Security Personnel were no longer needed - Defence

Accra, March 2, GNA - The National Security Coordinator said on Wednesday the appointments of the 88 ex-security National Security personnel were terminated because their services were no longer required. A statement of defence filed by the Coordinator at the High Court denied that the ex-personnel were seen as 93political appointees" of the previous administration and consequently had their appointments terminated.

According to the National Security Coordinator who is one of the defendants, the ex-security personnel were paid three months salary in lieu of notice of termination and therefore the plaintiffs were not entitled to any end of service benefits as alleged. The statement further indicated that the National Security Coordinator was not the proper person to be sued but rather the entity adding a preliminary objection would be raised to strike his name out. But the plaintiffs however responded to the defence and when the case was called, Nana Ato Dadzie who represented the National Security Coordinator informed the court that he had not been served with plaintiffs' response.

He said in as much as the defence wanted an expeditious trial, all parties should follow the due process of the law. The court therefore ordered the plaintiffs to serve counsel before the next sitting and adjourned the matter to March 16. Captain Nkrabeah Effah-Darteh (Retired) counsel for the plaintiffs was however absent in court when the case was called. The 88 former security personnel had taken the National Security Coordinator and the Attorney General to court to demand their end-of-service benefits after their appointments were terminated. The personnel are seeking a declaration that they were entitled to their end-of-service benefits upon the termination of their appointments in consistence with the conditions governing their employment as staff of the National Security Secretariat. The former security operatives are also seeking an order compelling the defendants to pay their benefits.

In their statement of claim, the dismissed personnel contended that they were citizens of the country and were employed as regular staff of the National Security Council.

They averred that although they lost their jobs because of the change of political leadership, President John Evans Atta Mills acknowledged 93their dedicated and loyal service to the state". According to them, in partial fulfilment of the conditions governing the termination of their appointment, they were each paid three months' salary in lieu of notice. They therefore petitioned for payment of their end-of-service benefits but that was ignored and letters written by their solicitor did not yield any fruitful results. The personnel said unless the court intervened, the defendants would not heed their demands.