Free Press

Goosie?s Company Owes Farmers

"Goosie?s Company Owes Farmers" is the banner headline of the mid-week edition of the ?Free Press?.

The story says "a rural-based company, Transport and Commodity General Limited, believed to be owned by Goosie Tanoh, leader of the NDC break-away Reform group, is heavily indebted to cassava farmers in the Kete Krachi District of the Volta Region".

The Free Press also reports that the company has not paid any taxes to the coffers of the Krachi District Assembly after three years of operation.

According to the report "reliable sources" say the company whose main business is to buy cassava chips from farmers in the area and ship them overseas, secures the chips on credit.

The farmers, however, say they "always have to wait for three months before they are paid for their produce carted from their farms for export."

The farmers are said to have complained that they have barely enough to live on under the circumstances.

According to the story, the farmers have to go through the back door to solicit loans from the same company at cutthroat interest rates thus aggravating their economic hardships.

Mr Francis Sarfo, the District Chief Executive of the Krachi area is said to have confirmed that the company had not paid a pesewa to the Assembly.

The paper says Goosie Tanoh, a business executive and a politician shot into the limelight in the latter part of last year when he criticised the NDC in a radio interview and demanded reforms in the party.

Another Free Press story headlined "AFC Looks outside For Help" says the Alliance For Change (AFC) has appealed to the CHRAJ, Amnesty International, other human rights organisations, the International community, as well as concerned individuals to collaborate with it to bring to book the murderers of the victims of "Kume Preko" march four years ago.

The statement was signed by Mr. Kwaku Baako Jnr a member of the AFC in commemoration of "The March".

According to the story, while the AFC continue to console the families of the victims, it irrevocably assured them that all legitimate means would be adopted to bring the murders to book to ensure that justice is done.

"Our apprehension about the Killings of May 11, 1995 has been greatly heightened by the fact that good four years have elapsed without the government of the NDC, headed by Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings, the self acclaimed apostle of integrity, transparency, social justice, probity and accountability making the police report public".