This week has been a busy one as usual but one that started with a bang – the former CEO of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) was sentenced to 10 years in prison. But that is not all. Ghana’s new modern train undergoing a test run was involved in an accident. We have compiled these and many other stories that made the headlines here at The Accra Times to give you a picture of how the news week went.
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Former MASLOC CEO Jailed in Absentia, Akufo-Addo Renames and Commissions Ameri Power Plant
On Tuesday, April 16, an Accra High Court convicted the former CEO of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC), Sedinam Tamakloe Attionu, and a former Operations Manager of the state firm, Daniel Axim on charges of causing financial loss to the state.
The court found both Tamakloe and Axim guilty on 78 counts for causing financial loss to the state – conspiracy to steal, money laundering, and violating public procurement laws, resulting in loss to public property after a 2017 investigation by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) found fraudulent disbursement of funds within the institution.
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The two were sentenced to 10 and five years respectively, albeit Miss Attionu was convicted in absentia.
But the Deputy Attorney-General, Alfred Tuah-Yeboah, says the government is in the process of extraditing her from the US. Attionu took a medical leave to the US in 2021.
In other major news, President Akufo-Addo also commissioned the Kumasi 1 Thermal Power Project on Wednesday, April 17, 2024. The Volta River Authority (VRA) said the project will significantly enhance system voltages, leading to improved overall system stability for residents in Kumasi and the northern regions of Ghana.
Now, on the trains. In what has become the biggest news of the week, one of the government’s new modern trains undergoing practical testing on railway tracks in the Asuogyaman District was involved in an accident. The Ministry of Railways Development confirmed that the train collided with an unmanned vehicle parked across the rails after several reports of the accident emerged on social media.
“Despite the immediate application of the emergency braking system, the train was unable to come to a complete stop before colliding with the vehicle,” the Ministry said in a statement.
Following that, the Police arrested the driver and was arraigned before court. Abel Dzidotor, 41, was charged with careless and inconsiderate driving, causing damage, and failure to provide a driver’s license. He was sentenced to six months in prison.
The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) on Thursday, April 18, said it had filed fresh charges against the former Chief Executive of the Public Procurement Authority(PPA) Agyenim Boateng Adjei.
Adjei was sacked from office in 2019 after an investigative documentary titled ‘Contracts for Sale’ by journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni revealed he had engaged a series of malpractices in the award of government contracts. In 2020, CHARJ banned Agyenim Adjei for five years from holding any public office.
In a new update on Naa Okromo, she has reunited with her family. The Minister-Designate for the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dakoa Newman, on Thursday, April 18, said her mother has pledged to uphold all children’s rights laws by signing a bond. She also confirmed that Naa Okromo will resume her education, under her parents’ care.
Medical examinations conducted on the child confirmed that she is “intact” and not pregnant.
Naa Okromo became a topic of national discussion after pictures of her alleged customary marriage rites with the 63-year-old Gborbu Wulomo of Nungua, Nuumo Borketey Laweh Tsuru XXXIII, emerged online.
According to reports from the Nungua Traditional Council, the marriage was merely customary. Read more on this issue here.
Kwaku Boateng’s Portrait Wins Art Prize, Millionaires Increase in Ghana , Other News
In some exciting news, young Ghanaian artist, Kwaku Boateng, was named the winner of the Derwent Art Prize People’s Choice Award category, taking home the grand prize for his pencil drawing ‘Portrait of Nii’.
He was one of six winners whose artistic pencil prowess was acknowledged as part of the 2024 Derwent Art Prize in London.
Money matters! A new report by Henley and Partners revealed that the number of millionaires in Ghana has risen significantly over the last decade reaching a total of 2,700, to place the country eighth among African countries with the wealthiest people.
In entertainment news, Ghanaian Reggae Icon, Rocky Dawuni, has urged fellow musicians to prioritize collaboration and unity over conflict and rivalry in the industry.