[ 2017-05-11 ]

John Alexander Ackon, outgoing Ashanti Regional Minister

Don't blame us for KMA rot; we met it - Ex-minister suggests
The former Ashanti Regional Minister has accused
the new Mayor of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly
Mr Osei Assibey of political dishonesty in a new
judgement debt scandal that has rocked the
Assembly.

Alexander Ackon says the KMA was already dying
when his government took office and must not be
blamed for the current poor state the Assembly
finds itself.

While admitting that the Assembly was heavily
indebted, he was quick with a vehement denial that
the judgement debt rose from 6 million cedis to
over 50 million cedis in the last three months of
the NDC administration.

Supporting a view shared by Francis Dodovi, a
former government appointee to the Kumasi
Metropolitan Assembly, the former Regional
Minister said when they took over, the KMA had
over 44 court cases of judgment debt hanging
around its neck and wondered why his
administration would be blamed for the sad state
of affairs the KMA currently finds itself.

He was reacting to a sessional address by the new
KMA boss Osei Assibey which painted a
heartbreaking report of judgment debts that was
threatening the very survival of the Assembly.

According to him, the Assembly was saddled with
Judgment debts to the tune of ?6.4 million cedis
which has now ballooned to over 50 million cedis
in the last three months of 2016.

The initial debt was borne out of court cases
bordering on the;

Failure of the Assembly to meet its financial
obligations to contractors and service providers
who had performed their side of the contracts
between 1992 and 2012.

Abrogation of contracts

Frustration/obstruction of contractors on site;
specifically the seizure of public latrine project
sites by some Assembly and Unit Committee
Members.

Perfunctory handling of court cases (including a
few appeals of these cases by the Assembly’s
Legal Department

As a result of these debts, the Assembly was faced
with an imminent takeover of its assets by the
judgment creditors whilst an amount of GH? 1.2
million had already been garnisheed to pay two of
the judgment creditors between January and August
2016.

As if that is not enough, a summary report of
KMA’s Financial Liabilities as at 31st December
2016 stood at ?119.2 million cedis accumulated
over several years.

Again within a space of three months i.e. October
to December 2016, the judgment debt stock of the
KMA rose from GHS6.4 million cedis to GHS50.6
million cedis an increase of a whopping 44 million
cedis.

These figures are likely to increase as other
judgments are given in favour of the plaintiffs in
the pending cases, Joy News has learnt.

But the former Regional Minister is contesting the
figures of the last three months of his
administration but admits the history of
maladministration of the Assembly dates back
several years.

Source - Myjoyonline.com

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