Chirano Gold Mines ex-employee prays court for damages

A former employee of the Chirano Gold Mines (CGM), Mr Prince Kwadwo Amegbletor, is seeking GH¢8.5 million as compensation in a legal action he has instituted against the company over an alleged injury he suffered in the line of duty in 2014.

In his writ filed at the Sefwi Wiawso High Court in the Western Region, the 29-year-old mechanic wants GH¢8 million as compensation for what he claims to be negligence of duty on the part of the CGM and GH¢500,000 as special damages for the alleged injury that he suffered.

He also wants an order from the court directing the CGM to pay damages for the pain he suffered, as well as costs for the legal services he has hired.

Alleged injury

According to Mr Amegbletor’s statement of claim, on July 26, 2014, he was assigned, together with other workers, to remove a set of metal strands without being provided with any protective aprons by the management of the CGM.

While undertaking the task, he said, one of the metallic projectiles dislodged and entered his anterior abdominal wall outside the bowel walls, injuring him in the process.

“The plaintiff (Amegbletor) underwent several surgical operations aimed at removing the metallic projectile, without success,’’ it said.

It is the case of the mechanic that the CGM abandoned him to his fate and failed to take financial responsibility for all the medical expenses he incurred, although it was the company’s responsibility because he got injured in the line of duty.

Dismissal and health concerns

Instead of caterering for his health and welfare, Mr Amegbletor said the CGM, rather, dismissed him in a letter dated June 22, 2017.

Meanwhile, the statement of claim said, contrary to provisions in the termination letter that the CGM would pay for his medical expenses, the company rather removed Mr Amegbletor from the list of medical care beneficiaries of the company.

“The situation has escalated the cost of treatment to more than GH¢500,000. The plaintiff (Amegbletor) has been suffering serious abdominal pain and occasional stiffness at the affected part. The situation has put the plaintiff in a state of mental torture,” it averred.

It further explained that investigations by medical experts had revealed that the presence of the metal in Mr Amegbletor’s abdominal wall tissue could lead to life-threatening health conditions, such as cancer.

“The defendant (Chirano Gold Mines) must, therefore, be ordered to provide adequate compensation to the plaintiff (Amegbletor) to assuage his pain, mental torture and threat to his life,’’ it added.