GCnet denies court action against UNIPASS deal

Contrary to reports that the Ghana Community Network (GCnet) and West Blue Consulting have taken UNIPASS to court for claims of software piracy adopted by the latter to deliver their services of trade facilitation at Ghana’s ports, GCnet has clarified that it knows nothing about the case being in court.

A source at GCnet confirmed to the Goldstreet Business that the case was rather being pursued at the court by Customs World, formerly West Blue Consulting.

Indeed, the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) is a shareholder of GCnet with both the Commissioner of Customs and the Commissioner General of the GRA being members of the GCnet board.

Together, the Ghana Shippers Authority, GCB Bank and the GRA control about 35 percent equity share in the GCnet.

Meanwhile, the GRA has been playing down the possibility of judgement debt payment to both the GCnet and West Blue Consulting in the current deal involving the takeover by UNIPASS.

But analysts point out that the GRA cannot in anyway hold brief for West Blue Consulting regarding the demand for and consequent payment of judgement debt as government would have to wait for the courts for the final ruling on any case brought before it by West Blue.

Albeit, the GRA has admitted that there could be some compensation in the form of fees in the contract termination to affected parties.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of GRA, Custom Division, Mate Kodjo, addressing the media at a workshop last week,  said, “the fact that the government wants another company with a superior service to benefit the state does not warrant the request for judgement debt”.

He argued that there could only be a certainty about judgement debt when there is an existing contract which is deliberately and intentionally terminated.

The Deputy Commissioner added, “contracts can be allowed to run to their full length, it may overlap and it may be terminated based on the provisions in the contract if indeed there is a subsisting one and the imperatives are such that the contract should be terminated.”