AG, Customs appeal for time at Judgement Debt Commission
The Attorney General’s (AG) Department and the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority on Tuesday appealed to the Judgement Debt Commission for short adjournments to enable their officials to prepare adequately to appear before it.
The Commission accordingly requested Customs to reappear on August 7 in the matter of compensation payment to Faustina Eworho as a result of assault perpetrated on her by Evans Gu, of the Authority.
The AG is to appear on August 12, in the matter of compensation payment to Henry Osei Dankwa.
Ms Helena French, State Attorney at the Civil Division of the AG’s Department, told the Commission that the case involving Dankwa versus the AG was handled by the Kumasi office.
“We have since written…for briefing on it and are awaiting… response,” he said.
Ms French said the State Attorney who handled the case at the Kumasi office is no longer with the AG’s Department.
Explaining the procedure for handling regional cases, Ms French said State Attorneys usually write to the AG Department in Accra with recommendations and based on that the AG advice on how to proceed on a case.
Mr Justice Yaw Appau, the Sole Commissioner, issued a directive for either the Solicitor General or the AG to appear before it to explain why the AG refused to appear in court although it had entered defence which compelled the court to give default judgment.
Mr Isaac Ofoe Apronti, Acting Customs Commissioner, appeared before the Commission and briefed it on actions taken by the Authority on errant officials whose conducts dent the image of the Service and also incurs judgment debts.
He said the errant officer is first queried and then his or her conduct is subsequently investigated after which a disciplinary committee is set-up to go into it.
He said the Investigative team then issues a report based on which the authorities would act.
Mr Apronti described the assault on one Faustina Eworho in 2006 by Gu as a serious offence, which led to the state incurring a judgement debt of GH¢26, 000.00.
The Acting Commissioner could not tell what disciplinary action was taken against Gu.
Mr Apronti said following the receipt of the subpoena from the Commission, the Service wrote to the Aflao Office for briefing on the case and pleaded for adjournment to enable the body to prepare for the next sitting.
Briefing the media after the Commission’s sitting, Mr Dometi Kofi Sokpor, Counsel for the Commission said in the matter Henry Osei Dankwa versus the AG, the complainant’s property was demolished during road works in Kumasi, upon which he took the AG to court.
He stated that the AG entered the defence but failed to go to court even though the court repeatedly drew the attention of the officials.
He said as a result the court entered a default judgement and awarded a judgement debt of GH¢1,450,000.00 against the state.
Source: GNA