News
Ofosu Ampofo, Kwaku Boahen case: A-G asked to file statement of prosecution witness
An Accra High Court on Friday directed the Attorney-General (A-G) to file the statement of the second prosecution witness in the trial of National Democratic Congress (NDC) Chairman, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, and Mr Anthony Kwaku Boahen, Deputy Communications Director of the party, by June 19, 2020.
This followed an application to the court by Mr Ashong Okai, a Senior State Attorney, for the prosecution to be given time to file the statements.
Meanwhile, the accused were challenging the constitutionality of the tendering in of some documents in the trial, which included an audio tape at the Supreme Court.
Mr Tony Lithur, counsel for Mr -Ampofo told the Court that he would seek an earlier date at the Supreme Court (SC) for the hearing of that application on the tendered evidence.
The Court presided over by Justice Samuel K. Asiedu has scheduled the trial dates to July 2, 3, 9, 10, 16 and 17, 2020.
Earlier, Counsel for Mr Ampofo, who is also the NDC, applied for a stay of proceedings, but the court refused.
However, counsel went ahead to appeal against the refusal at the Court of Appeal, but later withdrew that appeal before proceeding to the SC.
The lawyer had earlier cited Rule 27, of which Justice Asiedu in his ruling, said that it had become a common practice for lawyers to cite Rule 27 as their authority when applying for stay of proceedings.
He said, however, that the inherent power to stay proceedings applied to civil cases not criminal proceedings, adding that Rule 27 did not apply in criminal cases but fell under part two of the rules to civil cases brought before the Court of Appeal.
Mr Lithur told the Court that the trial could only proceed if the automatic seven days pending the appeal to quash the admission of the witness statement by the court had elapsed.
The A-G said the first prosecution witness in his evidence-in-chief identified his signature on the witness statement and did not object to his witness statement during the Case Management Conference stage.
Mr Ampofo and Mr Boahen are facing charges, including, conspiracy to cause harm and assault on Professor Emmanuel Asante, Chairman of the National Peace Council, and Madam Jean Mensa, the Electoral Commission (EC) chairperson.
They are on a GH¢100,000.00 bail each with a surety each.
It would be recalled that on January 31, 2019, a by-election was conducted at the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency as a result of the demise of its Member of Parliament.
Prosecution said there were disturbances in the course of the elections and on February 3, Mr Ofosu-Ampofo, met the party’s communications directors at its headquarters, at Adabraka, a suburb of Accra.
The court heard that the meeting was recorded of which on that audio tape, that was circulated later in a cross-section of the media, contained a set-up of a road-map of criminal activities targeted at the Chairperson of the EC and the chairman of the National Peace Council.
Prosecution said the tape was intercepted by the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ghana Police Service.
The prosecution said Mr Ofosu Ampofo on the audio also incited NDC communicators to molest both the EC and Peace Council Chairpersons.
The court heard that that the orchestrated electoral violence plot was going to be attributed to the New Patriotic Party. – GNA
News
Ghana-Colombia strengthens ties through diplomatic engagement
In an important diplomatic engagement, the Colombian Ambassador to Ghana H.E. Daniel Garces Carabali paid a courtesy call on the Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, at his office in Accra to discuss some key areas of collaboration.
The meeting focused on pressing issues, including security, decongestion of Ghana’s prisons, prison reform programmes, training programmes, improving the welfare of prisoners and enhancing disaster management in the country.
The courtesy call underscores the growing bilateral ties between Ghana and Colombia, building on previous engagements, such as the visit of the Colombian Vice President to Ghana in 2023.
The meeting demonstrates the commitment of both nations to fostering cooperation and addressing shared challenges.
News
Ghana to host African Catholic Journalists from August 10
The Union Catholique Africaine de la Presse (UCAP), also known as the African Catholic Union of the Press, in collaboration with the Catholic Association of Media Practitioners-Ghana (CAMP-G), is set to host its prestigious Triennial Congress from August 10 to 17 August, 2025.
The programme would be held at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Legon, Accra, Ghana.
This landmark event, the most significant gathering of Catholic journalists in Africa, will bring together media professionals, researchers, and experts in digital technology from across the continent and beyond.
The theme for the Congress is: “Balancing Technological Progress and the Preservation of Human Values in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.”
Congress Highlights
The UCAP Congress 2025 will feature discussions and deliberations on critical issues arising from or related to integral human development, particularly within the framework of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Some of the key sub-themes to be addressed include:Corporate Social Responsibility in Managing the Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Human Values, Deploying AI in Eco-friendly Business Start-ups in Africa: Opportunities and Challenges, Technology and the Reprogramming of Social Reality, Distortion of Reality in Social and Digital Media, Ecological Education and Action Against Unsustainable Exploitation of Natural Resources, and Media and the Promotion of the Recommendations of the Synod on Synodality in Africa.
Participants will include media professionals from both ecclesiastical and lay organisations, media researchers and academics, representatives from the Vatican, government agencies, NGOs, civil society, and the digital technology sector.
Objectives of the Congress
The primary goal of this Congress is to strengthen the capacities of media professionals and educate the public on the necessity of preserving human values amid rapid technological progress. Specific objectives include; Training 100 media practitioners in Artificial Intelligence and emerging technologies, with a focus on balancing innovation and human values.
This will include promoting ethics and bioethics in technical research and technological innovations through media.
Advocating for human values such as respect for life, human dignity, charity, solidarity, and human rights and assessing the impact of technological progress to better understand the challenges, risks, and opportunities presented by AI will be part of the objectives.
UCAP is a continental organisation dedicated to promoting communication within the Catholic Church and its partners in Africa. With a mission to foster spiritual growth, collaboration, and responsible journalism, UCAP works to spread the Gospel, uphold human values, and support developmental initiatives across Africa and beyond.
UCAP is an independent, autonomous, non-political, and non-profit organisation comprising African Catholic journalists, communicators, academics, researchers, and institutions in various media fields.
