High Court orders auction of assembly vehicles to settle rent
The Koforidua High Court has ordered the auction of two vehicles belonging to the Kwahu West Municipal Assembly to defray the payment of accumulated rents of GH₵ 53,000 owed by the Assembly.
This follows a summons filed by the landlord of the Assembly, Mr Ampedu Adjei, an Accra-based businessman, to retrieve his money.
The vehicles are a Nissan Patrol 4 x 4 with registration number GN 1941-11, an official vehicle for the Municipal Chief Executive and a Ford 4 x4 with registration number GE 3165-Y which also belong to the Municipal Coordinating Director.
The Municipal Chief Executive, Dr Alex Somuah Obeng disclosed this at a meeting of the Assembly at Nkawkaw to elect the Presiding Member of the Assembly.
He said a bailiff and a Policeman from the High Court arrived at the Assembly during the weekend, demanding the keys to the vehicles.
According to Dr Obeng, the Assembly rented a story building of Mr Adjei for staff of the Assembly at the cost of GH₵150 a month after making an advance payment of GH₵ 800 in 2000.
He said the landlord later increased the rent to GH₵ 650 a month which the Assembly could not afford to pay and therefore the landlord sent the case to court after which it was reduced to GH₵ 500 a month.
The Municipal Chief Executive said there was an accumulation of the rent due to the court issue because the Assembly was not paying when the case was in court.
He said the Assembly and the landlord came to a compromise for the Assembly to pay the accumulated rent later but Mr Adjei went to court for an ejection order to eject all the Assembly staff including the Municipal Director of Education some three weeks ago.
He said efforts are being made to settle the accumulated rent to retrieve the vehicles.
Mr Dickson Amofa Akyirem was elected the Presiding Member of the Assembly after the other contestant, Nana Obuadum Debrah Banahene stepped down.
Mr Akyirem had 30 votes out of the 39 votes cast representing 75 per cent.
In his acceptance speech, he thanked the members of the Assembly for the confidence reposed in him and urged them to bury their differences and cooperate with the management of the Assembly to enhance the development of the Municipality.
Source: GNA