TIG Post

Tag: Transport minister

  • Transport Minister drags ‘The Law Platform’ to court over defamation, demands GHC5m in damages

    Transport Minister drags ‘The Law Platform’ to court over defamation, demands GHC5m in damages

    Transport Minister Kwaku Ofori Asiamah has taken legal action against The Law Platform and its Lead Editor, Jonathan Owusu Asare, over a defamatory publication.

    The online article, dated May 7, 2024, alleged that the Minister and his wife were taken to court for purportedly engaging in ‘land grabbing’ with the aid of state security personnel.

    The publication claimed that the Minister for Transport and his wife, Mrs. Wilhemina Asiamah, were scheduled to appear in court on Thursday, May 9, 2024, for unlawfully entering and trespassing on land situated at the prime Tse Addo residential enclave.

    The plaintiff has refuted these accusations and demanded a retraction and apology within a specified time-frame. Despite this request, the portal failed to comply.

    Consequently, the plaintiff has filed a defamation lawsuit, alleging that the defendant portrayed him as a criminal who abuses his office.

    The lawsuit seeks to address the damage caused by the alleged false and malicious statements made by The Law Platform and its Lead Editor.

    “The Plaintiff says that the said publication of the Defendant on his website, The Law Platform, is defamatory of the Plaintiff’s hard-earned reputation as a public servant with several years of service.

    “The Plaintiff avers that in terms of the comments made by the Defendant, pleaded in Paragraph 7 above, the Defendant meant and was understood to mean that the Plaintiff is a criminal, taking forcefully what does not belong to him and the abusing his office as a public officer.”

    Kwaku Ofori Asiamah is seeking compensatory damages and requesting the publication of a retraction and apology, among other remedies. These actions aim to rectify the harm caused by the defamatory publication and restore his reputation.

    “An order directed at the Defendant to retract the said defamatory statement made about the Plaintiff and published on The Law Platform online portal.”

    “An order directed at the Defendant to publish an apology to the Plaintiff in the following manner; i. By making three (3) publications of the apology on The Law Platform online portal ii. By making one publication in a national daily newspaper,” an excerpt of his summons said.

    MR.KWAKU-OFORI-ASIAMAH-VRS-JONATHAN-OWU1Download
  • Transport Minister summoned by Parliament over $30 charge by GACL for trips

    Transport Minister summoned by Parliament over $30 charge by GACL for trips

    Parliament has summoned Transport Minister Kwaku Ofori Asiamah to appear before the House on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, to address concerns raised by the Minority Caucus regarding unlawful charges imposed by the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL).

    The charges include a $20 maintenance fee for all round trips and a $10 charge for one-way trips.

    Tamale South MP Haruna Iddrisu alleged collusion between the Ghana Airports Company Limited and the Transport Minister regarding these charges, prompting the summons to seek clarification on the authority behind the fees.

    “What authority does the Ghana Airport Company have to impose fees and charges and are these charges consistent with the Fees and Charges Act approved by the Parliament of Ghana? Mr. Speaker, I think the Transport Minister must be hauled to Parliament to explain the authority with which they are charging the fees and whether it is consistent with our Fees and Charges Act.”

    Second Deputy Speaker Andrew Amoako Asiamah also expressed concerns over the charges and directed the Minister to appear before the House to address the issue.

    “With regards to this issue, I am directing the Transport Minister to appear before this House on March 19 to come and address this issue because the airport company cannot sit by themselves and say they are charging fees on their own and so the Transport Minister must appear to answer to these issues.”

  • Delta Airlines to introduce new Aircraft in Ghana – Transport Minister

    Delta Airlines to introduce new Aircraft in Ghana – Transport Minister

    Transport Minister, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, has assured Parliament of ongoing talks with Delta Airlines for the acquisition of new aircraft in Ghana, addressing concerns over the Accra-New York route.

    The Minister acknowledges discussions with Delta to enhance service quality following recent criticism.

    Responding to MP Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka’s urgent question regarding Delta’s emergency landing in Praia Da Vitoria, the Minister outlines efforts to ensure Delta ceases using older aircraft in Ghana.

    “The government is in discussion with three other airlines who have applied to service the Accra-New York route,” he said.

    Ofori-Asiamah notes that despite some aircraft being older, if approved by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), restricting them is challenging.

    The Minister discloses ongoing government discussions with three other airlines seeking to operate the Accra-New York route.

    He anticipates concluding these talks in the third quarter of 2024, addressing MPs’ queries about a specific timeline.

  • Tamale Airport’s new terminal to be operational by July 31 – Transport minister

    Tamale Airport’s new terminal to be operational by July 31 – Transport minister

    Transport Minister, Mr. Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, has disclosed that the new terminal building at the Tamale Airport will become operational on July 31.

    In response to a query from, Member of Parliament (MP) for Mion, Mr. Musah Abdul-Aziz Ayaba, for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the Minister informed the House.

    The MP enquired as to the Tamale International Airport’s anticipated opening and completion dates.

    According to Mr. Asiamah, Tamale Airport Phase II was largely finished in August 2022.

    He added that as a result, the Operational Readiness and Transfer program started in August 2022 to make sure that potential risks involved in the transition process from the construction to operational phase were carefully managed to avoid subpar start-up performance that could harm the country’s reputation.

    He explained that originally, the Terminal was scheduled to “Go-Live” in December 2022, to stimulate operations and effective integration of the airport systems.

    He said the “Go-Live’ had to be postponed to pave the way for the completion of all the requisite training, Site Acceptance tests, and systems integration.

    “Mr Speaker, I wish to inform this August House that, having completed all these, the “Go-Live” for operationalization of the New Terminal Building is scheduled for July 31st, 2023.

    Mr. Ayaba questioned the Minister once more on the start date for Phase 3 of the Tamale International Airport.

    In his response, the Minister noted that Tamale International Airport Phase 3 was still in the conceptual phase.

    A request for expressions of interest for an engineering, procurement contractor, and financing (EPC+F) was in the works, he claimed.

    The completion of Tamale International Airport is guaranteed by the transport minister by July 31.