Palaver: Minister Sued in Florida Court

As Kufuor reappoints Anane as Minister -----
ALEXANDRA ANANE-VAN CLEEF SUES RICHARD ANANE IN FLORIDA COURT!

Palaver -- President Kufuor and his spin doctors can gloat in Ghana that the technical Supreme Court victory scored by Dr. Richard Anane has enabled the President to re-nominate the bonking ex-Health, ex-Road Transport Minster to be re-nominated as Minister of Transportation. But for Richard Anane, his woes are only just beginning.

In far away Florida in the USA, in the Flagler County Court, Mrs. Alexandra Anane-Van Cleef, the American “wife” of Dr. Richard Anane, has sued Dr. Anane for child support.

Dr. Richard Anane has a son, Nicholas Anane, with Mrs. Alexandra Anane-Van Cleef, out of a condom-free sexual encounter between the two when they met at an international AIDS Conference when Dr. Anane was Ghana's Minister of Health.

The lawsuit was filed in August 2007 and is set for first pre-Trial on March 11, 2008. 'Ghana Palaver' has learnt that Dr. Anane has already submitted his sworn financial statement to the court.

Alexandra Anane-Van Cleef has however described the financial statement filed by Dr. Anane as completely bogus. According to her, Dr. Anane in his sworn affidavit did not declare any real estate, car or bank account. In other words, Dr. Anane declared himself a pauper!

Under Florida Law, a party must disclose even property jointly held or in trust also.

'Ghana Palaver' has also learnt that the elite legal team of Knight and Dwyer, representing Mrs. Alexandra Anane-Van Cleef, will be issuing a demand for compliance against Dr. Anane who would be in contempt of court for failing to properly disclose all his assets.

It therefore looks like Dr. Anane's hell is not over by a long shot. According to legal sources close to the case in Florida, USA, Ghana's Parliament will be making a big mistake if it endorses President Kufuor's re-nomination of Dr. Anane as a Minister because, in the words of the legal source, “a big embarrassment awaits him”.