Audit Service Exposes ex-Minister

..Failed to declare assets........ He now owns Poultry farms, Cattle Ranch, 9 vehicles, 20 plots of land, citrus plantation, cocoa farm, transport business and £150,000, $110,000.00, €31,000 and ¢225m in account

The Audit Service of Ghana last thursday exposed the former Central Regional Minister and Member of Parliament (MP) for Ajumako Enyan- Essiam Constituency, Mr Isaac Edumadze for failing to declare his asset in 1996 and 2000 as a public officer.

This came to light Thursday at Cape Coast High Court during the pendency of the case involving the MP and 14 defendants, all staff of Chronicle including Nana Kofi Coomson sued by him and presided over by his Lordship Justice Nana Gyamera Tawiah.

He is seeking damages from Nana Kofi Coomson, and his men for a series of allegedly libellous publications made over the years by the paper.

In the course of trial, Counsel for the Chronicle, Lawyer Kofi Lamptey sought the court’s permission to subpoena the Auditor General to appear before it to tender the assets declared by the Honourable Member of Parliament since he assumed public office as MP in 1996, 2000 and 2004.

The minister had claimed that the paper had intentionally maligned him and were behind the loss of his job as regional minister.

Incidentally, Mr. Edumadze’s lawyer successfully subpoena the tax records of Mr. Coomson earlier at Coomson’s successful libel action against the ex-Minister, and had his records openly read in court.

Mr Gallant Kwesi Akorli, a Legal Officer of the Audit Service, who was delegated by the Auditor General appeared in the witness box and gave evidence of the assets Mr. Edumadze declared on June 29,last year 2005.

Mr Akorli answered several questions from Mr Lamptey and concluded that the document which contained itemized properties owned by Mr Edumadze was the only one in possession of the Audit Service and that Mr. Edumadze had not declared that of 1996 and 2000 which the 1992 constitution enjoins any person holding public office to do.

In the current (2005) declaration form, Mr Edumadze stated that he owns an uncompleted nine ( 9-bedroom) house at Ajumako where he acquired the land on lease on March 4, 2001 at a cost of ¢120 million, 20 plots of land at Ajumako on lease acquired on March 1, 2004 that also cost ¢30million.

Mr Edumadze stated in the document that he has 126 acres of Coco Farm at Assin Amoabeng which he acquired in December 2003 on leae at the cost of ¢20 million, eight (8) acres of citrus plantation at Estii Abeka on leash hold acquired in January 2002 that cost him ¢3 Million.

He also stated that he has six (6) acres of citrus at Etsii Ekukrom on also on lease costing him ¢2.5 million, 35 acres of oil palm plantation at Kwesil Ansa on leasehold in December 2001 at the cost of ¢4.5 million. His long list of assets include 21 acres of oil palm at Effutuakwa on leasehold on December 2002 at the cost of ¢10 million, 23 acres of Citrus Plantation at Ajumako and another 40-acre land at Tepa in the Ashanti Region.

CATTLE RANCH

He has a cattle ranch at Kwesil Ansah, which he started in March 2003 while he has six ( 6 ) acres of cocoa farm at Breman Jamra, which he inherited from his late uncle.

VEHICLES

On vehicles, he has a Mitsubishi saloon car with registration number GR1709 U, purchased at ¢30 million in March 2001, Mercedes Benz E 200 saloon with registration number GT 6619 T purchased at ¢490 million in 2001, Toyota pick-up with registration number GR 5563 C purchased at ¢17million in September 2000, Nissan pick-up with registration number CR 437 V, purchased at ¢65million on April 2004, Hyundai mighty truck, CR 97 C, purchased at ¢35million in July 2004 and finally, Benz bus with registration number GT 4279 H, purchased at ¢30million in October 2000.

POULTRY FARMS

On poultry farms, he has one at Ajumako and another in Cape Coast, which earns him over ¢250million per annum while his transport business at Ajumako also earns him over ¢130 million per annum.

He stated in the document that as at 29th June 2005, his cash balance at National Investment Bank Account was ¢3.2million while that of his Agricultural Development Bank loan balance stood at ¢62 million.

His cash on hand in the same period was ¢225million, £150,000, 31,000 euros, and $110,000.

Counsel for Hon. Edumadze, Lawyer Ebo Dawson, raised no objection to the evidence provided by Mr. Kwesi Akorli.

Justice Nana Gyamera Tawiah struck out Nana Kofi Coomson’s name from the suit after Lawyer Lamptey had argued that Coomson was a shareholder of the company.
Justice Nana Gyamera urged both parties to present their addresses on January 25, 2007, to enable him fix a date for judgment on the case, which started early this year.
He warned the two lawyers that he would not tolerate any late submission of addresses from them Mr. Albert Nathaniel Essuman represented Hon. Edumadze in court, while Kofi Coomson was represented by his counsel.