<<Print>>

The Judgement Debt Commission is looking into the matter of the payment of GH₵ 3, 217, 632 judgement debt by the State, to the Carmichael Family in respect of the Aveyime Livestock Project in the Volta Region. Mr Leslie Akrong, Assistant Director at the Banking Department of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), on Monday told the Commission that the Bank on April 20, 2009, received a letter dated January 8, 2009, from the Controller and Accountant-General�s Department (CAGD), instructing it to transfer GH₵3, 217, 632 from the government's main account, to the account of the Ministry of Justice and Attorney-General�s Department for the payment of judgement debt to the Carmichael Family. He said it took the Bank sometime to process the request, and by May 4, 2009, the money was transferred. Mr Akrong, however, explained that the money was initially quoted in dollars, but was to be paid in cedis, and as at the time of effecting the transfer, inflation had affected the amount leading to a short fall of GHC530, 628.44. He said the Bank wrote again to the CAGD to explain the situation, adding that the Department again wrote to them, authorizing them to transfer the said amount from the government's main account into the account of the Ministry of Finance for payment to be effected, to which the BoG again complied. Mr Akrong presented copies of documents to the Commission, in which a letter dated January 6, 2009 and signed by Mr Justice VCRAC Crabbe, Statues Law Commissioner, and addressed to the then Minister of State for Finance and Economic Planning, Dr Anthony Akoto Osei, stating that the President had authorized the payment of the judgement debt to Carmichael Family. He said acting on instructions from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, the CAGD then wrote to the BoG, authorizing the payment. Mr Justice Yaw Apau, Sole Commissioner of the Judgement Debt said as at now, there was no evidence as to whether the said payment was a judgement debt or a land compensation payment, and wondered why, the then President who had a day to live office would be authorizing such payment. He again wondered why it took four months for a letter to travel from the CAGD to the BoG, the two institutions, which are all within Accra, adding that the delay on the part of the Bank to honour the payment also led to the state paying more debts. The Sole Commissioner said state institutions must be allowed to do their work independently without governmental interference. Mr Kofi Dometi Sokpor, Counsel for the Commission, wanted to know why the Carmichael Family, who were Ghanaians had the compensation payment in dollars. To this, Mr Akrong replied that the BoG was only complying with directives from the CAGD. In the matter of the payment of compensation to Christopher Michael of the Aveyime Livestock Project, the Counsel asked Mr Akrong to explain the difference between Christopher Michael and the Carmichael Family. Mr Akrong, in his response, said the two were different people, and that the BoG had another letter from the CAGD, instructing the bank to pay $ 2.4 to Christopher Michael through a bank in the United Sates. He said a component of $ 240,000 was paid to Mr Reginald Achis, who he said, according to their investigations, was the solicitor for both the Carmichael Family and Christopher Michael. On the payment of compensations on land to unidentified people at Adaklu and Abutia in the Volta Region, Mr Sokpor questioned Mr Akrong why an amount in the neigbourhood of GH₵ 780, 000 was paid out by the Bank. Mr Akrong explained that on Decemmber 29, 2009, the BoG received a directive from the CAGD for the amount to be transferred to non-roads account of the government, for the payment of compensations to the unidentified person, which was effected. Mrs Dorothy Afriyie-Ansah, Chief State Attorney, was also at the Commission to present evidence on agreement between the state and Rarroch, Granuti/Gelefi Ventures and the Ministry of Roads and Highways. Other state institutions such as the Lands Evaluation Division, and the Ministry of Finance, who were supposed to appear before the Commission, but could not, had their sitting re-scheduled for June 3 and June 18 respectively. The Commission has adjourned sitting to Tuesday, June 3.