Awadada, five others sued over mismanagement of money from Hogbetsotsoza

Togbi Agbesi Awusu II, the Awadada of Anlo Kingdom and some five others have been sued at the Sogakope High Court over proceeds from celebrations of the annual cultural festival, Hogbetsotsoza.

The five others were Togbi Zewu III, Mr G.A.S. Ladzekpo, Mr Silas Aidam, Mr Dan Abodakpi and Agbotadua Kumassah, who are members of the Hogbetsotsoza Local Planning Committee.

The plaintiffs- Mr Albert Ahialengor and Mr Atsu Tetteh, Convenor and Chairman respectively of a group, Anlo Progressive Youth for Accountability and Development- in a suit filed on August 16, 2023, and available to the Ghana News Agency, claimed among others that the defendants, who had been in charge of the organisation, planning and celebration of the festival since 2011, never rendered accounts to the people.

The suit said: “Plaintiffs also contend that defendants tenure has also been characterised by misappropriation of funds belonging to the Anlo Kingdom/State; resources which should have been channeled into projects in the Kingdom found their way into defendants private pockets.”

The writ said numerous attempts by the plaintiffs to get defendants to render accounts for their stewardship failed hence their action, seeking from the court “a declaration that defendants are trustees and fiduciaries of funds raised annually in the name and on behalf of the Anlo Kingdom/State.

“An order for full disclosure of all accounts opened/operated in the name of Hogbetsotsoza and its affiliate from 2011 till date… An order for forensic audit of the income and expenditure accounts of the 2011 Hogbetsotsoza celebration from a reputable auditing firm.”

The plaintiffs prayed to the court to order defendants to refund monies found to be misappropriated resulting from the audit.

Source: GNA