Regardless of this, she noted that her Ministry played a leading role as agent for government in the trial at the international court.

Gloria Akufo made the clarification in response to a question from Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament, Frank Annor Dompreh.

[contextly_sidebar id=”V7WljK2gGCcqk8LBuakSouJFS5OMJjbR”]“Mr Speaker , ITLOS rendered a unanimous judgement on the maritime dispute between Ghana and Cote D’lvoire on 21st September 2017. The Attorney General and Minister for Justice as the principal legal adviser to government appeared as the agent for Ghana in the matter. The office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice is not the implementing agency of the judgement in the matter. I thank you Mr. Speaker,” she said.

The judgement

The Chamber in a unanimous decision on September 23, 2017, ruled that there has not been any violation on the part of Ghana on Côte d’Ivoire’s maritime boundary.

The Chamber rejected Côte d’Ivoire’s argument that Ghana’s coastal lines were unstable. It also noted that Ghana has not violated Côte d’Ivoire’s sovereign rights with its oil exploration in the disputed basin.
Justice Boualem Bouguetaia, President of the Special Chamber in reading the judgment, accepted Ghana’s argument of adoption of the equidistance method of delineation of the maritime boundary.

In consideration of the new boundary, the Chamber determined that it starts from boundary 55 -200 nautical miles away, a position much closer to what Ghana was arguing for.

Background

In 2014, Ghana took the case to ITLOS to dispel claims it has encroached Cote d’Ivoire’s marine borders as part of oil exploration activities at Cape Three Points, off the shores of the Western Region.

Ghana’s defense held that Cote d’Ivoire was barred from demanding ownership to the disputed area it had acknowledged that Ghana owned the space without any qualms in the decades leading up to the oil discovery.

The oral hearings for the dispute were concluded in February 2017.
Ghana’s oil discovery

In 2007, Ghana discovered oil and gas in commercial quantities, and this was followed by Cote d’Ivoire staking its claim to portions of the West Cape Three Points.

These claims were renewed in 2010 after Vanco, an oil exploration and production company announced the discovery of oil in the Dzata-1 deepwater-well.

Cote d’Ivoire petitioned the United Nations asking for a completion of the demarcation of its maritime boundary with Ghana, and Ghana responded by setting up of the Ghana Boundary Commission.

This commission was tasked with the responsibility of negotiating with Côte d’Ivoire towards finding a lasting solution to the problem.

But this commission bore no fruit, and in September 2014, Ghana dragged Cote d’Ivoire to ITLOS after 10 failed negotiations.

ITLOS’s first ruling in 2015 placed a moratorium on new projects, with old projects continuing after Cote d’Ivoire filed for preliminary measures and urged the tribunal to suspend all activities on the disputed area until the definitive determination of the case.

The moratorium prevented Tullow Oil from drilling additional 13 wells. Tullow thus drilled eleven [11] wells in Ghana’s first oil field.

–

By: Marian Ansah & Duke Mensah Opoku/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Sefa is said to have defrauded Edward Ofori, a businessman of GHc60,000.00, under the pretext of providing him with two boxes of so-called pipe joint sealants used mainly by engineers, but were however found not to be genuine.

The Court further ordered Sefa to pay an outstanding balance of GHc49,000.00 to the complainant, Mr. Ofori.

Prosecuting Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Agnes Boafo, said the complainant resides at East Legon in Accra.

In February this year, Sefa, who introduced himself as Agyemang and Cisse, approached the complainant to supply him two boxes of the so-called products.

The complainant gave the convict GHc60,000.00, and when he went to check, the products were found not to be genuine.

A report was made to the Police and Sefa was arrested at a drinking spot at Ayawaso, near Pokuase.

The prosecution said Sefa explained that he was only asked by one Tugah to collect the amount on his behalf, and that he only got GHc5,000.00 as his share.

–

Source: GNA

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In 2014, Ghana took the case to ITLOS to dispel claims it has encroached Cote d’Ivoire’s marine borders as part of oil exploration activities at Cape Three Points, off the shores of the Western Region.

Ghana’s defense held that Cote d’Ivoire was barred from demanding ownership to the disputed area it had acknowledged that Ghana owned the space without any qualms in the decades leading up to the oil discovery.

The oral hearings for the dispute were concluded in February 2017.

In 2007, Ghana discovered oil and gas in commercial quantities, and this was followed by Cote d’Ivoire staking its claim to portions of the West Cape Three Points.

These claims were renewed in 2010 after Vanco, an oil exploration and production company announced the discovery of oil in the Dzata-1 deepwater-well.

Cote d’Ivoire petitioned the United Nations asking for a completion of the demarcation of its maritime boundary with Ghana, and Ghana responded by setting up of the Ghana Boundary Commission.

This commission was tasked with the responsibility of negotiating with Côte d’Ivoire towards finding a lasting solution to the problem.

But this commission bore no fruit, and in September 2014, Ghana dragged Cote d’Ivoire to ITLOS after 10 failed negotiations.

ITLOS’s first ruling in 2015 placed a moratorium on new projects, with old projects continuing after Cote d’Ivoire filed for preliminary measures and urged the tribunal to suspend all activities on the disputed area until the definitive determination of the case.

The moratorium prevented Tullow Oil from drilling additional 13 wells. Tullow thus drilled eleven [11] wells in Ghana’s first oil field.

–

By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post ITLOS to deliver judgement on Ghana-Ivory Coast maritime dispute today appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to the court, the interpretation of article 75 and 83 of the constitution with regards to the substantive case, was monumental, and therefore more time was needed to give consideration to it.

[contextly_sidebar id=”AZlQjMpvejPZaS7GuqvrpxnDeTbzJOJL”]The court has since set the 22nd of June 2017 for the judgment.

It further ordered the two parties in the case to file submissions on whether the country could abrogate an international agreement if it goes contrary to the laws.

Two Ghanaian citizens, Margaret Bamful and Henry Nana Boakye, sued the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, together with the Minister of Interior, accusing then President John Mahama of illegally bringing in the two former Gitmo detainees, without recourse to the laws of the land.

The plaintiffs are seeking 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.”

Ex-Guantanamo detainees pose no security threat – US Embassy

Ghanaians met government’s decision to host the two as a threat to national security, but Government insisted the two men posed no threat.

In January 2016, the United States Embassy in Ghana, assured Ghanaians that the presence of the two former detainees, posed no threat to the security of the country.

“The two detainees that were transferred to Ghana have already arrived…we don’t have access to the specifics of their whereabouts, you have to go to the government of Ghana for that,” Public Affairs Counselor at the US Embassy in Ghana, Daniel Fennell said.

The two Guantanamo bay detainees, Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby, had been in detention for 14 years, after being linked with terrorist group Al-Qaeda.

Meanwhile, Nana Agyei Baffour, has told journalists that they will follow the court’s order to file submissions on whether or not the country could abrogate an international agreement because it infringes on its domestic laws.

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By: Fred Tettey Djabanor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The Electoral Commission on Monday, began a nationwide process across 6,000 centres, to register Ghanaians who turned 18 after the 2012 general elections and adults who could not register during the previous registration exercises.

However, following reports of low turnout at some centres, the Vice President has called on persons who have not registered to endeavour to do so.

According to Mr. Amissah Arthur, “as many people as possible need to be registered, because a credible election requires the full participation of all the citizens”

“We want a 100 percent participation in the next election”

The Vice President believes that “the young people are the people least interested [in the registration process] and should be encouraged  by their friends and family to participate in it.”

He said that there was a lot of interest from the public, while noting that the participation of the various political parties was encouraging.

The Vice President made the comments during a visit to some registration centres in Sekondi-Takoradi, on the second day of his working visit to the Western Region.

The voter registration process was originally scheduled to begin on July 27 but was suspended after the National Youth Organiser of the Peoples National Convention (PNC), Abu Ramadan, secured an injunction against the exercise.

By: Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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