Actress and producer, Yvonne Nelson, has revealed the challenges she faced when she started out as a film producer. According to her, the major setback she encountered when she began producing movies was when her first movie was stolen while being edited in 2011. “So, my first movie was in 2011, The Price, which was quite challenging because it got stolen while editing.”
Regardless of the difficulties, she has gone on to produce several movies since then.
“I’ve had my own fair share of the craziness in the industry but look at me now, I’m here and I’m loving it.”
She indicated that she got the idea to start her production company while on set.
“I was on set filming for Abdul Salam Mumuni and the idea just popped into my head and I was like this is something that I really want to explore because anytime I go on set, I’m always watching them.
“I learnt everything on the job. I’m always so fascinated with the whole process…planning the shoot, script, to getting on set, getting our lines, consuming, what the PM does.”
For her, what spurs her on is the passion she has for the film industry in the country.
“I’m doing this because I have the passion for the industry, I want to give the younger ones the platform, I want to make money, I want to create employment, and I want to see Ghanaian content get out there.”
The family of the late veteran actor, Psalm Adjetefio, has made public the date for his final funeral rites. The family announced that he will be buried on June 4, 2022. The finale rites will be held at the forecourt of the defunct Ghana International Trade Fair Centre, La – Accra.
This became widely known after television presenter, Barima Kaakyire Agyemang revealed via his Facebook page the plans of the actor’s family.
The burial service is expected to be thronged by several stars in the entertainment industry as well as key personalities in the country. Psalm Adjetefio died on April 8, from an illness that was not disclosed by the family. The actor died in the early hours of Friday, April 8, 2022, at his home in Ayikuma in the Greater Accra Region.
He was reported to be battling with some heart issues and was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.
The late actor, popularly known as TT, featured in many movies such as; Papa Lasisi, The Chosen One, American Boy and The Scent of Danger.
Professor Emmanuel Martey left, former Presby Moderator, welcomes Rev. Ahwireng, at last Sunday's church service and fundraising - 50th Ann
The current stage of the construction of the new boys’ dormitory
Reverend Charles Barifi Ahwireng of the Aburi Presbyterian Church, last Sunday, held a fundraising ceremony to mobilise more funds towards the construction of a two-storey 200-bed capacity boys’ dormitory for the Presbyterian Secondary Technical School (PSTS) in the town.
The ceremony coincided with Reverend Ahwireng’s 50 years of service to God.
Last Sunday was the second time Reverend Ahwireng had raised funds for the project, which was started in July 2019.
The first ceremony to raise funds was in February 2019, when the former police officer pooled GH¢400,000 to begin the project, which was scheduled to be completed in two years. However, given the Covid-19 pandemic and its associated restrictions, the project stalled.
Both funds were coordinated by loved ones of Reverend Ahwireng and special fundraising services the by Aburi Presbyterian Church held to meet the need of the school.
The PSTS has a boys’ dormitory named after him, Reverend Ahwireng, but as a result of heavy congestion, he decided to raise funds to put up a new and more befitting dormitory.
Mrs Appiah, PSTS headmistress, showing her glee at the sod-cutting ceremony. Third from right is Rev Ahwireng and some members of Aburi Pre
Speaking at last Sunday’s programme, which was graced by Professor Emmanuel Martey, a former Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Reverend Charles Barifi Ahwireng thanked his friends, both at home and abroad, the Aburi Presbyterian Church, and the teaching staff of PSTS for helping him raise over GH¢100,000 more to continue his dream project.
“This is in fulfilment of a dream in which I was able to put up a structure for somebody. Visiting this school a couple of years ago, and seeing the dormitory named after me, I concluded that, that was the dream I had. And I thank God that what He reveals to do in people, He wonderfully provides the way out,” Reverend Ahwireng preached.
The Headmistress of PSTS, Mrs. Joyce Appiah, elated by the vision of Reverend Ahwireng for her school, gladly announced the progress the school had made in academics since 2016 when the institution reached the quarter-finals in the National Science and Maths (NSM) Quiz, the semi-finals in the same competition in 2018, and then placing third in the 2022 Eastern Regional Quiz Championship, thereby qualifying the school again to participate in this year’s NSM Quiz.
Commending the teachers for giving off their best to keep high academic and moral standards among the students, Mrs. Appiah, however, enumerated some other pressing needs of her school, with particular mention of the horrible state of the Science Laboratory.
“Though we have, again, qualified to participate in the National Science and Maths Quiz, we have a terrible Science Laboratory. We appeal to the Ministry of Education, all past students who are in good financial standing, and philanthropists to come to the aid of PSTS,” Mrs. Joyce Appiah concluded.
The Financial and Economic Division of the Accra High Court will today deliver ruling on a mini trial involving the second accused person (A2), Kafui Donya, in an alleged coup plot.
The mini trial is due to some issues that ensued during the main trial.
Victor Kojogah Adawudu Esq claimed that his client, A2 Kafui Donya aka Ezor, speaks Ewe, but some of his statements were taken in the Twi Language, as well as taken without an independent witness present.
The investigator in the case, Detective Chief Inspector Michael Nkrumah, was, therefore, put in the box and grilled by the State Prosecutor and Counsel for A2.
Kafui is standing trial with nine others, including senior police and military officers, and a medical doctor.
The following are excerpts of the cross examination (Q) and answers (A):
Q. What work do you do?
A. I am a police officer.
Q. Where are you stationed?
A. At the NIB as an Investigator.
Q. How long have you been there?
A. Five years.
Q. Do you know the accused persons in the case?
A. Yes, I know all of them.
Q. How do you know them?
A. I investigated a case involving them.
Q. Did you obtain statements from them in the course of the investigation?
A. Yes, my lords.
Q. Did you obtain statements from Kafui alias Ezor?
A. Yes, my lords.
Q. How many statements did you obtain from him?
A. Three investigation cautioned statements from him and two charge statements.
Q. Do you recall the days on which you obtained the investigation cautioned statements from Kafui?
A. First one was on September 22, 2019, and second was November 28, 2019, and the third was on December 21, 2019.
Q. The statements of 22 and 28, where were they taken?
A. In my office around 37 Military Hospital.
Q. How were the statements taken?
A. I invited Kessie Akrasi, as an independent witness in the statements, and introduced him to the accused as an independent witness in the taking of the statements. I read out the investigation cautioned statements, and explained in Twi, and he narrated his story in Twi, and I wrote it in English Language. After [his] story taken, the independent witness read and explained in Twi language, and he thumb printed [it], and the independent witness certified and signed his portion, and I also signed mine.
Q. Can you describe the atmosphere in your office when the statements were being taken?
A. We were four in the office, including the accused, and there appeared to be calm, no pressure on him, and nobody gave him any promise, and he voluntarily gave his statements.
Q. Aside yourself, the independent witness and Kafui, who else was present?
A. Sgt Michael, who was [a] personnel of NIB.
Q. Was he involved in the taking of the statements?
A. No.
Q. You said you obtained another one (statement) on December 21, is that correct?
A. Yes.
Q. How was that one taken?
A. It was taken at the NIB Headquarters, near Immigration Headquarters, in one of the offices at the first floor. Again, I invited an independent witness, Dennis Kwao, and introduced him to [the] accused that he was the one witnessing the statement taking. I explained in Twi after reading and he voluntarily gave a statement in Twi, and I wrote it in English. The independent witness read and explained the statements to the accused, and [the] accused thump printed after accepting, and independent witness certified and signed all his copies, and I also did same.
Q. Can you describe the atmosphere when taking the statements on December 21?
A. We were three, including [the] accused, and he appeared calm, no pressure on him and nobody promised him anything to tell the true or deny; he voluntarily gave the statement on his own free will, and he thumb printed.
Q. Take a look at the document, and identify it to the court?
A. Investigation cautioned statements of Kafui, dated September 22, 2019.
Q. Can you identify your signature on it?
A. Yes, my lords.
Q. Which other marking or signature do you identify on it?
A. Accused thumb printed and the independent witness’ signature is also here.
Q. Please, take a look at this document and identify it.
A. I have second investigation cautioned statements of Kafui, dated Nov 28, 2019.
Q. Do you identify your signature on it?
A. Yes.
Q. Is there any other marking on it?
A. Yes, signature of the independent witness and the thumb print of [the] accused
Q. Please identify?
A. Third investigation cautioned statement of Kafui, dated on December 21, 2019.
Q. Can you identify your signature on it?
A. Yes.
Q. Any other markings?
A. Signature of the independent witness, and thumb print of accused person.
Adawudu: Cross examination
Q. D/C Inspector Nkrumah, is Mr. Skrasi in the same office with you?
A. Correct.
Q. Is he your superior?
A. No my lords.
Q. In other words, he is your subordinate?
A. That is correct.
Q. In the line of duty as police, he takes instructions from you, that is right?
A. Lawful instructions from me.
Q. Sgt Mike Tanoh, now Inspector Tanoh also shares same office with you?
A. Correct.
Q. Is he your subordinate?
A. That’s correct.
Q. Is he under you in his line of duty?
A. That’s correct.
Q. In your office, Detective Chief Inspector Kessie Akrasi sits opposite to you?
A. That is so.
Q. The distance between the two of you is eight to ten feet?
A. That is so.
Q. In between where the two of you sit, there are two more chairs between?
A. That’s correct.
Q. You sit adjacent to Inspector Tanoh?
A. No my lords.
Q. Do you sit opposite Inspector Tanoh?
A. Tanoh is between myself and Akrasi.
Q. So the distance between you and Tanoh is about 5 to 6 feet?
A. About 4 feet.
Q. Is it that on 22nd September 2019, you wrote the cautioned words, read and explained to A2?
A. Yes my lords.
Q. You did this in Twi language?
A. That is so.
Q. Kafui told you in pidgin English that he cannot read and write?
A. That’s not true, he spoke to me in Twi.
Q. In what language did he say he cannot read and write?
A. He told me in Twi that he can’t read and write?
Q. On September 22, 2019, when taking the statements, was there a lawyer or his counsel?
A. No.
Q. I suggest to you that there was no lawyer, and you never explained this constitutional rights to him.
A. Not true.
Q. I’m suggesting to you that Kafui spoke pidgin English interspersed with Ewe language to you on the said 22nd September 2019.
A. That’s not true.
Q. I am suggesting to you that though Chief Inspector Kessie was seated in his chair, he was not present when you were taking the statements from Kafui.
A. Kessie was seated by whilst taking it and he heard all that he said to me, and thereafter Akrasi read the statement and explained it to the accused, and he accepted and thumb printed it.
Q. In what language did (Chief Akrasi) read and explained the content to Kafui?
A. In Twi language.
Q. Will you [be] be surprised to know that [in] Kessie’s own language he never said he explained it in Twi to Kafui?
A. He explained [it] in Twi to the second accused, Kafui.
Q. It was after you had taken the statement that you passed it to Kessie at the other end of the room to do the certification.
A. That’s not true my lord. Kessie was there, and he read it to Kafui before [the] accused thumb printed, and he certified.
Q. On September 2019, Sgt Tanoh was also in the office, is that not so?
A. He was there, but he was moving up and down, because he was not part in taking the statements.
Q. Tanoh was the one who held Kafui’s hand to thumb print.
A. Not true.
Q. That was when you and Tanoh made Kafui sign against the thumb print.
A. Not true. After taking the statements, I asked whether Kafui will sign or thumb print, and he said he will sign; I gave him the opportunity to sign and realised there were inconsistencies in the signatures, so I made him to thumb print, and going forward, I stuck to the thumb printing.
Q. What you just said is an afterthought, because there’s no inconsistencies against the signature on September 22, 2019.
A. Not true.
Q. Chief Nkrumah, on November 28, 2019, you also took further cautioned statements from Kafui?
A. That is so.
Q. What time of the day did you take the statements?
A. In the afternoon after I returned from…
Q. In taking that statement, where did he mention as his hometown?
A. Wudidi in Alavanyo.
Q. You took this statement at your table in the office?
A. That’s correct.
Q. And Akrasi sat at his table, is that not so? at the time you were taking the statements of Kafui?
A. That’s so after I had introduced him to the accused as an independent witness.
Q. On 28th September 2019, was there a counsel of Kafui choice?
A. No, I had informed him of his right to a counsel of his choice.
Q. In whose presence did you inform him?
A. The independence witness.
Q. I suggest to you that Kessie Akrasi was not present at your table when you were taking his statement on that day.
A. Akrasi was there.
Q. On that day, Kafui spoke Pidgin English interspersed with Ewe.
A. That is not true.
Q. Is it your case that on that day you read and explained it to Kafui in Twi?
A. That is correct.
Q. On that day, Kafui told you that he is an illiterate and had lived all his life in Wudidi Alavanyo?
A. He told me he was illiterate, but as to whether or not he lived all his life, I don’t know.
Q. Is it that Chief Akrasi, on November 28, 2019, explained the content of the statements in Twi to Kafui?
A. That is so.
Q, In Akrasi’s own writing he never said so.
A. He read and explained [the] content in Twi to the accused person.
Q. As your usual practice, you gave the statement to Akrasi to certify when he was not present when you were taking the statements from Kafui?
A. Not true.
Q. On December 21, 2019, you took another statement from Kafui. is that not so?
A. Correct, after he had been given the chance to watch some of the videos he appeared in.
Q. This video clip was watched on the same day, is that not so?
A. That is so.
Q. A further statement was taken after Kafui watched the clip, is that correct?
A. That is correct.
Q. Was Dennis Kwao present when the video was played for Kafui to watch?
A. No, he was invited to witness the taking of the statements after Kafui had watched the videos.
Q. Kafui spoke Pidgin English interspersed with gestures [of] what he had seen in the video in relation to him.
A. Not true.
Q. Can you remember what Kafui said on December 21, 2019; what you captured as his statement?
A. I can remember a portion.
Q. Did he, Kafui, say that he had been shown a video and saw himself repairing a pistol?
A. I remember something like that.
Q. Again, did he say that he saw himself pounding gravels in a metal pipes?
A. I remember something like that.
Q. And he said this to you in Pidgin English?
A. That is not true.
Q. It was in the middle of this that you went and brought Kwao as [an] independent witness?
A. Not true. He was there from the beginning.
Q. I am putting it to you that it was after Kwao had certified and was explaining the content to Kafui that he realised Kafui cannot express himself in Twi.
A. That is not true. He was there when Kafui spoke in Twi.
Q. What Kafui told you in Pidgin English [and] with gestures on December 2019 is not what you captured there as his statement.
A. Kafui did not speak Pidgin, he spoke Twi, and I wrote exactly what he said.
Q. You were the same person who took the charge statements marked as Exhibits Am and Am2?
A. That is correct.
Q. Can you tell the court who was the independent witness?
A. Harriet Agbenyefia.
Q. What was the language Kafui communicated; gave the charge statement?
A. He spoke in Ewe, and was translated into English through the independent witness.
Q. Will you be surprised that the independent witness, in making the certification, said the statement was made in Ewe and translated into English?
A. Yes, because I don’t understand Ewe.
Q. On February 7, 2020, when this charge statement was being taken, was there a lawyer of Kafui choice?
A. Yes my lords.
Q. I am suggesting to you that because this time round you had informed Kafui of his constitutional rights that’s why he came with a lawyer?
A. In all the statements I informed him of his right to a counsel of his choice.
Q. On February 14, you took a statement where Agbnyafia was the independent witness?
A. Yes.
Q. Was there a lawyer of his choice when taking it?
A. No.
Q. Was there no lawyer on the 14th February before the further charge statement was taken?
A. That is correct.
Q. It’s not true, because my good self was present that day.
A. That is not true. Counsel was there on February 7, 2020, when first charge statement was taken, and the second charge statement was taken at Osu when he was detained.
Q. Indeed, on February 14, 2020, [the] accused said he wanted his lawyer to be there for the further statement to be taken?
A. That is correct.
Q. Will you be surprised to know that the independent witness who you claimed was present on September 22 and November 28, 2019, could not tell the court the age Kafui mentioned to you whilst taking the statements?
A. I cannot tell, because I was not present when the witness was…
Q. The ages given by Kafui in Ewe, as captured in the statements of 22nd September and 28 November, are not the same?
A. [I’m] not sure about that.
Q. If Kafui, indeed, could express himself in Twi, he would not have given his wrong age as captured in 22nd September and 28th November 2019?
A. He spoke in Twi to me.
Q. [The] accused who is fluent in Ewe gave you his age which you captured because he spoke his native language, which was interpreted to you.
A. Kafui spoke in Twi to me in the three cautioned statements, and the two charge statements were interpreted to me.
Attorney General: Prosecution had closed the case in the mini trial.
Court: No obligation on accused to adduce any statement. Are you calling a witness or you want the court to rely on prosecution’s evidence?
Kojogah: My client does not intend to testify or call any witness.
Court: The court shall proceed to listen to legal argument for at least 10 minutes after accused has decided not to call a witness or to mount the witness box.
Prosecution has two minutes to reply on point of law only. Counsel and prosecution can formally file their arguments by Thursday May 19, 2022. The ruling of [the] mini trial is on Tuesday, May 24, 2022 for case continuation.
Avrum Burg - Former Israeli Speaker of Parliament and Gali Baharav-Miara - Attorney General of Israel
The Israeli Parliament
A former Speaker of Parliament of Israel, Avrum Burg and fifty two others have, according to online news portal, www.peoplesdispatch.org petitioned the Attorney General of Israel, Gali Baharav-Miara, to conduct criminal investigation into the sale of Pegasus Software to Ghana in 2016. The petition, which was signed by others such as academicians was sent to the AG on Sunday, May 22. The following is the full and unedited report filed by the news portal.
A former speaker of Israel’s parliament along with academics and activists in Israel have requested an investigation into the sale of the Pegasus software to Ghana in 2016 through a private reseller in a transaction that was judged as illegal and corrupt by the High Court in Ghana’s capital Accra in 2020
A criminal investigation has been demanded in Israel, six years after the NSO group sold its Pegasus spyware to Ghana, through a private Reseller to whom the responsibility of ensuring compliance with Ghana’s laws and human rights obligations was allegedly illegally outsourced.
On behalf of Israeli parliament’s former speaker, Avrum Burg, prominent sociologist Eva Illouz and 51 other academics and human rights activists, Advocate Eitay Mack wrote to the Attorney General (AG) of Israel, Gali Baharav-Miara, on Sunday, May 22, seeking a probe.
The complaint addressed to the AG asks her “to open a criminal investigation” into the allegedly illegal sale of the defense equipment by NSO to Ghana’s National Communications Authority (NCA) in 2016, through a Ghana-registered private company called Infralocks Development Limited (IDL).
Already under scrutiny in Israel and accused by journalists and activists across several continents of aiding violations of privacy and human rights, the NSO maintains that all its contracts with customers have clauses obliging compliance with all applicable laws – including those to protect human rights and privacy. In the case of Ghana, however, a reading of the contracts of this USD $8 million deal reveals that the NSO had actually placed these obligations, not on the NCA, but on IDL.
This little known private company based in Ghana’s capital Accra did not even possess the license to handle the export of Pegasus, according to the complaint. It further states that neither the NSO nor the officials in the Israeli Ministry of Defense (MOD) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), who were involved in approving this sale, had verified whether this company was actually authorized by Ghana’s NCA.
When the equipment was exported to Ghana, set-up and demonstrated by NSO’s engineers in mid-2016, it was not installed in any premises of the NCA, but in a private residence. Yet, no investigation has been conducted by Israeli authorities, the complaint points out.
Years later, in May 2020, Accra High Court ruled that this purchase of Pegasus was corrupt, illegal and unauthorized. Two senior NCA officials involved in the illegal purchase – along with the then National Security Coordinator (NSC) at whose behest the former two had acted – were convicted and imprisoned by this judgment. Noting that the purchase, which had not been budgeted for, had caused significant losses to the state, the court had also ordered the seizure of US$3 million worth of assets from the convicted government officials.
Earlier this year, Channel 13 ‘Hamakor’ report aired footage of the Pegasus equipment in Ghana, along with testimonies of NSO’s engineers who had installed the equipment at the private residence, set-up the software and trained the local staff in operating it. However, no heads have rolled in Israel.
“It is shameful that the former Attorney General, Avichai Mandelblit, did not open an investigation on his own initiative,” Mack stated in the letter. He has asked the AG on behalf of the complainants “to open criminal investigation against the company NSO and the officials in the MOD and MFA because of suspicion for their involvement in conspiracy and corruption in the Republic of Ghana.”
Recounting that in an earlier complaint he had filed in 2018 “on exports to Guatemala, the MOD [had] refused to provide relevant documents to the Ministry of Justice”, Mack has sought measures to prevent concealment of evidence and “disruption of investigation”.
He has asked the AG “to order the immediate seizure of all existing documents in the offices of the MOD and MFA, and in the office of NSO, about the export license to Ghana, the minutes from the discussions that preceded the approval of the license, the transfer and physical assembly of the system in Ghana, and the training and day-to-day services that NSO workers gave for operating the system.”
No contract between NSO and its customer
Central to this case for criminal investigation is the fact the NSO did not enter into a contract with Ghana’s NCA, the end-user to whom Pegasus was being sold. Instead, on December 17, 2015, the NSO’s group’s sales manager OriMagal signed a contract with IDL’s Director of Business Development, George Oppong. IDL was recognized as the reseller in this contract. IDL in turn signed another end-user contract with Ghana’s NCA. As a result, there was no direct contract between NSO and NCA.
As per the Israeli Defense Export Control Law, 5766-2007, IDL was required to procure an interim-user license to handle export of such equipment. “There is no doubt that the Pegasus system is considered defense equipment as defined in section 2 of the Control Law,” Mack argues. The contract with NSO, however, does not require IDL to procure such a license.
“There is no plausible explanation as to why the agreement does not state that NSO must also require an interim-user license for IDL,” the complaint explains. “This reinforces the wonder why a reseller company was required in the first place and encourages suspicion that it was convenient for NSO company and the officials in the MOD and MFA that the IDL will not be part of the official chain of licenses.”
It further states, “Even assuming there was some (unknown) reason to use IDL as a reseller and not directly sign a contract with the NCA, encouraging suspicion, NSO company and the officials in the MOD and MFA did not condition the export of the Pegasus system by IDL” on the confirmation of IDL’s authorization to make representations on behalf of Ghana’s NCA.
In the second contract IDL’s Oppong signed with Ghana NCA’s Director General William Tevie, the NCA did not validate, or even refer to, these representations. For instance, Section 17.5 of the contract between NSO and IDL states:
“The Reseller (IDL) hereby represents that under an agreement to be entered into with the End-User (NCA), the End-User will warrant that it and its respective employees and agents shall: (i) fully comply with all applicable privacy and national security related laws and regulation that are applicable to the use of the System, including by the way of obtaining consents and/or decrees to the extent required by law, and (ii) use the System only for prevention and investigation of crimes and will not be used for human rights violations.”
There is no such commitment made by the NCA in its contract with IDL. Despite the fact that this failure of the NCA to make such a commitment in its contract with the IDL is a contravention of the contract between NSO and IDL, the NSO went ahead with the sale.
This is also a contravention of NSO’s stated position that its clients commit in their contracts with NSO to use Pegasus only for the “legitimate and lawful prevention and the investigation of serious crimes and terrorism”. Its Transparency and Responsibility Report (TRR) of 2021 and Human Rights Policy 2019 reiterate that all its contracts with customers have obligations to not use Pegasus in a manner that violates any of the domestic or other applicable laws, human rights and rights to privacy.
However, as explained before, NSO did not even enter into a contract with its customer in Ghana. The contract its customer had was only with the reseller of its equipment. And no such obligations are placed on the customer in this contract.
“Are private resellers involved in the sale of Pegasus to other countries’ government bodies as well?”, was among the questions Peoples Dispatch had asked the NSO’s spokesperson in an email on April 10. Despite follow-up mails and several calls and messages, NSO’s spokesperson has not provided any response.
The absence of commitment to human rights, privacy rights etc in NCA’s contract with IDL is not the only irregularity, which should have stopped NSO from making the sale. Section 17.1 of the contract between NSO and IDL states:
“Reseller (IDL) hereby represents and warrants that the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the fulfillment of its terms: (i) will not constitute a default under or conflict with any agreement or other instrument to which the End-User (NCA) is a party or by which it is bound; and (ii) other than as specifically set forth in this Agreement, does not require any further consent of any person or entity.”
NSO accepted assurances from unauthorized private businessman
The NCA never gave the aforementioned assurances in its contract with the IDL. The May 2020 judgment of Accra High Court established that all claims made in these representations by IDL on behalf of NCA were false. However, IDL’s Oppong, who made these representations, was the only accused to be acquitted in this case.
The reason stated for his acquittal in the judgment was that he was “not a public servant but a private businessman” who was only “engaged as a reseller of the equipment.. (and) was not in a position to know the internal processes and procedures that NCA had undertaken before NCA embarked on the quest to procure the cyber equipment.”
This line of reasoning that a private businessman cannot be expected to know the internal processes of a government body is fairly obvious. “How do you explain the fact that the NSO had accepted the assurances given by a private businessman regarding a government body which he neither heads, nor is a part of?,” was another question the NSO did not answer.
In case the contract between NSO and IDL is terminated “for any reason”, it is this private businessman who is required by Section 9 to “cause the End-User (NCA) to return to the Company (NSO), all Confidential Information, including all records, products and samples received, and any copies thereof, whether in its possession or under its control”. NSO has not answered on what grounds it had convinced itself that a private businessman will be able to “cause” a government body to do so.
Despite the two contracts contradicting each other and NSO’s stated policy on imposing contractual obligations on its customers, NSO went ahead with the sale, with the evident approval of the MOD.
“Even after we have completed our internal human rights processes, we are closely regulated by export control authorities in the countries from which we export our products: Israel, Bulgaria and Cyprus,” NSO’s TRR states, implying that, in case of violations, the buck does not stop at its doorstep.
“The Defense Export Controls Agency (DECA) of the Israeli Ministry of Defense strictly restricts the licensing of Pegasus, conducting its own analysis of potential customers from a human rights perspective,” it adds.
The complaint addressed to the AG on Friday states “an investigation is needed against the director of the Defense Exports Control Agency (DECA) in the Ministry of Defense, and the head of the defense exports unit in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who were together responsible on regulating the export of the Pegasus system to Ghana.”
MOD’s regulatory authority is also recognized in Section 5.1 of both contracts, which subject fulfillment of the contract to several conditions, including “the approval of the IMOD for the provision of the License, System and the Services [to NCA] as set forth herein (the “Approval”)”. Section 5.2 adds. “For the avoidance of any doubt, no products, licenses, equipment or services shall be provided..until.. the Approval is obtained.”
A six months-leeway is provided in the same section, which explains that if the Approval is not obtained within six months of signing, or if the Approval is denied, canceled or suspended, NSO retains the right to terminate the agreement. Before the end of these six months, on June 10, 2016, in a “Letter of Confirmation” to EcoBank Ghana Limited and to the NSO (written to fulfill a requirement for the processing of the payment of second installment of US$3 million to NSO), NCA stated:
“…as of June 10, 2016, the following terms were fully completed and accomplished:
The Hardware Equipment was delivered to the End-User’s site and installed on premises.
The Company (NSO) performed the Deployment, provided software set-up, installation and configuration services (the “Software Services”).
The Company (NSO) presented to the End User, on site, the capabilities of the system on a sample of two devices per each Operating System (i.e Android, IOS and Blackberry)”.
This letter, read in conjunction with the section 5.1 and 5.2 of the two contracts, indicates that since “products, licenses, equipment or services” were provided to the End-User, the MOD did give the Approval.
In an email on April 10, Peoples Dispatch asked the MOD to explain why it had given the Approval despite all the above stated irregularities. While assuring a response on follow-up phone calls, a month and half since the email, Peoples Dispatch is yet to receive a response. The article will be updated to reflect the same when and if responses are provided.
Was technical equipment operated in Ghana?
The letter and the contracts have come to public domain because, later in December that year, the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), which had signed the contract to purchase this spyware a year before election, was voted out. The new government formed by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) initiated an investigation in 2017, since when the matter had been brought before the Accra High Court, which gave its order in May 2020.
A five year jail term was handed to Salifu Osman, the National Security Coordinator at the time, and to William Tevie, who signed the contract with IDL’s Oppong as NCA’s Director General. NCA board’s chairman at the time of the purchase, Eugene Baffoe-Bonnie, who had profited US$200,000 from the deal, was given a prison sentence of six years.
Subsequently, when NSO’s spokesperson was contacted by Channel 13 before publishing their report in January 2022, his initial response was “NSO has never operated systems in Ghana.” The complaint points out that only after realizing that Channel 13 was in possession of footage, the NSO updated its response with:
“The chain of events in Ghana illustrates well the strict implementation of the ethics and human rights policy that the company has enshrined in its banner. After receiving all legal permits, the company installed the technical equipment in Ghana without operating it. A few months later, during the training for the client, significant questions arose from the Israeli training team regarding the ethics and manner of Ghana’s future use of the system. After the inspection, it was decided in an unusual manner not to allow the customer to operate the system.”
However, this claim that the technical equipment was never operated contradicts the letter on July 10, 2016, in which NCA confirmed otherwise to Eco Bank and to NSO. The Accra High Court’s judgment also established the fact that the equipment had been operated, by noting that the second installment of US$3 million, to process which the July 2016 letter was sent, was to be made only after Eco Bank receives:
“written confirmation signed by the end user confirming that the hardware equipment had been delivered together with assurance that NSO had performed the deployment, software set-up, installation and configuration services.”
After these conditions were met by NSO, the NCA paid USD $3 million to IDL, and IDL initiated the payment of the same to NSO. However, Ecobank did not process the payment. It sought more documentation to be in compliance with the Foreign Exchange Act. While this was being sorted with back and forth correspondences between the bank and the NSO, the government changed and investigation began.
“Contrary to the NSO response that it stopped its services in Ghana because of its ‘strict ethics’, according to the convicting ruling, it is clear that even after NSO realized that there was a problem transferring the balance of payments to its bank account and that its system was installed in a private apartment, the company and the officials in the IMOD and IMFA did not report to the Ghanaian authorities that they suspect something was wrong,” the complaint states.
“NSO’s decision to discontinue its services appears to have been only due to the cessation of payments, and in any case since it chose not to file in its own initiative a complaint and to conceal its suspicions, there is an impression that NSO preferred that no investigation be opened into a transaction in which it was involved,” adds the complaint filed by Mack on behalf of the parliament’s former speaker Avrum Burg and 52 other academics.
It is to be noted, however, that this discontinuity in services does not necessarily imply that Pegasus is presently not in use in Ghana.
Where is the Pegasus equipment now?
Ghana Business News reported in January 2022 that among those potentially targeted with the spyware in Ghana last year was StanislavDogbe, former aide to president John Mahama, under whose NDC-led government Pegasus was purchased in 2016. Others potential targets named in this report were NDC General Secretary’s son, Kweku Asiedu-Nketia, and David Tamakloe, editor in chief of Whatsup News, whom the report describes as “a known sympathizer of the NDC”.
Emmanuel Dogbevi, chief editor of the news portal and author of this report confirmed to Peoples Dispatch that all three had received an Apple alert notification, titled “State Sponsored attackers may be targeting your iPhone” in November 2021. Attempts to collect more information from Dogbe and Tamakloe in February have not been successful.
Several journalists and activists Peoples Dispatch spoke to are of the opinion that the Pegasus remains in use in Ghana. However, many opined, there is a sort of an omerta – a vow of silence – on the question of what happened to the equipment after the investigation and whether it is in use. Because the ruling NPP, which is reportedly using it against the opposition, as well as the largest opposition party NDC, under whose former government Pegasus was illegally purchased, are both now in the same boat. Rocking it is not in the interest of either.
Peoples Dispatch had also contacted Ghana’s NCA in February to inquire under whose authority or control is the Pegasus equipment currently placed, and whether NCA has any existing contracts with the NSO. Nana Badu, Director of Consumer and Corporate Affairs of NCA, replied, “The NCA respectfully refrains from responding to the questions.”
Section 9 of both agreements require that in case the agreement is terminated, the Pegasus equipment, along with any data gathered using it, should be returned to the NSO, and any copies made of this data should be erased. Neither the NSO nor the NCA has confirmed that the equipment has been returned.
If the Attorney General of Israel orders the criminal investigation demanded in this complaint, it could cause further trouble to NSO which is already under scrutiny. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett had said in February that the Deputy Attorney General was “looking quickly into” the well-documented allegations that police in Israel are using this military grade spyware on its own citizens, without securing any court order. Public security minister, Omer Barlev, also said that he would open an inquiry.
A complaint was filed in France in April by French-Palestinian human rights defender Salah Hammouri, whose phone was illegally infiltrated with this spyware. The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the Liguedesdroits de l’homme (LDH) are his fellow-complainants in this case.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF), along with two French-Moroccan journalists, Omar Brouksy and MaatiMonjib, who had been facing persecution by the Moroccan government also filed a case in France last year.
“Other complaints will follow in other countries. The scale of the violations that have been revealed calls for a major legal response,” RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire had said at the time. 17 other targeted journalists from seven countries including India, Mexico, Spain, Hungary, Azerbaijan, Morocco and Togo subsequently joined this complaint. The RSF has also referred all these cases to the UN.
Government has commenced a nationwide stakeholder engagement on its flagship entrepreneurship and job creation programme, YouStart, ahead of its scheduled launch next month.
It will be recalled that Government, last year, during the presentation of the 2022 budget and economic statement announced plans to roll an ambitious GHC10 billion programme for the next three years to address the growing unemployment situation in the country.
In order to drive acceptability for the programme and to ensure Ghanaians understand the importance and relevance of the Youstart programme, Government through the Ministry of France and its implementing agencies and partners have started engaging and soliciting feedback from various stakeholders.
In a ceremony in the Ashanti Region on Monday, May 23, 2022 to engage Regional Ministers, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives from the Bono East, Ahafo, Western North, Ashanti and Bono regions, Deputy Minister For Finance and Member of Parliament for Ejisu, Dr. John Ampontuah Kumah, indicated that Government will engage very broadly on the YouStart programme and aggressively educate Ghanaians.
The education, he said, would centre on the need to support the programme since it holds the key to transform the socio-economic conditions and accelerate our post Covid economic recovery efforts.
“Upon Government’s announcement of the YouStart programme last year, work has been done to ensure we develop a programme that holistically addresses the unemployment situation in this country to identify and develop the potential of the youth. Within the next three years, we want to create 1 million jobs and empower our youth to be job creators and not job seekers and we can only achieve this through your support,” he said.
The Deputy Minister further added that Government has set out a pattern plan to ensure that the country engages and gathers feedback before the programme is launched by the President.
Also present at the ceremony was the Minister for Local Government and Member of Parliament for Okere, Mr Dan Botwe, Chief Executive Officers of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme and the Ghana Enterprises Agencies, Mr. Kofi Ofosu Nkansah and Mrs KosiYankey-Ayeh respectively.
YOUSTART, which is being funded by the E- Levy, is a programme that seeks to support young entrepreneurs to gain access to capital, training, and technical skills that will enable them start, build and grow their own businesses.
This initiative targets young people and students between the ages of 18-35 years who have brilliant business ideas and viable businesses, and supports these individuals to nurture, grow and expand their businesses and job creation in the economy.
Government, through the YOUSTART programme, intends to build an entrepreneurial nation by providing some of the key enablers that make entrepreneurship a success.
These include; access to finance and markets, mentorship, strategic partnership and digital linkages, technical assistance and business advisory support service.
Ghanaians expressed mixed reaction on the internet when documents releasing several acreages of the revered Achimota Forest to its original owners, the Owoo family leaked.
Both social and traditional media were inundated with rage from the general public, accusing government of selling the forest, an accusation government denied.
A will, purportedly left behind by the former Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, popularly known as Sir John, is causing a lot of consternation on social media.
A will is a legal document and should not under normal circumstances ruffle feathers, but what appears to have rankled social media patrons is the part where he allegedly gave out lands at the protected Achimota Forest to his family members.
Reading through the 12-paged document, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie stated on page 4 that, “I give my land situate at the Achimota Forest in the name of Jakaypro Limited and measuring 5.541 acres to the following persons forever.
Yaw Amoateng Afriyie One (1) acre
Eva Akua Afriyie One (1) acre
Ivy Akua Afriyie One (1) acre
Elizabeth Asare Boateng (aka Mother) One (1) acre
Michael Owusu 1.541 acres
On page 5 of the will, it is stated: “I give my land also situated at the Achimota Forest in the name of Fasoh Limited and measuring 0.987acres to my nephews Michael Owusu, Yaw Boadu and Kwabena Amoateng forever.”
On the same page, the will states: “I jointly own a piece of land at Achimota Forest with Charles Owusu. Upon my demise, my portion of the said land should be given to Ruth KorkorOdonkor.”
That’s not all. On the same page 5 and still on the Achimota Forest, the will states: “I give my portion of land jointly owned at the Achimota Forest in the name of DML Limited to Elizabeth Asare Boateng, who at the time of making this will is domiciled in the USA forever.”
This development appears to have confirmed the suspicions of social media patrons, who have since descended on the political class for milking the nation they have pledged to serve.
Ministry to probe
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has said it would investigate allegations surrounding the Achimota Forest and the purported will of the late Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, who prideshimself as WonooDehyie, to wit, royal of Wonoo, his hometown, SakoraWonoo.
The statement issued by the Public Relations Unit yesterday said it takes serious view of the allegations and has requested for all documents relating to the lands in question, as part of an initial inquiry to ascertain the veracity of the claims.
“Considering that the issues that form the basis of the allegations predate the tenure of the current Minister, Samuel A. Jinapor, MP, it is important that he is seized with the full facts to enable him take appropriate action, if, indeed, there is any merit in the claims.
“The Ministry assures the general public and the good people of Ghana that it will ensure that the national interest is protected at all times, especially in matters pertaining to the Achimota Forest,” the release ended.
2022 EAA Entertainment Personality of the Year, Black Sherif, disagrees with critics who see his rise in the music industry as a fluke.
Responding to a recent statement made by reggae musician and broadcaster, Blakk Rasta, who attributed the success of his global hit single, ‘Kwaku the Traveller’ to luck, ‘Blacko’ dismissed the assertion, and insisted that he rather deserves credit for his hard work and dedication.
Black Sherif also admitted that he used to listen to Blakk Rasta’s music when he was young, adding that his father likes Blakk Rasta.
“When his ‘Barack Obama’ song became a hit (in 2008), my father had just returned from Greece, we often listened to it at home.”
Black Sherif, who was a guest on Citi TV‘s Upside-Down show, also acknowledged the support he received from some individuals when he started his music career 3 years ago.
According to the 21-year-old, comedian Ajeezay was the one who first invited him to Accra while he was doing music in his hometown, Konongo.
A shortage of medicine caused by an economic crisis in Sri Lanka could soon cause deaths, doctors say, as hospitals are forced to postpone life-saving procedures for their patients because they do not have the necessary drugs.
Sri Lanka imports more than 80 percent of its medical supplies but with foreign currency reserves running out because of the crisis, essential medications are disappearing from shelves and the healthcare system is close to collapse.
At the 950-bed Apeksha cancer hospital on the outskirts of the commercial capital, Colombo, patients, their loved ones and doctors feel increasingly helpless in the face of the shortages that are forcing the suspension of tests and postponement of procedures, including critical surgery.
