NDC Swindles Businessman |

Col. Blood Sraku of the Office of the President, acting on behalf of the then opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), has breached a gentleman's agreement with Kumasi-based Data Age Computers and swindled the company of the tune of GH¢5,700 in rent and costs.

The man has also not returned about seven computers, out of the lot he rented from the company for the purpose of collating election results.Mr Emmanuel Sarpong, proprietor of the computer firm who walked into the office of the Chronicle in Kumasi, said in December 2008, Col. Sraku approached him and requested to rent 30 pieces of laptop computers the NDC needed to enable it collate results, to ensure the effective monitoring of the elections in the region.

Mr Sarpong indicated that he could provide Col. Sraku with only 16 laptops, which he personally conveyed to the Regional Chairman, Mr Ohene-Agyekum's residence at Ridge in Kumasi.According to Sarpong, the computers were rented for GH¢20 a day for four days, effective December 5, 2008. Sarpong said on January 15, 2009, he got in contact with the Colonel, and managed to retrieve eight of the computers.

The soldier, however, complained that seven of the computers were lost, and accepted to pay the cost and rent, but nothing had been heard from him since Sarpong said he has been speaking with Sraku on phone most of the time, but that was all there was to the transaction, in spite of the numerous promises to pay his indebtedness, inclusive cost of lost computers and rent amounting to GH¢5,700.

The creditor says he had since been to Accra on eight occasions, but the Colonel avoids seeing him, with the excuse of being either busy somewhere or at a crucial meeting, thus incurring further cost of GH¢1000 in hotel bills and transportation. He said when it became evident that the NDC activist was not ready to pay the debt, he informed Mr Asiedu Nketiah, General Secretary of the party, to intervene, but even though the General Secretary claimed he was aware of the said transaction, he has not been able to prevail on Col. Sraku to honour his obligation to Data Age Computers.

Sarpong claims he also complained to Mr Yaw Boateng Djan, National Youth Organiser of the party, in vain, because he could not help and neither could Ohene-Agyekum bail him out. He has appealed to the leadership of the party to ensure the settlement of the debt to enable him repay the loan he contracted from a bank to procure the computers.

A Chronicle source at the Regional Secretariat of the party testified that some computers were actually procured for use at the Flosid Hotel in Kumasi, which served as the Party's Secretariat for monitoring election results.