An Accra High Court has frozen the accounts of the East Ada District Assembly for refusing to pay a contractor who had rendered services to it in 2016. The decision comes after efforts by the contractor over the last five years to receive his payment claim yielded no dividend.
Nene Teye Akplehey Adzomani IV, known in private life as Prince Akplehey, was contracted by the Assembly in 2016 to provide streetlights, bulb igniters and photocells, as well as rehabilitate existing streetlights at a contract sum of GH¢89,593.75, which he duly executed.
However, after completing the contract in November 2016, he could not be paid before and the government was changed after the General Elections.
According to the contractor, frantic efforts to get the Assembly to pay his money had proved futile.
The current leadership of the East Ada District Assembly claimed it did not recognise any such contract, compelling him to officially write to the Greater Accra Regional Coordinating Council and the present Regional Minister, Henry Quartey, who intervened, but the Assembly disobeyed him.
The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) authenticated that such works were done. As a result, the office of the Attorney General advised the contractor to seek redress at the law court with his documentary proof.
The Accra High Commercial Court, presided over by Her Ladyship Rebecca Sittie, in her ruling in March this year, ordered that the East Ada District Assembly pay Prince Isaac Akplehey GH¢89,593.75 being the contract sum, with accrued interest of GH¢277,396.10 over the unpaid period.
The court also awarded GH¢20,000 in favour of the plaintiff, bringing the total judgment cost to GH¢386,989.85. However, the Assembly was yet to honour the directive, as a result of which the court had frozen its accounts.
When The Chronicle reached the East Ada District Coordinating Director, Fred Kpodo, on Tuesday to confirm whether or not an Accra High Court had frozen the accounts of the Assembly, he said: “It is… It is something like that. Please, I am driving on the deadly Motorway, so… yes, it is true,” in a 47-second telephone interaction with The Chronicle.
