Fresh Judgement Debt awaits NPP at Awutu Senya East

…as Assembly Fails to Renovate used Private Facility

The Awutu Senya East Municipal Assembly (ASEMA) can easily push the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration into paying yet another judgement debt likely to run into several millions of Ghana Cedis.

Opera News has gathered that, after using a rented property as office since 2017, ASEMA has not only failed to renovate the prestigious edifice to its former status as it came to meet, but has also refused to hand over the keys to the owners of the facility 35 months after claiming to have vacated the place.

The facility situated at Krispol City, Kasoa, is now a sad picture of itself, as a visit to the place revealed a deplorable state of its former status when it was first handed over to the Assembly. The surrounding of the facility has become so weedy and unkempt, so much that it has become the abode of rodents and pests, and one would wonder if it has ever housed the assembly.

According to the owners, all efforts to have the place put back in shape have failed, because they were met with insults and physical attacks, especially from the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE).

Documents cited by this medium indicate that the facility with House Number AC 46/6, situated at Krispol City, Kasoa consist of three (3) blocks of one (1) storey – building. It was handed over to the Assembly for use as office accommodation for one year seven months, effective from June 1, 2017.

The documents have it further that if the Assembly wanted to renew its use of the place, it should write to the owners on or before March 31, 2018, provided that there is no antecedent breach of any covenants by the Assembly.

Also the owners of the facility agreed to take a monthly rent of GH¢9,000.00 to be paid in advance of 19 months, however, the assembly was able to pay for only 12 months.

Then, on January 23, 2018, ASEMA wrote to the owners of the property of its intentions to vacate the place for unknown reasons. The said letter was duly signed by the Municipal Coordinating Director Alhaji Mohammed Arona Akape.  We have it on records that the ownershis letter, the owners responded.

HOW THE PROBLEM BEGUN

As the Tenancy Agreement indicated, the owners had to inspect the place, take the outstanding rent and then collect their keys.

According to our information, on inspection, the owners realized that the place had been misused with many facilities missing.

As such, they requested from the Assembly to properly put the place to its former order – as how they came to meet it before they can collect their keys and then the outstanding rent.

Our information has it that, this led to foot-dragging from the Assembly and several meetings between the Owners and the Assembly. This was where insults and bluffing resulted. All this while, the Assembly kept to itself the keys to the property.

The cited documents further indicate that on July 3, 2019, the owners wrote to the Assembly a reminder with reference to the rent. They also indicated their intention to go to court to have the Assembly settle them. To this letter, ASEMA acknowledged receipt dated July 10, 2019. Strangely enough, the Assembly has not fulfilled its part.

VISIT TO THE PLACE

When Opera News got to the place there was a scheduled meeting between the two parties on May 15, 2020. As such, this reporter took part in the meeting which started late in the afternoon.

The Assembly was represented by one Douglas Yeboah, the Deputy Coordinating Director and some officials from the Assembly. It was during inspection of the place that the issue of the weedy surrounding came up again. Also the story of uncompleted and shoddy renovation, missing facilities among others came up strongly.

With tempers rising high, the Regional Coordinating Director, was dragged in, and but for him, the story would have been different. It was however agreed that the place should be properly renovated with all missing items replaced by May 31, 2020 and their property given them. At this juncture, the outstanding rent would have shot up to 36 months since keys to the place are still in the possession of the Assembly.

However, the owners maintained that they will maintain the 35 months outstanding rent. Failure to line up to expectation, they will drag the Assembly to court.

Source: S. O. Ankamah