Judgement Debt Commission Unhappy With Payment

Justice Yaw Apau, Sole Commissioner for Judgement Debt on Wednesday inquired from the Ministry of Youth and Sports why it refused to pay GH� 5,000 to a contractor, resulting in the payment of GH� 177,664.09 as judgement debt. He said the Ministry could have paid the difference of GH� 5,000 owed to M/S EP Ghana Limited in connection with the rehabilitation of the tennis court at the Accra Sports Stadium in 2000 but it refused and allowed the interest to accumulate until 2010 when it was served with a notice to be taken to court before it opted for settlement. He advised civil servants to be committed in their assigned duties and save governments from paying judgement debts that are avoidable, adding that, government should stop re-aligning the Ministries to avoid the mixed up of documents and records. Justice Apau said this when Mr Abdulai Yakubu, Chief Director at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, appeared before the Commission in a matter relating to the rehabilitation of the tennis court at the Accra Sports stadium by M/S EP Ghana Limited and also making available supporting documents on certain payments. Mr Yakubu explained that the Ministry awarded the contract for the rehabilitation of the tennis court at the cost of GH� 69,718.08 to host the Euro Africa Zone 2 tennis competition in 2000. He said, the Ministry paid the money in three installments after the completion of the project and in October 2001, it paid GH� 24,339.53 as first installment, GH� 33,826.29 as the second and GH� 9,486.75 as the third, leaving a difference of GH� 5,053.20. He explained that the payment of the GH� 5,000 to the contractor became difficult after the Ministry of Sports was re-aligned with Education, as the file got mixed up and could not be traced until the Sports Ministry was later brought back. He said the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General in 2010 arranged a meeting with the Ministry Sports together with M/S EP over the GH� 5000, which had increased to over GH� 200,000 and the Ministry was taken to court. He said after negotiating with officials of M/S EP in three separate meetings, they agreed to take an amount of GH� 177,664.09 instead of the over GH� 200,000 that they were demanding. Mr Yakubu also presented documents relating to GH�38, 119,023.95 and GH�10, 58.295 judgement debts paid to Waterville and Mr Alfred Woyome in 2011 respectively. He explained that the said monies were unknowingly credited to the account of the Sports Ministry by the Controller and Accountant General�s department but later withdrawn by the latter to be paid to the beneficiaries. Mr Mahama Tara, Chief Director at the Ministry of Finance, also appeared before the Commission to explain the disbursement of GH�47,230.00 to Abdul Muziz, Davis Kakra Mensah and Davis Panyin Mensah and Philip Agbogoga as compensation for police brutality. He said Muziz, Kakra and Panyin did not receive the money directly from the Ministry, but directed their Solicitors to collect it on their behalf, but Agbogoga negotiated with the Attorney General�s department for his share.