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Fresh controversy is brewing over the estate of the late multi-millionaire David Lamptey, as Colonel Lawrence Attachie, a former Military Assistant at the Osu Castle under President Atta Mills, lays claim to some of his properties. Col Attachie, a close friend of Mr Lamptey�s until a few months to the latter�s death, is claiming ownership of Radio XYZ, opening up old wounds. Radio XYZ is popularly known to have been set up by the late multi-millionaire. However, Col. Attachie is said to have laid a 10 percent claim on the company soon after the mysterious demise of the business mogul, who was also a key financier of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC). David Lamptey died under bizarre circumstances in December 2012, just before the elections. Col. Attachie is believed to be a close associate of David Lamptey and had been actively involved in running the embattled radio station. Meanwhile, in the ensuing tussle after the death of the multi-millionaire, an attempt by his daughter, Cynthia Lamptey, to take over the running of the Osu-based radio station was blocked. The radio station faces imminent closedown due to the interference of Colonel Attachie, as staff of the station are wallowing in desperation for non-payment of salaries for more than five months now. ��workers have not been paid since January, apparently because the military man has in his possession accounts of the company and has refused to let it out even to the company�s bankers in order to effect monthly payments,� an aggrieved staff told Daily Guide under condition of anonymity. Tommy Annan Forson, the erstwhile General Manager of XYZ who resigned due to the confusion over ownership, confirmed the non-payment of salaries to Daily guide, and added that the company now owes him almost GH₵8,000 because he had to personally finance some of the radio station�s operations when David Lamptey died, as the military man who is a signatory to the company�s account would not release funds for the running of the station. Mr. Annan Forson expressed his surprise at the emergence of Col. Attachie as a shareholder of the radio station. He said he knew him as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the company and he was �baffled when the issue of 10 percent came in.� Mr. Annan Forson said David Lamptey had always maintained he solely owned the radio station. According to the former general Manager, indeed, in one of the heated sessions of a general meeting, David Lamptey blurted out, �Nobody�s pesewa is in it. Everything that has been put into the station is my money, so if anybody says this and that, Tommy go ahead and do your work�. To him, it comes as a surprise that the military man is claiming ownership. �I knew Attachie as a director and nothing else,� he told Daily Guide. �There were rumours, but I knew from Honourable (David Lamptey) that he was just a director, and he said that several times� and then we started hearing the 10 percent when Honourable passed on. I personally do not know how the 10 percent came in�� It is unclear in what capacity Col. Attachie is making the claims, since it is a generally known rule that Military officers in active duty are not supposed to hold personal business interests. Elusive Several attempts by Daily Guide to reach Col. Attachie through telephone calls and text messages have proved futile. Rather, in response to one of the text messages, he made his close associate, an newspaper owner (name withheld) call the paper and in a bid to clear the colonel�s name, stated that the matter was in court awaiting amicable resolution. Meanwhile, his friend told Daily Guide that the workers still rendering their services at the radio station were doing so on their own free-will because they had been told to go home and subsequently re-apply for their jobs. According to Mr Annan Forson, letters (apparently originating from Col. Attachie and his lawyers) were �flying around� that the station was going to be closed and restructured so those interested should re-apply for their employment. The closure was supposed to have been in January, yet the station has been kept running. �Though he claims to be a shareholder he has not visited the company since the demise of the CEO. The only thing he does is to give instructions for cars to be packed as and when he feels. It is already six months and the man hasn�t shown any signs of willingness to co-operate, let alone pay workers. He was believed to be a friend to the late David Lamptey, and yet he is trying to frustrate workers of a station that was dear to the man,� the reliable source within the station told Daily Guide. Dead man�s chest Virtually all the assets of David Lamptey are under contention by both family and friends. His sudden demise had brought these underlying currents to the surface. Indeed, family members of the late owner of fertilizer firm Sidalco, had raised suspicion about the �strange and bizarre� circumstances under which the man died, given the queer metamorphosis of strange wills purportedly written by the late philanthropist. At a recent press conference in Accra coordinated by controversial former National Security operative, Carl Wilson, the spokesman for the family and brother of the late former Member of Parliament (MP), Emmanuel Lamptey said, �We intend to pursue this matter with the objective of bringing to light what or who killed David Lamptey. �We will also like a thorough investigation through the appropriate channels to uncover the cause of death and eventually bring to book, if necessary the individuals who may be responsible,� he emphasised. There is a strong suspicion that David Lamptey, a philanthropist extra-ordinaire, was killed rather than died. A complaint has already been lodged with the police. Emmanuel Lamptey suspects foul play in the way and manner his brother died and is calling for criminal investigations into the tragic event. �It is a case of murder and cover-up or criminal negligence causing the death of my brother,� he told the Ghana News Agency in Accra and said only an independent criminal investigation would unveil the motive behind his demise. David Lamptey, 61, died on December 5, last year in Accra. �My brother�s saga from good health to illness, to death, took an incredible 10 days. He had just returned from a seven day trip to England, where he attended the graduation ceremony of one of the sons of Mrs Gifty Lamptey, his wife, who was born before she got married to Mr Lamptey. �People who saw him in London attested to the fact that Mr David Lamptey was not looking well and needed medical attention,� he said.