THE CHIEF Investigation Officer at the presidency In-charge of Confiscated Assets, John Kweku Mensah has told the Judgment Debt Commission that his outfit is not aware of a supposed government confiscation of two companies which cost government �34 billion old cedis.
The companies, Holex Ghana Limited and Priorities Ghana Limited owned by Nana Duke Wood were confiscated and when the matter went to court, the Attorney General�s department failed to defend it leading to a default judgment.
The witness, who has been with the Confiscated Assets Committee since 1982 till date, said the two companies, Holex Ghana Limited and Priorities Ghana Limited, all at Akim Oda were not known to their records.
�My Lord, for the years that I have been on the committee, we have never had any of such properties confiscated to the state.
�So when I received the subpoena, I told my boss that all these years that I have been on the committee, we have never worked on such properties before, so when I read your letter, I find it difficult.
�Holex Ghana Limited, we have never seen it on our records before, Priorities Ghana Limited has never been on our records before, all of Akim Oda in the Eastern region. We have no records of whatsoever on these two properties, My Lord.�
Asked by the Sole Commissioner, Justice Yaw Apau whether he had heard of the name Nana Duke Wood, the owner of these two companies, he replied in the negative saying, �No My Lord.�
The investigator who said he has never suffered any political whip at the presidency, in his 32 years on the committee noted that he only got to know of the issue after he was served the subpoena by the commission.
�In fact, it was when I received your letter that I got to know and I came across the name Holex and Priorities of Akim Oda, I was a bit surprised because most of the properties we have dealt with as far back as the first overthrow of the first republic, we have the commissions of enquiries, Jadi commission, Japalo commission, SMC one, SMC 2, AFRC and to the PNDC era, I have not come across these companies.�
Records available to the commission indicated that, the owner of the two companies after the confiscation went to court and because the matter was not properly defended by the Attorney General�s department, he was given a default judgement to the tune of over c34 billion old cedis.
The commission also indicated that, the Attorney General�s department could also not trace documents to that effect.
Mr. Mensah was, however, instructed to furnish the commission with processes of confiscation and de-confiscation and also produce to the commission companies confiscated and de-confiscated since 1992 till date.
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