Judgment Debt Commission says not targeting anyone

The Sole Commissioner of Judgment Debt, Mr Justice Yaw Appau, on Monday said the Commission is not targeting anyone or group of people for prosecution.

He urged all appearing before the Commission to speak the truth at all times saying we want the betterment of our economy and the protection of the national purse.

Mr Appau, who made the remark during the Commission’s sitting in Accra, appealed to Ghanaians to desist from tagging people appointed by a particular President as belonging to his side.

He said there were lots of men of integrity in the country who think of the country first no matter who appointed them.

He urged Mr Moses Kwesi Barden, Chief Executive Officer of Margins Group, who had written to the Commission complaining about a publication in a newspaper alleging that there was no contract between them and the Ghana at 50 Secretariat to write a rejoinder to clarify the issue.

Mr Barden, who appeared before the Commission, said the Margins Group was a holding company which does not trade but has other subsidiaries under it such as the Margin Supply Limited, the Margin ID Systems among others.

He said the Group won a bid to produce one million calendars at the cost of 29 billion old cedis for the Ghana at 50 Secretariat as party of activities marking the golden jubilee celebration of the nation.

He said there was a letter of confirmation of award of contract in which descriptions of the nature of the contract was given with a sample of the calendar attached to it.

The Commission, however, was of the view that a contract should have a contract document spelling out contract details.

But Mr Barden maintained his grounds that since all the details we spelt out in the contract letter with a sample calendar including the submitted a letter of acceptance, there was a contract.

He said the Secretariat gave them a mobilization of 13 billion old cedis, however, due to delays in payment, the Secretariat had to facilitate a loan facility at the National Investment Bank and the Almagamated Bank.

He said the Group was able to produce the calendars and supplied the first batch directly to the Secretariat, 446, 000 copies distributed by EMS, and the rest by his company at another cost to the state from January to June, 2007.

The CEO said they took the Attorney General to court over the payment of the outstanding balance but they opted for an out of court settlement in which they were paid GH¢4 million.

Also appearing before the Commission was Mr Samuel Boakye Yiadom, Deputy Judicial Secretary, to answer questions over the payment of judgment debts to the Kpone Traditional Council.

He said certain elders of the Council were charged for contempt of court and made to pay a fine of Eight Thousand Ghana Cedis, but upon an appeal, the ruling was reversed and the money refunded to the Council.

However, according to the Commission, only 85% of the said amount payment had been documented, but the Deputy Judicial Secretary explained that any time payments were from court fines, 15% of the amount remains with them while the rest were paid into the consolidated fund.

He said their records show that the 15% had been paid and he promised making them available to the Commission.

Mr Ernest Nyagbe, Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council Director, was also at the Commission on Angeline Kojo Alagbo versus the Attorney General in which the negligence of a driver of the Coordinating Council led to an accident, leading to the state paying GH¢10,000.00 as judgment.

The Sole Commissioner admonished administrators of state institutions to ensure that drivers under them handle state vehicles with greater care.

Source: GNA