By Kwabena Adu Koranteng
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Mecham Group, Mr. Isaac Acheampong, has advised Fidelity Bank to pay all the debt owed him and the Ghana Revenue Authority and stop threatening him with law suits
Speaking to the New Crusading Guide in an interview, Mr Acheampong said he has made a formal complaint to the Ghana Revenue Authority, the Inspector General of Police(IGP) Ghana and the Federal Bureau of Intelligence (FBI) in the United States of America to investigate the activities of Fidelity Bank with regard to this particular transaction. He said the so called suit against him or his nephew would be illegal since under the United Nations laws his nephew Akwasi Boakye Osei, the sole Landlord of Adwoa Adjeiwaa Building who has been granted asylum in the United States of America cannot be sued by any court of law in Ghana. He therefore urged the legal team to do their research well to avoid embarrassment.
“When you went to interview their lawyer, she told you that they have sued us .As I sit here nobody has brought a copy of the suit to me. I haven’t received a call from any bailiff from the court telling me of any suit. So I am urging them to stop the games and do the proper thing. They should do well and settle all their debts owe me to avoid embarrassment”, he stated.
Mr Acheampong has accused Fidelity Bank Ghana of failing to pay withholding taxes of over one million Ghana Cedis due Ghana Revenue Authority after occupying his Adjeiwaa Building at Osu, from 1, 2013 to 2018 without Tenancy Agreement.
According to Mr Acheampong, after he raised alarm over Fidelity Bank’s failure to pay the Withholding tax to government and Tenancy fee, Fidelity evacuated the building within two days without prior notice.
“Fidelity Bank owes my nephew Akwasi Boakye Osei, sole Landlord of Adwoa Adjeiwaa Building overdue rent of over GHC4, 048,121.46, excluding interest till day of final payment. Besides, Fidelity Bank owes overdue withholding taxes of over One Million Ghana Cedis due Ghana Revenue Authority. Additionally, Fidelity Bank has manufactured two (2) Medium-Term Loan Agreements with dates of 18th September 2007 and 9th October 2012 to defraud my nephew Akwasi Boakye Osei, owner of Adwoa Adjeiwaa Building in Osu, in a fraudulent scheme to take over my nephew’s Multi-million Dollar Office Building”.
“Fidelity Bank and its Board of Directors forcefully occupied my nephew’s Adwoa Adjeiwaa Building from February 1, 2013 to January 31, 2018 without Tenancy Agreement; without Payment of Rent to Landlord and without Payment of Withholding Taxes to Ghana Revenue”. He stated.
”For the record, my nephew on August 16, 2016 in a reconciliation exercise with Fidelity’s MD Jim Baiden, paid off the entire 100% indebtedness to Fidelity and Fidelity Bank was to refund to my nephew Ghc484,575.67 as at August 16, 2016. Further, Fidelity Bank was to move-out of the building on August 16, 2016 but failed to do so” he indicated.
Fidelity’s MD Jim Baiden on September 22, 2016 in a text message, pleaded with my nephew Akwasi Boakye Osei to be patient with Fidelity Bank to avoid any bad press for negative publicity and difficulty that would come upon Fidelity Bank. Jim Baiden in the same text message knowing that my nephew Akwasi Boakye Osei does not owe Fidelity Bank, promised my nephew that he was working very hard with the majority shareholder of Fidelity Bank (former President John Mahama) and that my nephew would soon get the Title Documentation of his ownership of the Adwoa Adjeiwaa Building back.”
Meanwhile, the Company secretary and head of the legal department of the Bank, Maataa Opare insists Akwasi Boakye Osei and Isaac Acheampong have been sued and would be served soon.
“All I can tell you is that our legal department is working on the issue. We have filed all the necessary documents at the court and they will soon here from us”.
READ FULL STATEMENT FROM FIDELITY BANK
“Fidelity Bank was a tenant in the Adwoa Adjeiwaa building from the 1st of February, 2008 until the 31st of January, 2008 when the Bank, after opting not to renew its tendency, vacated the building on its own accord and handed over the premises upon the expiry of its tenancy. During the period of its tenancy of the Adwoa Adjeiwaa building till date, Fidelity Bank has never been indebted and is not in any way indebted to Akwasi Boakye Osei or Ghana Heights Limited, which company was the Bank’s landlord.
“The allegations by Akwesi Bokye Osei against Fidelity Bank are frivolous, vexatious, devoid of any iota of truth and are actuated by malice deliberately to tarnish the hard-won reputation of the Bank as well as its Board and management”.
Contrary to the spurious and unfounded allegations by Akwasi Boakye Osei, it is rather Akwasi Boakye Osei and Ghana Heights Limited that jointly owe Fidelity Bank money arising out of a Loan Facility that Ghana Heights Limited and Akwasi Boakye Osei for recovery of the debt owing and due the Bank.
The Bank has further brought the malicious publications and documents to the attention of its solicitors who will take all necessary legal steps to assert the rights of the Bank against all persons found to be behind these defamatory publications and/or documents.
From the foregoing, we entreat all persons and entities who are in receipt of these defamatory publications and/or documents to desist from giving it any regard and rather treat same with the contempt that it deserves.
We believe the rule of law at the end of the day will vindicate the rights of the Bank and bring closure to these matters.
The Bank has filed a write of defamation against Akwasi Boakye and Isaac Acheampong. We have submitted evidence and we expect them to also do same the first write was filed on 2nd February 2018 and the Second Filed this morning by our lawyers Kulendi at Law. Fidelity is very clear. We are following the rule of law. The allegations are falls and misleading”, stated Maataa Opare, head of legal, Fidelity Bank.
Meanwhile, the CEO OF Mecham Group has denied receiving any writ. “I haven’t come across any sermon. No bailiff has called me. I am waiting for them to serve me then we can battle it out in court” he stated. This reporter will bring you more details as the story unfolds
