I have the health and everything to go again but do not get it again, then I will say to myself: ‘Well, this is a choice I have to make as a human being.’ Do you do what is right or what you think will make you get along? I think you do what is right and what you are required to do.”

This was after he was sworn in for his first term in office.

Almost seven years down the line, the menace still persists with numerous of Ghana’s water bodies and forest reserves being destroyed.

Commenting on the President’s promise in the fight against galamsey, the Former Presidential Staffer stated that President Akufo-Addo never meant his promise

“This is why I in particular; I don’t see any integrity in the President because he has not been able to do all that he said and where he wants to take this (illegal mining) to”. He said

“Look at what has happened in the fight against galamsey, if the president meant business by saying he will put his presidency on the line all these people would not be in office by now”, he lashed out at recent happenings involving some actors.

Source: Ghana Web

Executive member of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Nana Oduro Sarfo has suggested to ex-Black Stars captain Stephen Appiah to seek professional knowledge in football administration before seeking a top role in Ghana football.

His statement is in response to Stephen Appiah’s comment that football is run by footballers with insight and not big grammar.

In an interview with Onua FM, Oduro Sarfo cited former Barcelona forward and Cameroon president Samuel Eto’o as an example stating that being a legend is not enough to become a football administrator.

“Samuel Eto’o is the FA president for Cameroon. He needed to go to school so he can better himself academically. He joined associations that are affiliated with their FA before making plans to contest. If Stephen Appiah wants to play a key role or wants to lead the GFA, he needs to have better academic knowledge and certificates,” he told Onua FM.

Stephen Appiah, in his trending interview with Sompa Radio, claimed footballers run the football, adding that it is about insight and not grammar.

“Legends and former players are not getting the chance around football administration. I have learnt something, that football is run by footballers. It is not the grammar or English that you speak.

“It is about insights, that is why when I went to Italy, without speaking Italian I could understand the coach who was speaking Italian.

Source: Ghana Web

Abeiku Santana and Kojo Antwi were seated on the rooftop of the latter’s mansion where a breathtaking view was spotted behind them.

Lights formed a beautiful aesthetic and a lake was captured ‘sitting pretty’ behind the mansion which is situated in the heart of Weija, in Accra.

Abeiku Santana who was fascinated by the edifice said, “For us, it is a great privilege to be in his paradise, his mansion. This is a paradise! At the background, you will see the ocean, lake of Accra. You live in a paradise.”

Kojo Antwi, while absorbing the compliments, disclosed that he intends to transform the place into a commercial property that will soon be open to Ghanaians.

“Currently, I live in the Eastern region. I live in Kwahu. I don’t really live here but we are still preparing it for Ghanaians. We are doing some works on it, when we are done, it will be open to Ghanaians,” he stated

Touching on the view and the areas it transcends to, he cited some huge landmarks in the Central parts of Accra that can be spotted from his home.

“You can see as far as Cedi House, Movenpick HOTEL, Legon Tower from here.”

On claims that his home is situated in an earthquake-prone area, Kojo Antwi established: “Earthquake isn’t a volcano. Volcano erupts but earthquakes occur at the lowest part of the soil. But in all, if you intend to live here, then you must invest in your building. A lot of iron rods and others to make it strong. A lot of big men live here.”

Source: Ghana Web