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Tag: National Security Agency

  • 70% of Nat’l Security budget goes into settling chieftaincy disputes – Minister

    70% of Nat’l Security budget goes into settling chieftaincy disputes – Minister

    The Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Stephen Asamoah Boateng, disclosed that more than 70% of the National Security budget is allocated to resolving chieftaincy disputes, emphasizing the substantial drain on national resources caused by these conflicts.

    Addressing the Royals Conference organized by the Church of Pentecost at the Pentecost Convention Center in Gomoa Fetteh, Boateng underscored the significant financial impact of these disputes, stating, “Chieftaincy cases are matters of concern to all of us and our body politic because it is on record that over 70% of the National Security budget goes into settling chieftaincy disputes across the country. These monies could have been better used if there were no disputes”.

    Regarding policy initiatives, Boateng highlighted the introduction of the proposed National Policy on Religion, aimed at safeguarding individual freedoms and promoting religious harmony.

    This policy development involved collaboration with the National Development Planning Commission, the Department for the Study of Religion at Legon, the UNFPA, and church leaders.

    He outlined key issues identified during regional consultations for the policy, including religious intolerance, financial exploitation, political interference in religious affairs, noise pollution, and other challenges within the religious landscape.

    “On the religious front, my ministry, with the support of various stakeholders, has undertaken regional engagements on the proposed national policy on religion. This exercise solicited input from identified stakeholders concerning issues affecting the religious space in our country,” Boateng noted.

    “These are all the issues that came up in our consultation. We also unearthed non-acceptance of inter-religious marriages, child marriage, and forced marriages. Religious fanaticism, noise pollution, money laundering, exploitation of the vulnerable in the religious landscape, limited documentation of the code of conduct of some religious bodies, and false indoctrination, inter- and intra-faith disputes, leadership succession disputes, little or no organizational structure or hierarchy, and incitement to violence sometimes in extreme cases,” he added.

    Boateng also emphasized the Ministry’s efforts to strengthen chieftaincy laws to empower traditional leaders in resolving disputes more effectively. He proposed amendments to clarify traditional leaders’ authority, currently a subject of contention in the Supreme Court.

    Furthermore, the Minister advocated for the establishment of a Chieftaincy Development Fund and the provision of living allowances for traditional leaders, suggesting these measures as necessary steps to support and sustain the role of traditional leadership in Ghanaian society.

  • Ex-NSA employee serving nearly 22 years in jail for disclosing secrete to an undercover FBI agent

    Ex-NSA employee serving nearly 22 years in jail for disclosing secrete to an undercover FBI agent

    A person who used to work for the US National Security Agency has been sentenced to almost 22 years in prison, as requested by the government after he sold secret information to someone he thought was a Russian official but was actually an undercover FBI agent.

    The judge said he could have given Jareh Sebastian Dalke an even longer prison sentence, but chose to be merciful by giving a 262-month sentence. He believed Dalke deliberately took a job at the NSA to sell national security secrets.

    “This was obvious. ” It was bold and I think it was done on purpose. Moore said it was like treason, a big betrayal.

    Dalke’s lawyers requested that the Army veteran, who admitted to spying and made a deal with prosecutors, be given a 14-year prison sentence. They said this because the information he shared didn’t end up with the enemy and didn’t cause any harm. Public defender David Kraut said Dalke should get a lighter punishment because he had a brain injury, tried to kill himself four times, and had a rough childhood with domestic violence and drug abuse. Studies have found that experiencing certain traumas as a child makes it more likely for people to act recklessly in the future, he said.

    Later, Dalke told Moore that he felt sorry and embarrassed. He also said that he had PTSD, bipolar disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder.

    He said he wasn’t motivated by beliefs or money when he agreed to sell the secrets. Dalke thought he might be talking to the police, but he was still excited about what he was doing.

    But Moore did not believe Dalke’s claims about his health because there were no expert opinions or hospital records provided by the defense.

    Based on papers from the court, Dalke was at the NSA for about a month. He talked to an undercover FBI agent and said he wanted to “cause change” because he was worried about the United States causing harm to the world. He also mentioned that he owed $237,000. He apparently said he chose to work with Russia because his ancestors were from there.

    Dalke first got $16,499 in digital money for parts of the documents he had. Then he wanted to sell the rest of the information for $85,000.

    The agent told him to go to the Denver train station on Sept. 1stOn March 28, 2022, send the papers using a safe online link within a four-hour time frame. Dalke came with his laptop and used the Wi-Fi to send a thank you letter in Russian. In the letter, he said he was looking forward to being friends and working together, as agreed in the plea deal. Shortly after he used his laptop to move all the files, FBI agents took him into custody.

    As per the charges, Dalke tried to share information with Russia about the military strength of another country. It also has details about important US defense abilities, some of which are related to the foreign country.