Navy Secretary John Phelan fired amid shipbuilding reform tensions and Iran blockade
via GhanaWeb4 min read
Secretary of the Navy John Phelan was removed from his position on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, following tensions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth regarding shipbuilding reform implementation and Phelan's direct communication with President Donald Trump. The announcement came while the US Navy is enforcing a blockade of Iranian ports during a ceasefire, having redirected 31 vessels and boarded two. Hegseth, after a conversation with Trump, informed Phelan he needed to resign or be fired. Trump and Hegseth agreed new leadership was needed due to slow shipbuilding progress. Phelan, a businessman who fundraised for Trump's campaign, initially sought confirmation of his dismissal from other White House officials before Trump personally confirmed his departure. Undersecretary Hung Cao will become Acting Secretary of the Navy. Phelan's departure is the first among military service secretaries nominated under Trump. CNN previously reported Phelan's name on a 2006 flight manifest with Jeffrey Epstein, though a friend stated Phelan was unaware it was Epstein's plane until arrival and had no further interaction with Epstein.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by GhanaWeb.
An Accra High Court has made significant rulings in the trial of Republic v Kwabena Adu-Boahene, former Director-General of the NSB, admitting key evidence that supports the defense's case regarding the operational use of funds. During cross-examination, Edith Ruby Opokua Adumuah, Head of Finance at the National Signals Bureau and a prosecution witness, conceded that large cash withdrawals, including those made in her name and other national security operatives, were for official operational purposes and not personal gain. The court overruled objections from the Deputy Attorney-General, Dr Justice Srem-Sai, and admitted WhatsApp communications between the witness and the accused into evidence. The judge determined that the witness's acknowledgment of her phone number and message exchanges with the accused met the admissibility requirements under the Electronic Transactions Act. These messages included requests from the witness for funds to support operational activities, such as logistics and field expenses. Defence counsel Samuel Atta Akyea argued that the pattern of withdrawals, corroborated by bank records and electronic communications, consistently indicated operational expenditure within the national security framework. The case has been adjourned to April 27, 28, and 29, 2026, for further cross-examination.
An Accra High Court has dismissed the Attorney-General's attempts to portray cheque payments as private transactions in the ongoing trial of former Director-General of the NSB, Kwabena Adu-Boahene. The ruling occurred during the cross-examination of Edith Ruby Opokua Adumuah, Head of Finance at the National Signals Bureau, by defence counsel Samuel Atta Akyea. The defence argued that cheque payments and withdrawals were linked to national security operational activities, not personal transactions. Ms. Adumuah confirmed that cash withdrawals were for operational purposes, not private use, and that senior officials made significant withdrawals from a coordinator’s account at Fidelity Bank. Disputes arose over a UMB Bank account, referred to by the defence as the “BNC Operations Account,” into which two cheques of GH₵1 million and GH₵21 million were deposited. The court admitted one WhatsApp exchange into evidence, which referenced arrangements for cash disbursements for official purposes, including fuel support for a minister’s trips, after the witness confirmed sending the message. Other attempts to admit WhatsApp messages were rejected. The witness maintained that financial requests and withdrawals were tied to operational needs but often could not recall specific details. The presiding judge adjourned proceedings to April 27, 28, and 29, 2026, for continuation of the cross-examination.
Must ReadA video from 2015 has resurfaced showing former President John Dramani Mahama condemning xenophobic attacks against Ghanaians and other Africans in South Africa. Mahama stated that the youth of South Africa might not fully understand the history of their freedom, emphasizing that the entire African continent supported South Africa in its fight against apartheid. He noted that many countries whose citizens were being brutalized had previously served as frontline states, offering refuge and support to South African freedom fighters. Mahama expressed regret that the same people who fought against apartheid were now being attacked. He urged the then-President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, to take strong action against those involved in the atrocities to prevent future occurrences, highlighting that such incidents undermine efforts to create an integrated continent where people can move freely.
Must ReadJanet Fordham, a 69-year-old UK widow, died in a car crash in Ghana after losing an estimated £1 million to a series of romance scams over five years, an inquest heard. The scams, which began in 2017, drained her savings and forced her to sell her home. Fordham was targeted by multiple online fraudsters, including one who claimed to be a British Army sergeant major in Syria and another posing as a diplomat. Her family, including daughter-in-law Melanie Fordham, warned her against sending money, but she continued to transfer funds through various channels, including bank transactions, post office wire services, Bitcoin, and ATM withdrawals. Banks and the post office eventually blocked her transfers due to fraud concerns. Police also intervened multiple times, urging her to cease contact with fraudsters. In October 2022, Fordham traveled to Ghana to meet a man named Kofi, who had claimed he could help her recover lost funds and with whom she developed a romantic relationship. While traveling with Kofi from Accra to the Oti Region to seek family approval for marriage, their vehicle crashed, and she sustained fatal injuries. Kofi later received a suspended prison sentence for driving-related offenses. The senior coroner concluded that Fordham died from a head injury sustained in the road traffic collision.