The Herald newspaper reported on Monday that thousands of Ghanaians may be in danger as credible information they have from the Tema Ports suggests that, some unwholesome frozen food products, have found their way into the country under bizarre circumstances.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Monday, a member of the CEPS communication team, Paa Kow Ekumah, said although they do not think something untoward had occurred, they won’t leave anything to chance, as a probe is underway into the incident.

“That issue has come up and we are seriously looking at it – investigations are going on from different angles. It’s a little sensitive now, and it’s a little early to draw conclusions. But what we know is that, when it comes to Customs, we will always make sure that we will not find ourselves at the wrong side of the law.”

“In the case of this chicken, yes, the full work hasn’t been done yet, and we have our officers down there and I’m sure in a matter of a day or two, we will come to a conclusion on it. But nothing really has gone wrong that has to do with Customs having done the wrong thing or even the FDA,” he added.

This comes on the back of some impounded rotten mackerel that found its way into the country.

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) also on October 1, 2017 destroyed 4,500 cartons of unwholesome canned fish, that were said to be on transit to Togo, but were diverted onto the Ghanaian market.

Mr. Ekumah explained that, with the mackerels, they were bound for Togo and not Ghana.

“The other one that has to do with sardine, that one was diverted goods. They were not meant for Ghana’s consumption, they were meant for Togo. So with that one, nothing really went wrong as far as CEPS or FDA are concerned. When there are goods declared as transit consignment, the FDA would not be hauled to come and work on them just because they are not meant for home consumption.”

“Customs will not be tasked to exact duties on them because they are not meant for home consumption.  Ours is to make sure we expedite any documentation that has to do with them, and then we police them to leave the country – at the point of exit. What we do is that, we try to attach satellite devices to them,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Food and Drugs Authority, FDA, has explained that, only a portion of the entire container had rotten chicken in it, and they were sorted out and destroyed with the help of veterinary officers.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

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The Finder Newspaper on Friday reported that, 500 kilograms of cocaine worth about $30 million dollars had disappeared from the Port under mysterious circumstances.

But the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Tema Port, Juana Adda, told Citi News that they were only told by the Joint Port Control Unit (JPCU) that the containers were carrying rice.

[contextly_sidebar id=”zqCLNnSDCjzwQOOdA5LR6BShxzuymWVp”]“Yes indeed, the said containers were delivered to Depot 10 last year around November/December 2016, the joint Port control unit wrote to [Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority] GPHA, requesting the authority to prompt them when the said containers were due to be sent to the Golden Jubilee. In other words, the said containers should not move out of the terminal without their knowledge.”

“The unit further requested that, the said boxes would have to go through scanning before they are conveyed to the Golden Jubilee Terminal (GJP). The letter to GPHA did not state the reason for that directive. The letter did not indicate that cocaine was concealed in one of the containers,” she told Citi News on Friday.

The PRO explained that, the importer of the rice in February 2017, wrote a letter to the Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) requesting to send samples to the lab for testing which she said was approved by CEPS.

“Following Customs approval, GPHA moved one of the containers to the state warehouse,” she added.

When asked whether Tema Port alerted the Joint Control Team about the development, Madam Adda explained that “Customs [CEPS] is part of the Joint Control Unit and whatever sampling would be done, NACOB is a member of the committee so if it has to do with sampling all of them would be part.”

“I believe that when they asked us to move the container, we complied with their directive. It was the duty of CEPS to also inform other members of the team that indeed this was happening. NACOB and Customs under these circumstances would have worked together,” she noted.

Why wasn’t there 24-hour surveillance?

She further blamed NACOB for the missing cocaine if indeed there was any, since according to her, the board could have mounted a 24-hour surveillance on the containers.

“If NACOB knew that cocaine has been concealed in one of the containers, the onus was on them to have taken over and mounted a 24-hour surveillance until such time that the importer was ready to clear. Maybe they could have hinted us that there was cocaine in this container and that is why we are doing this,” she said.

No cocaine missing – CEPS Tema Port commander

Meanwhile, the Sector Commander of CEPS, of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), at the Tema Port, Confidence Nyadzi, has also dismissed claims that some cocaine had disappeared from the Port.

According to him, thorough investigations conducted by the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), Narcotics Control Board (NACOB), the Ministry of Interior and other sector institutions, revealed that no container with cocaine had been detained at the Port.

“I can tell you that there is no truth in that reportage. I know that this matter has been dealt with at the office of the Minister of Interior and at that meeting was the commissioner of customs, the ex-commissioner, Mr. John Vianney, myself, NACOB and the relevant stakeholders. We looked at all the issues involved, as to whether there was a cocaine missing or not, I don’t think anybody can tell you that. And I’m telling you that the report is misleading. There was no cocaine in Tema Port in anybody’s custody which got missing,” Mr Nyadzi insisted.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post We didn’t know about any cocaine  – Tema Port management appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The Guinean singer, who is based in France, was given just a local anaesthetic and hypnotised to help with the pain during the operation in Paris.

Kante was nervous about losing her voice, but in a “world first” her surgeon suggested she sing throughout.

He said one slip of his scalpel could have destroyed her singing voice.

‘Into a trance’

Professor Giles Dhonneur, who is head of the anaesthesia and intensive care department at Henri Mondor hospital, performed the operation in April but gave a press conference over the weekend, playing a video of Kante singing as he worked.

Kante had a tumour on the parathyroid gland, but because she was singing during the “critical moments” the surgeon could be sure the operation “was going well”.

Professor Dhonneur said it was the first time a tumour has been removed using the technique, as the procedure would usually be carried out under general anaesthetic.

“The pain of such an operation is intolerable if you are fully awake. Only hypnosis enables you to stand it,” he was reported as saying by to French publication Le Figaro.

“She went into a trance listening to the words of the hypnotist. She went a long way away, to Africa. And she began to sing – it was amazing,” he said.

The Times reported that singer Kante, who has made a full recovery, was also at the press conference where she revealed she had been asked before the operation if she wanted to “travel”.

“I let myself be guided. It’s as though I was not in the operating theatre at all, I was far away in Senegal,” she said.

Dhonneur said Kante had fallen silent at the end of the procedure, when “everyone held their breath” before she spoke, much to the relief of the room.

Source: BBC

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