Sunday 1 May 2011

AN EXAMPLE OF HOW LEFT-WING POLITICIANS IN THE UK & ELSEWHERE CAN HELP FIGHT CORRUPTION IN GHANA & AFRICA!

I have often urged our leaders to get officials of Ghana's diplomatic missions in the wealthy nations of the West, to interest Left-wing parliamentarians and political organisations in those nations, in Ghana's fight against corruption - which often occurs as a result of the bribing of Ghanaians, by wealthy Western multinational corporations.

If Ghana wants to let the management contract with Aqua Vittens Rand Limited, lapse, for example, without retribution from Dutch diplomats posted here, then steps must be taken now, to get Left-wing Dutch parliamentarians to start asking questions in the Dutch Parliament, about Aqua Vittens' dubious management contract in Ghana (in partnership with Rand Water of South Africa!).

If that is not done before hand, the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Ghana, will, as sure as day follows night, seek to stop any move to get the sector minister not to renew the AVRL management contract - by engaging in the usual blackmailing and arm-twisting of our government, which goes on, whenever nationalistic and patriotic individuals amongst our ruling elites, seek to bring to an end, the rip off of Nkrumah's Ghana, by some Western multinational or other, operating here.

As an example to our current rulers, of how striking alliances with advanced nation Left-wing politicians can help our nation fight unethical multinationals corrupting Ghanaian politicians and public officials, today, I am posting an article culled from the 8th April, 2011 edition of the UK newspaper, The Daily Telegraph. It was written by Rowena Mason⁠:

" "MP calls for Serious Fraud Office checks on ENRC"

An MP has written to the Serious Fraud Office asking it check whether Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation is complying with the Bribery Act.

Earlier this week, Mr Joyce told the House of Commons that ENRC is "a large and would-be successful corporation wrecking its reputation and integrity by entering into ropey deals with frankly shady middlemen".⁠

Eric Joyce, a Labour MP, wants the authorities to make sure the FTSE 100 miner had "sufficient measures in place to prevent bribery" when it did a controversial deal to buy a mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Earlier this week, Mr Joyce told the House of Commons that ENRC is "a large and would-be successful corporation wrecking its reputation and integrity by entering into ropey deals with frankly shady middlemen".

He also criticised of its senior independent director, Sir Richard Sykes, the former rector of Imperial College and former chairman of GlaxoSmithKline.

On Friday, Mr Joyce told The Daily Telegraph that ENRC should have asked more questions about the deal.

"Most companies would have said that there was a very strong chance that there was something unusual going on here," he said. "It looks, whatever the rights and wrongs, that the government sold a mine to a friend of the president of the Congo and he has walked away with a huge profit."

The furore centres around a mine that was seized from one of ENRC's competitors, First Quantum Minerals.

The DRC government then sold the expropriated mine to a company linked to a friend of the president for $20m (£13m). This company sold it on shortly afterwards to ENRC for $175m. Mr Joyce said "not one whit" of this went to the DRC people.

ENRC declined to comment but said earlier this week: "Eric Joyce is the sponsor of a company with which ENRC is in potential litigation. As such his profoundly inaccurate remarks are unsurprising and the fact that he chose to make them under parliamentary privilege speaks for itself. Contrary to the implication of his remarks, ENRC conducts its business in an appropriate and ethical manner."

Mr Joyce has taken an interest in the Congo for many years. In February, he held an event in Westminster looking at "the challenges of investing in Africa" for First Quantum, which is suing ENRC for $1bn." Culled from The Daily Telegraph.

Well, there it is, dear reader. One hopes that our current leaders will take note of the endless possibilities that alliances with politicians like Mr. Eric Joyce can provide them, in fighting and winning the war against corruption of the type fuelled by multinationals, seeking unfair advantage over the good people of Ghana and their homeland Ghana.

Above all, instead of allowing ourselves to be lumbered with the outcome of that daft so-called " re-engagement" with Vodafone, what stops some civil society anti-corruption organisation based here, from inviting Mr. Joyce to Ghana, briefing him about the Vodafone takeover of the so-called "Enlarged Ghana Telecom Group" - and asking him to write to the UK Serious Fraud Office about that dubious deal, I ask? A word to the wise...

Tel (powered by Tigo - the one mobile phone network in Ghana that actually works!): + 233 (0) 27 745 3109.

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