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Tag: Mahama Ayariga

  • Constitutional Cases: I’ll award cost against you if you don’t come to court – CJ to Ayariga

    Constitutional Cases: I’ll award cost against you if you don’t come to court – CJ to Ayariga

    Chief Justice (CJ) Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo has said Member of Parliament (MP) for Bawku Central Mahama Ayariga would be slapped with a cost if he continues to be absent from Court in the likely event that he loses his constitutional matter before the Supreme Court.

    According to the CJ, the Court has observed with concern that, the MP has since filing his writ not been present at the Apex Court.

    The CJ using Mr Ayariga’s absence as a case study said Plaintiffs who invoke the jurisdiction of the Apex Court, particularly on Constitutional matters, must attach importance to it and show up in Court.

    Justice Torkornoo said this while hearing the case in which the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central Constituency Mahama Ayariga sued the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice and the Minister of Finance and others.

    He is asking the Apex Court to declare the establishment of the Ghana Financial Stability Fund (GFSF), as illegal and unconstitutional.

    “I have a problem and it is that your client (Mahama Ayariga) is never in court,” the CJ who was chairing a seven-member panel said while addressing Thaddeus Sory Counsel for Plaintiff Mahama Ayariga-Plaintiff who was absent.

    The CJ while pointing to the importance of constitutional matters said, that when Plaintiffs file their case at the Court, sometimes “they don’t show up.”

    “If the (Plaintiff) loses the case, I will award a cost against him,” the Chief Justice stated, adding that “Cause list of the Court are issued with names of the Plaintiffs” but “they don’t come.”

    “Once you start something be committed to it and you are done,” the CJ urged.

    Thaddeus Sory Counsel for Mahama Ayariga said his client would do the needful.

    EIB Network Legal Affairs Correspondent Murtala Inusah is reporting that the Supreme Court chaired by Justice Torkornoo has fixed May 8, 2024, to deliver its judgment in the case.

    The Bawku Central Member of Parliament is challenging the establishment of the Fund violates articles 175, 176, 178, and 179 of the 1992 Constitution.

    In his writ dated November 14, 2023, the former Youth and Sports Minister said any support offered by the World Bank or the IMF would be a violation of Ghana’s constitution.

    He prayed the Supreme Court to injunct the Finance Minister from implementing the Operational Framework of the Ghana Financial Stability Fund (GFSF) for “the administration, disbursement, withdrawal, or recovery of funds, as it is illegal and unconstitutional”.

    Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/Murtala Inusah

  • Ayariga renews OSP petition on BoG complex

    Ayariga renews OSP petition on BoG complex

    Mahama Ayariga, the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, has once more lodged a petition with the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) regarding the recent construction of the Bank of Ghana (BoG) Complex.

    In his renewed petition, Ayariga has reiterated allegations of corruption implicating the Bank’s Governor, Deputy Governors, the Board of Directors, and the contracted firm, Goldkey Properties Ltd.

    “This is to follow-up on your investigation of the complaint of suspected procurement breaches relating to the new headquarters building of the Bank of Ghana at Ridge, Accra.

    “You will recall that in October 2023, made a formal complaint to your office and requested you to investigate what I believed to be a case of corruption in the procurement of the new headquarters building of the Bank of Ghana at Ridge in Accra. The suspects, in this case, included the governor and the deputy governors of the Bank of Ghana, namely; (1) Dr Ernest Kwamina Addison (Governor), (2) Maxwell Opoku-Afari (First Deputy Governor), and (3) Elsie Ado Awadzi (Second Deputy Governor),” portions of the petition reads.

    Attached below is the full petition to the OSP

    FOLLOW-UP-ON-INVESTIGATION-OF-BoGDownload

    Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM

  • Provide details on construction of new BoG HQ within seven days – Ayariga to Addison

    Provide details on construction of new BoG HQ within seven days – Ayariga to Addison

    The Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga has written to the Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), Dr. Ernest Addison requesting information relating to the new Headquarters building of BoG at Ridge in Accra.

    The lawmaker’s request among four key ones include the cost of the land on which the BoG’s new building is being constructed pursuant to section 18 of the Right to Information Act 2019 ACT (989). 

    According to Mr. Ayariga, his request was by the instruction of Ing. Kwame Governs Agbodza, the representative of the Adaklu constituency and Chief Whip of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) caucus in the Parliament of Ghana (Minority Chief Whip).

    Attached is the letter with details of the requests

     

    PARLIAMENTDownload

    Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM

  • Bawku crisis: Mahama Ayariga petitions CHRAJ over Military’s extrajudicial killings

    Bawku crisis: Mahama Ayariga petitions CHRAJ over Military’s extrajudicial killings

    The Bawku Central MP Mahama Ayariga has petitioned the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) over alleged extra-judicial killings by the military in Bawku.

    The lawmaker’s complaint is pursuant to section 7 of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative
    Justice Act 1993 (Act 456) and article 218 of the Constitution of Ghana 1992.

    Per the claims stated in the Petition by the Bawku Central MP, the military is accused of several acts of violation of the human rights of some constituents.

    The military, according to Mr. Ayariga’s petition has violated every known international human rights protocol governing military intervention in civilian armed conflict.

    “Among the rights violated included the sacred right to life of 10 citizens of Bawku who were shot to death by members of the armed forces engaged in Operation Gongong in Bawku on Tuesday 31st January and Wednesday 1st February 2023. Children’s rights. Women’s rights and property rights were violated.”

    The MP however said: “I reject the self serving coverup account of the circumstances surrounding the brutal killings contained in the statement of the Ghana Armed Forces engaged in Operation Gongong and hereby call for an investigation by the CHRAJ so that eyewitnesses can give an accurate account of the brutality with which the military executed the killings.”

    Full petition published below

    Chraj-1-1Download

    Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5 Fm

  • Special Prosecutor drops all charges against Ayariga

    Special Prosecutor drops all charges against Ayariga

    All cases initiated by the Office of the Special Prosecutor against the Bawku Central Member of Parliament have been dopped.

    In court on Monday, the Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng, told the court of their intentions to drop all charges against the accused persons.

    “We wish to inform the court of the republic’s intention to enter Nolle prosequi in respect of all cases against the accused person,” The Special Prosecutor told the court.

    According to him, the decision to file a nolle prosiqui to drop the charges are premised on two grounds.

    The first being that “upon further scrutiny, the Republic deem it unable to prove it case base on available evidence on the standard of proof on criminal bases – that is to prove beyond a reasonable doubt.”

    The second reason he said, that, “this case appears certain to suffer the same fate as the earlier one with case number FT0122019 the Republic vs Hawa Nichema and six others which were dismissed on May 7, 2021, on the application of submission of no case to answer.”

    The court presided over Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe after listening to the SP discharged the accused persons.

    Addressing journalists after the court sitting, Kissi Agyebeng, said the charges before the court do not satisfy the standard of proof of criminal cases and the state cannot prove beyond a reasonable doubt.

    Lawyer for Mahama Ayariga, Godwin Edudzie Tamakloe expressed gratitude to the Special Prosecutor and maintained that they have been vindicated.

    Background

    The cases against Ayariga and others started by former SP Martin Alamisi Burnes Kaiser Amidu, who resigned his position in 2020, just days after the demise of his mentor Jerry John Rawlings.

    Mr Amidu, Ghana’s first Special Prosecutor, had put the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP on trial over two issues – breaching procurement processes in the purchase of some ambulances for his constituency and tax evasion in the importation of some “luxurious” vehicles.

    Despite standing trial with six others on the former, the former Youth and Sports Minister was acquitted and discharged on Friday, May 7.

    The case presided over by Justice Asare-Botwe acquitted and discharged all seven after it upheld a submission of no case filed by the defence lawyers.

    But the latter case was still pending and trial.

    He was accused of abusing his office after clearing three Toyota V8 vehicles without paying tax.

    He was also sued for illegal transfer of foreign exchange from Ghana to Dubai without having the required license to undertake such a transaction.

    One Kendrick Marfo, a car rental dealer, was joined to the suit for purchasing the “fraudulent” vehicles from Mr Ayariga. Mr Marfo, 50, is also accused of deliberately evading tax in the purchase of the vehicles from the lawmaker

    In respect of section 54 (a) of act 30 as amended by section 80 (2(b of the

    1. First being that upon further scrutiny Republic deem it unable to prove it case base on available evidence on the standard of Prof on criminal bases that is prove beyond reasonable doubt.

    2. This case appears certain to suffer the same fate as the earlier one FT0122019 the Republic vs Hawa which was dismissed on May 7, 2021, on the application of submission of no case to answer.

    In the circumstances, there are no charges standing against the accused.

    Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/Murtala Inusah

  • Criticisms of U/W Minister’s suspension “much ado about nothing” – Obiri-Boahen

    Criticisms of U/W Minister’s suspension “much ado about nothing” – Obiri-Boahen

    The Deputy General Secretary of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) Nana Obiri-Boahen has described as perplexing the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) criticism of the suspension of the Upper West Regional Minister Sulemana Alhassan by President Akufo-Addo.

    Mr. Alhassan was suspended Thursday February 1 after reports that he shielded some suspected NPP thugs who invaded the regional office of the National Disaster Management Organization (NAMDO) and attacked some staff of the office.

    He would remain on suspension “pending the outcome of the investigation into the unfortunate incidents that occurred at the premises of the Upper West Regional office of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), in Wa, on Wednesday, 31st January, 2018,” a statement by the Director of Communications at the Presidency Eugene Arhin stated.

    Members of the opposition NDC including the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central Mahama Ayariga described the suspension as unconstitutional. He argued in a telephone interview with Host of Morning Starr Francis Abban Friday, February 2, that Ghana’s constitution does not provide room for the suspension of a minister.

    “It’s illegal, it is unconstitutional. It is not an action contemplated under our constitution,” said Mr. Ayariga who was also a former Sports Minister.

    “There is no provision in the constitution that empowers the president to suspend a minister. The president cannot suspend a minister; it should have been a dismissal,” he added.

    Also, a former deputy minister Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed described the directive as “a complete joke.” “Since when did it dawn on the president to start taking such actions?” he wondered, arguing that the directive was a “complete violation of the Constitution.”

    In his reaction, however, Mr. Obiri-Boahen told Starr Today’s Naa Dedei Tetteh that the claims by the NDC and its members are hollow.

    “Honestly speaking I think what Mahama Ayariga is saying is much ado about nothing,” he stated.

    According to him, the action of the President is strongly supported by the constitution saying: “I’m saying it and I maintain unreservedly that whatever the president did, he did so in his capacity as the president and he is strongly covered by the constitution.

    “My good friend Mahama Ayariga was talking about there is no provision in the constitution which talks about suspension. Also there is no provision in the constitution which says if Minister ‘A’ at Energy Ministry goes on leave it is Mr. B or C of his Ministry to take over. We don’t have that clear cut provision in the constitution. But, by operation of the constitution….by convention and tradition it is so clear. We have been doing it and there is nothing untoward about it.”

     

    Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM

  • JOSPONG first developed Digital address system – Ayariga

    JOSPONG first developed Digital address system – Ayariga

    A former Environment, Science and Technology Minister, Mahama Ayariga, has debunked assertion that the newly launched digital property addressing system is the first of its kind in Ghana in four decades.

    President Akufo-Addo speaking at the launch of the system Wednesday, said the last time Ghana attempted developing a comprehensive address and postcode system was in 1974.

    The location-based system, which will provide an effective means of addressing every location to facilitate the implementation of key government policies, according to Akufo-Addo is the dawn of a new era.

    “Today marks the end of an era and the beginning of a new one. We are launching a solution to our locations and addressing problems. This will ultimately, change the way we do business. The project born from a partnership of the Ministry of Communications and Ghana Post will give the country a trustworthy database of addressing,” he stated.

    But speaking on Starr Chat Wednesday, Mr. Ayariga who is also the MP for Bawku Central dismissed the president’s claim as untrue.

    According to him, under the erstwhile John Mahama administration there was an attempt to develop a similar system.

    “Sometimes I wonder…digital addressing, when I was Minister for Environment overseeing Town and Country Planning I had seen Subah Info Solution develop a digital addressing system for Ghana. I had gone to their office to inspect the work. They had taken me through the work. I had seen it. In fact, I took the Town and Country Planning Director [then] to the office of Subah and told them that they should work with Subah…one of Zoom Lion’s subsidiaries. I directed them to work with Subah to develop the digital addressing system,” he told Starr Chat host Bola Ray.

    He added: “Subah has the system already and I had instructed the Director Town and Country Planning to go and work with Subah to complete the process. All they needed was the collaboration of the Town and Country Planning offices across the country. They have covered I think by that time about 50 percent of the country. Digital addressing system everything Subah Info Solution has it.

    “When I heard  this morning that the president was going to launch a digital addressing system, I was wondering is it the one that Subah had already done?”

    Vokacom, a Ghanaian Information Technology firm, designed the system at the cost of 2.5 million dollars. The digital address system will be a precursor to the National Identification Authority’s Ghana card.

    Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM

  • PODCAST: Starr Chat with Mahama Ayariga

    PODCAST: Starr Chat with Mahama Ayariga

    Download and listen to all you missed on Starr Chat’s conversation with  former Minister for Youth and Sports and current Member of Parliament for Bawku Central Mahama Ayariga.

    Source: Ghana/StarrFMonline.com/103.5FM

  • Level of partisanship in Ghana sickening – Ayariga

    Level of partisanship in Ghana sickening – Ayariga

    A former Environment, Science and Technology Minister, Mahama Ayariga has bemoaned the “sickening” level of partisanship permeating the Ghanaian society.

    “That’s one thing that we need to deal with in this country,” the Bawku Central Member of Parliament (MP) stated on Starr Chat Wednesday with Bola Ray.

    “The level of partisanship that you’d see around is sickening to some extent. It is sickening the level of partisanship that there is a change in government and in almost every organisation, there is almost like a purge of the organisation of all elements, people of political persuasion of the previous regime. It doesn’t matter their level of competence and it sends a very very negative signal,” he added.

    He said when late president John Evans Atta Mills took over in 2009 he was under intense pressure to fire people suspected to be from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) but the late president had to fight “hard” to resist, earning him the father for all tag, indicated Mr. Ayariga.

    “Now NPP takes over and everybody has to leave. Do you know what it does? The next person to lead the NDC in government is going to have a very difficult problem…how is the person going to convince members of the party to allow him to maintain the policy that Professor John Evans Atta Mills maintained,” he added.

     

    Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM

  • Atomic explosion: Cabinet’s directives unconstitutional – Ayariga

    Atomic explosion: Cabinet’s directives unconstitutional – Ayariga

    A former Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, Mahama Ayariga has challenged cabinet’s directive ordering the immediate cessation of the construction of new gas and fuel stations across the country.

    The new directive is “until further notice” as government rolls out safety and regulatory measures to save lives and properties in the wake of the Atomic Junction gas explosion which claimed seven lives.

    One hundred and thirty-two people were injured in the explosion, which also destroyed properties running into millions of Ghana Cedis.

    After a Cabinet meeting on Thursday following the gas explosion,  the government also ordered the “immediate inspection of all gas stations and the vigorous enforcement of existing regulations by the National Petroleum Authority.”

    It also asked for a “review of the current licensing regime to ensure that only those with demonstrable capacity and competence engage in the LPG distribution business.”

    In his reaction, however, Mr. Ayariga argued that the directives by cabinet are simply unconstitutional, depriving citizens of their rights to acquire properties.

    According to him, cabinet usurped its authority in issuing those directives.

    “The last one which says that the owners or people who already have permits and are in the process of constructing petrol stations and gas stations should cease, those directives are unconstitutional…because people have acquired rights and based on the rights that they have acquired, the president cannot arbitrarily suspend the enjoyments of those rights without regard to due process,” he told Starr News’ parliamentary correspondent Ibrahim Alhassan.

    He continued that:  “the president has to show that a law empowers him to do that…Cabinet is an advisory body and as an advisory body, you cannot just go and then direct that all constructions across the country should cease. In the constitution, cabinet’s role is to advise the president on policy matters. So the cabinet’s directives cannot take away peoples rights. It is not [in tandem] with our constitution”.

    Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM