The Registrar General�s Department has told the Judgment Debt Commission chaired by the Sole Commissioner, Justice Yaw Apau that the department could not confirm whether African Automobile Limited (AAL) filed its annual returns between 2010 and 2011 because they have no traces of such documents.
According to the department, document presently available to it is thin and the volume of file they have about AAL cannot be the true reflection of a company registered in 1976, and therefore requested for ample time to locate the full file.
The commission said the Chief Executive Officer of AAL, Mohammed Hijazi has been subpoenaed to appear before the commission in that respect.
An assistant State Attorney, Seyywoe Kwakuvi Zagbedeh made this known when her department was requested to furnish the commission with the annual returns form filed by AAL between 2010 and 2011 in respect of the matter titled AAL against Attorney General, as well as a petition the company filed to the commission.
�My Lord, we are unable to confirm whether or not the said company has filed its annual returns for the year 2010, 2011. This is because we have slight issues with our filing system. I have here before me the file of the said company, but, there is no indication that the said returns have been filed.�
She asserted that, �It is possible that it could have been filed, so I�m unable to confirm that. Check on our re-registration system shows that the company has not been re-registered. If it�s had done that, we will be able to see from that system whether or not the said company had filed its annual returns.�
Re-registration
Enlightening the commission about the re-registration exercise, she said, �In the year 2011, we began using a new system to capture information on companies that are registered with us. We found out that, because we were using the paper system, it was difficult in filing. This one is electronic where everything that is filed on the company is captured into the system and you cannot by-pass it.�
Ms. Zagbedeh told the commission that, for the companies that have already registered, �We asked that they should come and be migrated from our old registration system unto the new system and by that they filed their annual reports up-to-date before we migrated them unto the new system.�
According to the assistant state attorney, �We make sure you have filed everything that you are supposed to file. It�s like, moving the old company unto the new system. Until you have done everything that you are required to do on your existing company, we cannot migrate you onto the new system.�
Answering questions from the counsel of the commission, Kofi Dometi Sokpor, she said the most significant aspect of this is that, �Subsequently you cannot file anything at the registry; without it being captured in the system and it will prompt you when you are to file your annual returns or any other required documents.�
When the Sole Commissioner enquired from her when AAL last filed its annual returns, she replied, �There is no indication that annual reports have been filed from what I have. It is very thin and for a company that was registered in 1976; this cannot be the true reflection of the company�s documents. It is too thin to be described as a full file.�
AG�s department
Ms Dorothy Afriyie Ansah, who was accompanied by Mrs. Stella Otema Badu, both chief state attorneys and appeared in respect of the same matter tendered in documents to the commission signifying 11 cases the state had against AAL.
According Ms. Afriyie Ansah AAL sued 19 MMDAs for services it claimed had been rendered to them and refused to pay the cost involved leading to the court action.
Hearing continues today.
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