Articles by Leticia Osei

Technology

Major Mahama case: No evidence linking Assemblyman to murder – Lawyer

George Bernard Shaw, lawyer for William Baah, the former Assembly Member for Denkyira Obuasi, says the Court of Appeal’s decision has affirmed that there was no evidence his client assisted or encouraged anyone in the lynching of the late Major Maxwell Mahama. His remarks follow the court’s ruling on Thursday, November 20, which overturned Baah’s conviction. Baah had been serving a life sentence after being found guilty of abetting Major Mahama’s murder in 2017. A three-member panel of the Court of Appeal unanimously held that the trial judge, Justice Mariama Owusu—then sitting as a High Court judge—misdirected the jury, leading to a wrongful guilty verdict. According to the ruling, the misdirection was so critical that “the jury would not have returned a verdict of guilt if they had been properly directed.” The court also found that the High Court erred by relying on cautioned statements from two accused persons that implicated Baah, noting that the trial judge should have excluded those statements when instructing the jury. These errors, the panel said, were substantial enough to invalidate the conviction. Speaking on Eyewitness News with Sammie Wiafe, Shaw insisted that the evidence presented during the trial did not support the charge of abetment. “There was no evidence to show that he either assisted, helped, encouraged or commanded anybody to do the unfortunate thing that they did,” he said. “The charges couldn’t stand. There was a misdirection from the judge… It has been rectified. He’s very free.” Shaw extended condolences to the family of Major Mahama, stressing that no one deserved to die through mob action. He added that the other accused persons, who faced direct murder charges, were the individuals who inflicted the fatal blows on the late soldier. The ruling represents a major development in a case that shocked the nation and intensified calls for stronger action against mob violence. In January 2024, a seven-member jury at the High Court in Accra found Baah and 11 others guilty over the 2017 mob killing of Major Mahama. Baah was convicted of abetment of murder. Eleven others, including Bernard Asamoah, Kofi Nyame, Akwasi Baah and Kwame Tuffuor, were convicted of conspiracy to commit murder. Eight of them were additionally found guilty of murder. Two accused persons, Bismark Donkor and Bismarck Abanga, were acquitted and discharged. https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaCYzPRAYlUPudDDe53x

2 hours ago

Technology

“I wasn’t angry” — Abena Osei Asare clarifies exchange with DVLA Boss

The Chairperson of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and former Deputy Minister of Finance, Abena Osei Asare, has clarified that she was not angry during her recent exchange with the Chief Executive Officer of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), Julius Neequaye Kotey. The encounter occurred during the PAC sitting on October 27, when the committee was reviewing the DVLA’s planned rollout of digital vehicle number plates. The exchange followed Mrs. Osei Asare’s concerns about privacy and data protection under the authority’s new digitisation initiative. The DVLA is introducing number plates embedded with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips, which, according to Mr. Kotey, are designed to enhance security and curb vehicle-related crimes. He explained that the RFID-enabled plates would make it “very difficult for external entities to tamper with or replicate” vehicle information. However, Mrs. Osei Asare questioned whether the new plates might compromise the privacy of vehicle owners, particularly if personal details such as surnames would be visible. Speaking on Channel One TV’s The Point of View with Bernard Avle on Monday, November 10, the PAC Chair clarified her demeanor during the exchange. “I wasn’t angry, but you know when you are in a position you have to live up to it. You came, you told us you were doing ABCD, with reference to the number plates, you are coming up with new security features… When we sit there, it’s about the people of Ghana, and we echo their concerns.“When we give you the opportunity to share what you do, it’s not about Abena or the Ranking member asking. But Ghanaians need answers.” Asked if the matter had since been resolved, she responded: “I gave him the opportunity to answer and he chose to answer the way he did.” The exchange underscored PAC’s continuing efforts to ensure that public institutions remain transparent and accountable, even as they pursue digital transformation initiatives such as the modernisation of vehicle registration systems. https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaCYzPRAYlUPudDDe53x

Nov 10, 2025

Politics

DDEP was a painful but necessary action - Abena Osei Asare

The Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament and former Deputy Finance Minister, Abena Osei Asare, has defended the Akufo-Addo government’s Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP), describing it as a difficult but necessary measure to stabilise the economy. Speaking on on Monday, November 10, Mrs. Osei Asare acknowledged that the debt restructuring exercise was one of the most challenging policy decisions taken by the government, but said it was crucial for restoring economic stability. She explained that the government took deliberate steps to protect certain groups, particularly pension funds and others who could not participate in the programme. “The debt restructuring was one of the most painful but necessary exercises that we needed to take as a country. She added, “And even with that, the government made sure they secured pension funds and others who, for some reason, could not sign onto the DDEP. The government entered into an arrangement with them, but the money didn’t come in as and when we all agreed. But eventually they were paid.” Mrs. Osei Asare further clarified that investors did not lose their principal under the DDEP, though interest payments were affected. “Nobody lost money on their principal; it was the interests,” she clarified. The DDEP, introduced in 2022, was part of government efforts to restructure Ghana’s unsustainable debt and qualify for support under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme. https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaCYzPRAYlUPudDDe53x

Nov 10, 2025

Politics

I'm qualified to chair Public Accounts Committee - Abena Osei Asare

The Chairperson of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Abena Osei Asare, has defended her eligibility to lead the committee, insisting that she is fully qualified and committed to upholding the integrity of the role. Speaking on Channel One TV’s The Point of View with Bernard Avle on Monday, November 10, Mrs. Osei Asare explained that the selection of committee chairs is the responsibility of party caucuses in Parliament. “The Committee Chairs are selected by the parties and the leadership of the respective caucuses. And so, my caucus chose me to head the Public Accounts Committee and to serve in that capacity. It’s something I want to do, and I’m qualified to do it as well,” she said. Responding to claims of a potential conflict of interest, Mrs. Osei Asare clarified that the committee has internal safeguards to ensure impartiality in its work and that no member can influence reports submitted by the Auditor-General. “I must say that there’s no conflict of interest in any way because the Public Accounts Committee is always chaired by a member from the opposition. And then, we have taken steps—when I say we, as in Parliament—to curb some of these things,” she explained. She added that parliamentary standing orders provide clear guidance on handling situations where a sitting chairperson previously served in government during the period under review. “That is why in Order 2294 of our Standing Orders, it says that when issues or reports from the Auditor-General pertain to the year in which the chairperson was in government, proceedings will be taken over by the ranking.Consistently, you see me announcing that this pertains to a 2024 report for which I was in government. So I am ceding the chairmanship role to my ranking. Because consistently, we want to promote fairness, proper accountability, and transparency. Parliament has already taken care of that,” she noted. Her comments follow a petition by the Member of Parliament for Gomoa Central, Kwame Asare Obeng, popularly known as A Plus, calling for her removal from the PAC chairmanship. In his petition to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, dated Monday, November 3, the MP argued that Mrs. Osei Asare’s previous role as Deputy Minister of Finance during the period under audit creates a conflict of interest and could undermine the committee’s credibility. The controversy has reignited discussions about the independence and impartiality of parliamentary oversight committees, particularly those charged with ensuring accountability in the management of public finances. https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaCYzPRAYlUPudDDe53x

Nov 10, 2025