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With just a few days for the president to officially launch the controversial common monitoring platform, a host of applicants contesting the propriety of the Kelni GVG contract have filed for a discontinuation of the cases.

Just the same way they sued, the applicants, in three separate cases have filed notices of discontinuation.

In all the three notices, it was clear the applicants- IMANI Africa and Citizen Ghana Movement (First case) Sara Asafu Adjaye, Maximus Amertogoh (second case) Selorm Branttie, Nana Ama Adom-Boakye Kanyi and John Ato Bonful (third case) all wanted the case wholly withdrawn.

“Please take notice that the plaintiffs herein hereby wholly discontinue their claims against the defendants in this suit without liberty to reapply,” the notices said as filed on the 10 October.

It is not clear what may have triggered the decision to discontinue the cases in which the applicants were demanding several reliefs including a declaration by the court that the implementation of the Common monitoring platform will be in breach of the rights of privacy of Ghanaians.

They also sought a perpetual injunction against the defendants restraining them from implementing the common platform.

The plaintiffs, particularly IMANI have been vociferous in a media war with government challenging the $89m contract signed between the Ministry of Communication and the Kelni GvG.

The think tank, among other things, held that the contract was inflated, with no value for money audit.

Even before the cases will gather steam in court the parties appear to have settled the matter amicably with Kelni GvG.

A representative of one of the applicants IMANI confirmed on Joy FM, Friday they have settled, at least, partially the controversial matter.

“Two things have happened in the ensuing tango. First of all there was a Subah injunction against the Common platform. We heard that the issue has been settled and Subah has decided to no longer press the issue in court.

“I must actually report to the entire public…the lawyers for Kelni had approached our lawyers a month ago and the whole issue was that this whole fight was needless and that what was the main issues for which this battle was ongoing and that they wanted to see how best these matters will be settled.

“When our lawyers came to us we told them there are two issues; the issue of privacy and the issue of money. If they agree to talk on those terms and have a workable plan which can be satisfactory to Ghanaians then we should go ahead and talk.”

“I must report that the first major conversation about this matter has been held and some settlement of a sort has been reached on the issue of privacy,” President of IMANI Africa revealed on the SMS.

According to him, a committee has been set up to manage the privacy aspect of the contract in order to ensure the interest of the consumers will be protected.

Even though the notice to discontinue read that the cases have been “wholly” withdrawn Cudjoe said they will still pursue the value for money angle even if it means going to CHRAJ.
Did money change hands?

There have been claims that some of the applicants were financially induced to make a u-turn and to withdraw the case in the court. But Cudjoe insists he has not taken any money neither does he have any suspicion about another person taking money.

He said whilst the word settlement suggests monetary inducement nothing like that happened. “I certainly have not been paid any money and I don’t know who has been paid anything,” he said.

He added it will be foolhardy on the part of anyone to bribe any member of the team when IMANI is still pursuing the value for money aspect of the deal.

The contract by Kelni GvG was for them to monitor real-time call records out of which the appropriate revenue will be generated by the government.