Posts

,

Kissi Agyabeng takes office as the second special prosecutor

President Akufo-Addo, on Thursday, August 5, officially swore into office, Kissi Agyebeng as the Special Prosecutor.

The 43-year-old Lawyer takes over from Martin Amidu who resigned from office in November 2020 after accusing the President of interference in his work.

Mr. Agyebeng was vested with the new authority on Thursday at the Jubilee House in the presence of the Chief of Staff, Attorney General, other government officials, and some traditional leaders.

Read more
,

Ghana hit with another judgment debt; Over $70m to be paid to WAGL

Ghana has been hit with another huge judgment debt as the country is set to pay over 70 million dollars to West Africa Gas Limited after a ruling by the London Court of Arbitration.

The dispute came after the termination by the Claimant, West Africa Gas Limited of a Gas Sales Agreement dated 9 October 2015 between WAGL and the Republic of Ghana.

This latest judgment debt comes after the country was hit with over 170 million judgment debt after a power contract agreement between the government of Ghana and GCGP was wrongfully terminated.

Read more
,

Dr. Opuni trial takes a new twist

There has been a new twist to the trial the Dr Stephen Opuni, a former Chief Executive Officer, Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), and two others.

The latest devepment is that all the accused have opted to file a submission of no case in their trial for defrauding by false pretences and willfully causing financial loss to the State.

They have also been accused of money laundering, corruption by public officer and contravention of the Public Procurement Act.

Read more
,

Sarkozy: Former French president sentenced to jail for corruption

French ex-President Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced to three years in jail, two of them suspended, for corruption.

He was convicted of trying to bribe a judge in 2014 – after he had left office – by suggesting he could secure a prestigious job for him in return for information about a separate case.

Sarkozy, 66, is the first former French president to get a custodial sentence.

Read more
,

Jacob Zuma faces jail after failing to appear at anti-corruption inquiry

Jacob Zuma, the former president of South Africa, faces a jail sentence after failing to appear before an anti-corruption inquiry on Monday.

Zuma had been called to give evidence to judges investigating allegations of systematic graft during his nine years in power. The 79-year-old had walked out of earlier hearings.

Read more
, ,

Corruption Watch: Court registrar fingered in payment diversion

Fred Asiamah revealed there is a full documentary which will soon be aired as well as a petition to the judicial service to resolve such issues.

Corruption Watch has uncovered graft at the Ada Magistrate Court in the Greater Accra Region where some court officials are allegedly diverting and pocketing payments meant for the court.

Frederick Asiamah, a lead investigator at Corruption Watch, who has interacted with a number of victims says he found that the practice had gone on for years, especially at the court registrar’s office.

Giving the details of the investigative piece on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem Friday, Mr Asiamah said he was yet to get any feedback from the registrar, Nana Akwasi Konadu despite numerous text messages and phones calls to him.

Narrating her story on the Segment, Mamle, one of the people who has fallen victim to the ‘take-and-pocket’ scandal said a sum of GHC 7,500 she had paid was delayed for over nine months before part of it was released to the rightful owner.

Another person, Regina Sabbah, a 47-year-old trader and a resident of Bedeku in the Ada East District said since September 2018, she had been expecting to receive GHC 6,500 from the Ada District Court, an amount paid to the court by one Ebenezer Sotti.

The Ada District Court had ordered Ebenezer Sotti to refund the GHC 6,500 to Ms Sabbah while he was standing trial for reselling a piece of land he had earlier sold to her.

So, when in April 2019, court registrar Nana Kwasi Konadu told Ms Sabbah that he handled t GHC 3,300 received from Mr Sotti, Regina assumed the balance of GHC 3,200 was yet to be paid.

To Ms Sabbah’s surprise, Ebenezer Sotti told the court in September 2019 upon being re-arrested that he had made a full payment to the court registrar Nana Kwasi Konadu, last year.

Meanwhile, Mr Sotti has recounted to Corruption Watch that he was denied receipts after initial and final payments.

Lawyer Martin Kpebu, a Private Legal practitioner commenting on the issue, has urged the Judicial Service to investigate the issue to the latter.

“I know the Judicial Service will not be happy with this development and will begin to probe so the media must also conduct follow-ups on the issue,” he urged.

Rule 5 (G) of the Code of Ethics for Employees of the Judicial Service of Ghana states that “an employee of the Judicial Service shall obey all lawful instruction regarding the Judicial Service in the execution of his work.”

Therefore, disregarding lawful instructions laid down by the Service means working outside the rules and laws guiding the Service and amounts to unprofessional conduct and a breach of the code.

Fred Asiamah revealed there is a full documentary which will soon be aired as well as a petition to the Judicial Service to resolve such issues.

,

Algeria ex-car boss gets 16-year jail term for corruption

A former car industry boss who swiftly amassed riches under Algeria’s ousted president Abdelaziz Bouteflika was sentenced Wednesday to 16 years in prison on corruption charges.

Read more
,

Over 2,700 Ghanaians sign petition demanding Domelevo’s recall

About 2,700 individuals have signed a petition calling on President Akufo-Addo to reconsider his directive for the Auditor-General, Daniel Domelevo to take his accumulated leave.

These calls follow similar moves by other civil society organisations demanding the A-G’s return from his 167 leave days.

Read more
,

Zimbabwe anti-graft body launches new operation to curb corruption

Zimbabwe’s anti-graft body, the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) has launched a new operation code-named “Wakazvitenga Sei?” (Shona language, means “How did you acquire your property?”)

Those who fail to account for their wealth will forfeit it to the state, ZACC chairperson Loice Matanda-Moyo told the government-controlled Sunday Mail newspaper.

Read more

Intensify seizure of assets of corrupt officials – Experts say as Corruption Watch launches Webcast series

Two anti-corruption experts have said the recent order by an Accra High Court for the seizure of assets of persons convicted in the NCA case is a significant deterring anti-corruption measure.

Overall, they view Justice Eric Kyei Baffour’s judgement as the clearest indication yet of the application of laws to combat corruption.

Read more