AMA officials deny taking part in extortion

Accra, Aug. 28, GNA - Mr. Joseph Okine, Chief Metro Guard at the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and Mr. Samuel Mantey, Government Appointee for Osu Clottey Sub-Metro at the Assembly, on Tuesday denied receiving money from Mr Daniel Adjetey, Chairman of Tema Station Traders' Association in Accra.

They told the GNA in an interview in Accra on Tuesday that although they knew Daniel Adjetey they had never asked him to conduct any business on their behalf.

They said a Committee of Enquiry had been instituted to look into the issue.

Mr. Adjetey also told the GNA that he did not collect money from the traders on behalf of both men.

"All the monies that were collected were channelled into the sanitation and the development of Tema Station," he said. "The AMA has nothing to do with it and the traders were charged between 100,000 cedis (GH=A2 10 and 300,000 cedis (GH=A2 30) for a container and not between 300,000 (GH=A230) and 400,000 cedis (GH=A2 40) as was reported.

"Mr Stephen Anyan (the one who alerted the AMA on this extortion issue) is doing all these because he wants power," he added. Mr Anyan, who wrote to AMA on the issue, said he did not accuse anyone of extortion, but wanted to enquire whether the officials whose names were mentioned had anything to do with the activities of Mr Adjetey.

Some traders at Tema Station told the GNA that when the AMA threatened to evict them about a week ago Mr Adjetey made them pay 5,000 cedis each claiming that he was going to see top officials at the AMA for them to rescind their decision.