Business News of Saturday, 6 January 2024

Source: peacefmonline.com

Tension looms at KIA, Aviance over alleged illegal gold export

File photo of gold bars File photo of gold bars

There was a near-altercation over an attempt to export gold to the Emirates last Tuesday, January 2, 2024, as a result of a tussle over ownership of Adamus Resources Ltd, a gold mining Company operating from the Western Region.

The squabble has resulted in an injunction filed by one of the two parties involved in the legal battle.

According to Peacefmonline sources at the KIA, persons who have been restrained by the court, allegedly aided by some powerful political hands in government, attempted to smuggle huge sums of gold to the Emirates,

This was despite a court injunction barring the directors of Adamus involved in the case from further transacting business in the name of Adamus Resources Ltd.

It would be recalled that an Accra High Court, in its order on December 21, 2023, restrained one of the parties in the person of Angela List and the other two directors appointed to the Board of Adamus Ghana, to cease taking decisions that might impact the operations of the mining company until the final determination of the case.

Notices of the said injunction application have also been served on all interested parties at the Aviance Cargo Village, including the PMMC, NACOC, Customs/GRA, National Security, Swissport, and others, to primarily prevent the afore-mentioned parties from engaging in any gold export trade in the name of Adamus.

This move was prompted by an attempt to ship four boxes of gold weighing a total of 58069 grammes to the Emirate via KLM on Tuesday, January 2, 2024, without the prior consent and approval of an Interim Management Committee of Adamus. This was later thwarted by an application for an injunction.

Peacefmonline.com is reliably informed that several attempts by some security heads at the KIA to assist in exporting the gold notwithstanding a pending application for injunction were unsuccessful.

This was in spite of counter documents submitted by the alleged directors to the stakeholders who were earlier this week served with the injunction notice restraining them from carrying out further activities in the name of Adamus Resources.

The stakeholders at both the KIA and Aviance Cargo Village have been warned that if they continue to aid those restrained by the court in exporting gold in the name of Adamus Resources, they could be cited for contempt of Court.

The public is therefore urged to avoid any further business activities with unauthorised persons claiming to be director/s of Adamus, particularly in terms of exporting gold in the name of Adamus Resources Ltd, according to court documents.

The Accra High Court ordered the formation of an interim management committee (IMC), where each of the parties is expected to nominate two representatives.

Whereas the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources and Adamus Australia have made their appointments to the IMC since the order of the court on the 27th of July 2023, some disgruntled elements who once served in the top echelons of Adamus Resources Ltd, still hold themselves out as directors and continue to transact unsanctioned activities in the company's name.

Background

Adamus Australia, the firm's 90% shareholder, is contesting a supposed transfer of its shares to Angela List via her company, Nguvu Mining, and is preventing her from transacting business for and on behalf of the company.

Concerned about the continuous export of gold by Angela List and the other restrained directors, Adamus Australia filed an injunction application at the high court on 3/1/2024 to prevent any further gold export by the restrained directors unless authorised by members of an Interim Management Committee (IMC) ordered by the Court on the 27th of July 2023.

The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources appointed Lawyer Juliet Osei-Wusu (Mrs) to lead the five-member IMC, while Adamus Australia appointed two members.

Nguvu Mining has yet to indicate its two appointments to the IMC; instead, it has presented to Accra Airport authorities an application purportedly filed on behalf of Adamus Ghana to persuade them to disregard a pending application for an injunction to stop gold shipments by the restrained directors.

On December 21, 2013, the Court determined that processes filed by Ferociter Law on behalf of Adamus Ghana following the instructions of the restrained directors, found that they were not authorised and same were dismissed.

An application for contempt against the restrained directors and the Commissioner for Customs has previously been filed but is yet to be heard.

Customs officials, security personnel, and airport authorities are taking precautions to avoid incurring the Court's wrath by supporting the restrained directors and Brinks SI in exporting gold from Adamus Ghana Ltd until the injunction application is decided on 25/1/24.