SSNIT Seizes Law Chamber's Property

...Over Rent Default

The Eastern Regional Office of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) has seized the office equipment of the Gyinaye Chambers, a Koforidua law firm, in the execution of a Community Tribunal order over rent default totalling 4.2 million cedis.

The tribunal gave the order in April when it upheld a writ of recovery

filed by the SSNIT to claim payment of the rent default from the Chambers due between 1998 and November 2000.

According to sources close to the Regional Prosecution Unit of the SSNIT as at the May 16 deadline given to the Chambers to pay the amount,only 500,000 cedis had been paid thereby compelling the SSNIT to apply to the tribunal for an order of ejection of the firm from its office complex.

So far, the SSNIT had effected the ejection of five tenants occupying its residential flats at Effiduase and the office complex over rent default totalling over six million cedis.

The tenants included Obuotabri Processing Farms from a residential flat and Geray Limited, Roskan Limited and Felwine Limited whose office equipment have been taken custody of by the SSNIT pending the payment of the rent or be auctioned for recovery of the amount, according to the sources.

In another development the SSNIT had reached an understanding with the Fisheries Department of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) to suspend legal action for the recovery of office rent arrears totalling 13.8 million cedis, the source said.