The Ghanaian Times

'GFA Fires back ... But Times stands by its story' The story says: "It is now known that afterall, the seats for the rehabilitated Accra Sports stadium were not imported from Germany as claimed by Nana Sam Brew-Butler, former GFA chairman and director of Arab Contractors, in January this year. At a hurriedly organized press conference by the GFA yesterday in reaction to the 'Times' publication on the disappearance of a vital witness in the stadia contract awards probe, the project manager of Arab Contractors Ghana Ltd., Mr Mohammed Amgad Samir said that they only came to give technical advice. At this point, Nana Butler cut in to say that the experts came to Ghana at no cost to the nation; "they paid for their own fares, hotel accommodation and other expenses whilst in the country." The story says that on January 1 But the 'Times' recalls that on January 15 this year, Nana Butler told a press conference at the Accra Sports stadium that "the seats had been ordered from the Republic of Germany and that as at the time he was talking, the first consignment of 10,000 had arrived in the country waiting to be cleared; the second batch was expected the following week," the Times quotes and refers readers to page 11 of its 16 January edition with headline 'No cause for alarm' - Nana Brew Butler.

In another front page story, the Times reports President Jerry John Rawlings, yesterday described The death of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Opoku Ware the Second, as a great loss to him as well as the nation. He was speaking at the Castle, Osu, when a delegation from the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi, Called on him to formally inform the government of the Asantehene's death. The delegation, led by Odenehono Oduro Numapau the second, Essumajahene, presented Customary drinks to the President to formally announce the death, which occurred in Kumasi on Thursday, February 25. President Rawlings, who was overtaken by emotion, said 'the Asantehene's death is a great loss, not only to the Asante people and chiefs, but a personal loss to me," the Times quotes President Rawlings as saying.