Three Appear before Judgement Debt Commission unprepared
Representatives of institutions subpoenaed by the Commission on Judgment Debts to appear before it yesterday were unable to furnish the commission with details of various judgement debts paid to individuals.
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It turned out that a Deputy Controller and Accountant-General in charge of Financial Management Services, Mr Andrews Kingsley Kwadzo Kufe, who was the first to appear, did not receive the subpoena and, therefore, could not speak to the issues for which he had been invited.
The Chief Director of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Major Mahama Samuel Tara (retd), was subpoenaed in respect of certain payments captured in the Auditor-General’s Report and to produce supporting documents in respect of those payments to the commission.
The Sole Commissioner, Mr Justice Yaw Apau, asked Major Tara to explain why some figures were prefixed “JD” (judgment debt) and others tagged “B”.
Responding, Major Tara explained that the ministry had to create special vaults for the payment of all judgement debts in view of the brouhaha that had surrounded those payments.
He explained that file documentation at the ministry with the prefix “B” came from the Budget Division and funds from that category were meant for different purposes.
Explaining further, he said in the event that the ministry had to pay judgement debts, discussions were held with the claimants to agree on the mode of payment.
A Senior Legal Counsellor at the Ministry of Finance, Mr David Agbale, told the commission about what had occasioned the payment of GH¢600,000 judgement debt to Bankswitch Ghana Limited.
He explained that there had been an agreement between the government and Bankswitch for the commencement of the verification of imported goods.
He said it was agreed between the parties that before the commencement of the operation, there should be a monthly payment of GH¢600,000 to the company, but the contract could not materialise, leading to its cancellation without the knowledge of the company.
Not satisfied, Mr Agbale said, the company took the government to international arbitration, the result of which payment to Bankswitch was suspended.
A Senior State Attorney, Ms Grace Oppong, appeared before the commission in respect of a case in which one Philip Agbodoga, had sued the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and the Attorney-General for wrongful arrest and detention in 2007 and for which he was seeking GH¢50,000 for damages.
He said the IGP, after several letters to him on the matter, failed to respond, thereby disabling the Attorney-General from filing a defence in court, for which reason the court granted a default judgement.
Ms Oppong said based on the court’s decision, the Attorney-General went into a compromise with Agbodoga to pay him GH¢7,630.
Sitting continues today.
By Sebastian Syme/Daily Graphic/Ghana
Writer’s email: [email protected]
