No show at Judgement Debt Commission: Officials of MoFA, GHA fail to appear

Representatives of two institutions who were billed to appear before the Judgement Debt Commission yesterday to provide information on some cases didnt not show up.

In readiness for the sitting scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., supporting staff of the commission had mounted their computers and recording devices in the chamber.

Counsel for the commission, Mr Dometi Kofi Sokpor, had also arranged his files on his table, in anticipation of the arrival of the representatives of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) and the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA).

The Sole Commissioner, Mr Justice Yaw Apau, was also in his adjoining office ready to be ushered in to hear the cases for the day. 

As usual, journalists were ready with their pens, notebooks and cameras.

After about two hours of waiting, however, Mr Sokpor walked to the journalists to inform them that the commission could not sit because the representatives of MoFA and the GHA did not show up as scheduled.

MoFA

The representative of MoFA was invited by the commission to answer questions in relation to the payment of a GH¢2 million judgement debt to Delta Foods Company Limited.

Mr Sokpor said he had made a call to MoFA and he was told that the person scheduled to appear before the commission had travelled outside the country.

He said the case had, therefore, been adjourned to today.

He had told the commission a fortnight ago that Delta Foods had been contracted by the Ghana government to import some grains in the 1990s.

He said the company secured judgement against the state for a breach of some terms of the contract.

Mr Sokpor said the court asked the state to pay GH¢2 million compensation to Delta Foods in 2000.

He said when the state delayed in effecting the payment, Delta Foods took the case to a court in the United States and that court passed judgement asking the Ghana government to pay Delta Foods an additional $4.9 million for the delay in paying the GH¢2 million.

Mr Sokpor said the state finally made payment of both the GH¢2 million and the $4.6 million to Delta Foods.

GHA

The representative of the GHA was invited to produce contract certificates issued to Construction Pioneers (CP) from 1991 to 2012.

Mr Sokpor said the commission had sent the invitation letter to the Chief Executive of the GHA two weeks ago.

However, he said, when he spoke with the chief executive on phone yesterday, the latter claimed that he did not receive the letter.

He said the chief executive had asked for the rescheduling of the case.

“In the light of that, the commission is unable to sit today,” Mr Sokpor summed up the disappointment of all present.