Supreme Court Orders Gov't To Release Gitmo 2 Agreement

Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby The Supreme Court has ordered the release of the agreement between the Ghanaian government and the United States government which allowed two ex-Guantanamo Bay detainees to be relocated into the country. The Court, on Thursday, directed that the documents be made available to only the lawyers of the two Ghanaian citizens, Margaret Bamful and Henry Nana Boakye who sued the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, together with the Minister of Interior, accusing President John Mahama of illegally bringing in the two former detainees, without recourse to the laws of the land. The Court after scrutinising the documents decided that the release of the documents to the lawyers will not pose a security threat to the nation. The Attorney General unsuccessfully argued that the agreement was confidential and any disclosure to the public would violate section 1 of the State Secrets ACT, 1962 (Act 101). Background The two former detainees, Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby were in detention for 14 years for having links with terrorist group Al-Qaeda before their relocation to Ghana. In January 2016, the US Embassy in Ghana assured said the presence of the duo posed no security threat to national security. But Margaret Bamful and Henry Nana Boakye, believed the two former Gitmo detainees were illegally brought into the country wthout recourse to the laws of the land. The plaintiffs therefore sought among other reliefs a “declaration that on a true and proper interpretation of Article 75 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, the President of the Republic of Ghana acted unconstitutionally by agreeing to the transfer of Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby.”

Source: Graphic.com.gh

Montie 3 Sentence...RAP Opens PETITION BOOK; To Protect Free Speech

The Research and Advocacy Platform has noted the imprisonment of a journalist and two Ghanaian citizens by the Supreme Court yesterday for comments they made about the court in a broadcast on Montie Fm. RAP notes the need to uphold the integrity of vital state institutions like the Supreme Court. We nonetheless believe that the four months custodial sentence imposed on the three is excessive and has the potential to severely curtail the right to free speech which is a fundamental right enshrined in the 1992 Constitution. We are consequently taking a number of steps aimed at mobilising Ghanaians of all shades of opinion to Petition the President to invoke Article 72 of the Constitution to offer the imprisoned three a reprieve from this harsh sentence. A Petition Book has been opened at the premises of Radio Gold at Laterbiokoshie and the Freedom Centre atKokomlemle requesting abatement of the sentence and/or a Presidential Pardon. All are encouraged to go and sign the books at any of the two places. Abu Razak Convener

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana

US Election: We'll Carry Clinton To Victory - Obama

US President Barack Obama has implored voters to help continue his legacy by carrying Hillary Clinton to victory at the polls in November. Mr Obama praised Mrs Clinton at the Democratic convention in Philadelphia, as the most qualified person ever to run for the White House. He said voters faced a choice between hope and fear, attacking "home-grown demagogue" Republican Donald Trump. Mr Trump responded by rejecting the president's optimistic portrayal. "Our country does not feel 'great already' to the millions of wonderful people living in poverty, violence and despair," he said on Twitter. Mr Obama recounted his key victories over his past eight years in office and painted an optimistic future. He extolled Mrs Clinton's character, calling her a "leader with real plans to break down barriers, blast through glass ceilings and widen the circle of opportunity to every single American". Mr Obama described his nation as "full of courage", "decent and generous", but also concerned about racial divisions and "frustrated with political gridlock". President Obama is good at this. He's really, really good at this. For all his flaws - and conservatives will be quick to point them out - he's always been able to deliver a pitch-perfect speech on the biggest stages, and this was no exception. It was the kind of speech that had some conservatives shaking their heads, wondering how their party ceded the optimistic high ground to their opponents. Mr Obama even quoted Ronald Reagan's "shining city on a hill" line, if only to make the political shift all the more clear.

Source: BBC

NPP Will Win The Election.

The 2016 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, says he is confident of an NPP victory in the December 7 presidential and parliamentary elections, citing the enthusiastic response of the Ghanaian electorate to his message of change, progress and prosperity for the nation.
Having undertaken electioneering campaigns in 2008 and 2012, Nana Akufo-Addo explained that the passionate response to his message by Ghanaians, who are yearning for a change from the hardships and suffering imposed on them by the Mahama government, is one he has never witnessed before in previous years.
“I’ve been to the Volta region with (the late) Adu Boahen in 1992. Then, Akatsi was a difficult place for us. But, now, I’m being mobbed in Akatsi. I’ve also been to Greater Accra, Eastern, Brong Ahafo and Ashanti. And, everywhere we’ve been, I’m being mobbed by these amazing crowds of enthusiastic people, who are responding to our message – a message of change and a message of progress and prosperity,” the NPP flagbearer said.
Much to the delight of hundreds of NPP sympathisers gathered, the NPP flagbearer added: “This is my third campaign as presidential candidate, and I have never seen what I am seeing now. The momentum is with us, and if we continue to work hard and secure the ballot, we will win the December election.”
Nana Akufo-Addo was addressing a fundraising event in Hartford, organized by the NPP Connecticut Chapter, on Saturday, July 23, 2016, when he made this known.
With the end of the first phase of his nationwide tour set to end in August, the NPP flagbearer was quick to state that winning the 2016 election will be largely based on the policies and programmes the party will outline to the people of Ghana, which will return the country onto the path of progress and prosperity.
“I don’t want to dwell on the current situation at home. It is bad, and there’s no honest Ghanaian or observer who can deny this fact. I suspect that the even the President of the Republic, in the quiet of his room, will acknowledge that things are not well. ‘Enko yie’,” he added.
To this end, the NPP flagbearer noted that an NPP government, God-willing from January 2017, will put in place measures aimed at stimulating the industrial development of the country, diversifying the nation’s agriculture, and reforming the nation’s financial sector to support industry and agriculture.
“This is a time tested programme, there’s nothing original about it, and it has been at the heart of the success of East Asia, and I am very confident that if we go about it systematically, it is going to be the heart of the success for us as well”, he indicated.peacefmonline.com

Demonstrations Against EC Will Not Affect Our Democratic Credentials - CODEO Replies Mahama

EC Boss, Madam Charlotte Osei Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) in a response to President Mahama’s appeal to political parties to give the Electoral Commission (EC) the peace to do its work has urged the commission to carry Ghanaians along with its activities to ‘kill’ any doubt. According to the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers, the urgency with which the Electoral Commission explains its activities to Ghanaians will ward-off doubtful minds and make its programs a success without heckling from political parties and pressure groups. President John Dramani Mahama has appealed to political parties to give the Electoral Commission (EC) the peace to do its work. He said demonstrations against the EC could negatively affect the country’s democratic credentials and so any party with concerns over the electoral process must use the Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) for redress. President Mahama made the call when he joined Tijaniyya Muslims in Ghana and others from some parts of West Africa to observe Mawlid, the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed. Commenting on President Mahama’s appeal, National Coordinator for CODEO, Albert Arhin on Okay FM’s 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show agreed to the fact that the EC should be an independent body without pressure from the citizens, but added that sometimes a little pressure helps to make the activities of the EC successful. He added that whenever the Electoral Commission (EC) refuses to explain issues to Ghanaians, its activities give room for doubts and anxiety in Ghanaians, bringing about the troubles and the numerous demonstrations. He thus stressed that the political parties can discuss the voters register at the IPAC meeting but reiterated it should not stop the EC from assuring Ghanaians the transparency in their activities. “I don’t think the political parties cannot discuss this at IPAC meeting; EC should make the Ghanaian public to understand that they can be trusted because it is important. The IPAC meeting may not get to Ghanaians because it is not all their meetings which are captured by the media,” he stated. “Whenever people don’t understand something, the EC must quickly explain to their understanding. When you do this, you carry them along with you and make everything transparent,” he added. He however did not see how demonstrating against the activities of the Electoral Commission will negatively affect the country’s democratic credentials.

Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com.gh/E-mail: bigdallas1985@gmail.com