AMA for sale over GH¢33m debt

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) may cease to exist physically in the next couple of days if the central government does not intervene.

As it stands now, virtually all the Assembly’s properties, both movable and immovable, including its headquarters building, the Metropolitan Chief Executive’s official residence and other houses and vehicles have been put on sale.

The action is being carried out by auctioneers who have posted FIFA notices on the various properties as a result of a judgment debt won against the Assembly by City and Country Waste Limited (CCWL), a company owned by known NDC businessman and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), Eddie Annan.

The properties are therefore being put up for sale to make for the said judgment debt which is in the region of GH¢33million over the abrogation of a waste management contract with the AMA by the Kufuor Administration, since the Assembly was unable to settle the cost involved and its accumulated interest.

Takeover

The company is said to have already taken possession of a number of vehicles of the AMA including those which were being used by the Budget and its Public Relations Officer.

Next in line is the official residence of the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) Alfred Oko Vanderpuije, which is located at number 3, 8th Avenue Street in Ridge Accra, directly opposite the old former UST Guest House and next to the office of the Geological Survey Department.

The building, which is right in the heart of the city, a few meters away from the TUC [Trade Union Congress] building, has been pencilled for auction next Thursday November 7, 2013 at exactly 10:00am. It is open to the public for inspection.

The Waste Management Department building at Kaneshie has also been attached.

“The Assembly cannot pay so it’s with government,” an obviously distraught Accra Mayor, Oko Vanderpuije told Daily Guide in a quivering voice over the phone.

He was however confident the issue would be settled before things got out of hand.

Gov’t Intervention

But Deputy Attorney General (A-G) and Minister for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine told the paper “government is determined to resolve the issue.”

In an interview, he said they had already started talks with lawyers for the company.

Under normal circumstances, Dr Ayine indicated, “you do not levy execution on immovable properties unless you have exhausted the movable and you are not satisfied with the judgment.” He had therefore expected the levying of the execution would start with the movable assets before the company considered the option of putting up the Assembly’s buildings for sale.

The Deputy A-G, however, stressed the belief that “because of the delays and then also the time value of money, they have decided to proceed with the execution.”

That notwithstanding, he noted that “we will resolve the issue.”

He told Daily Guide “a court ordered the payment of sums of money due to CCWL but the AMA raised a number of issues regarding its own shares in the company and then also there are certain issues of taxes due to the state that haven’t been taken into account.

“So while the government was making efforts to resolve those issues…the company entered into execution and that is how come they have started levying execution on properties of the Metropolitan Authority”, he explained.

Dr Ayine was, however, hopeful that government would be able to resolve the issue amicably.