SSNIT Testifies At Judgement Debt Hearing

By Esther Awuah

THE SOCIAL SECURITY and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) yesterday appeared before the Judgement Debt Commission to testify in a case involving it and the International Tobacco Ghana (ITG) Limited, CUSTOMS Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) and the Attorney General (AG).

The Commission was appointed by President John Mahama to investigate the payment of huge judgement debts paid to individuals and companies from 1992 to present.

SSNIT appeared before the commission which was hearing a case in which an amount of GH¢4,179,718 was paid as judgement debt in 2009 to ITG Limited.

The cigarette manufacturing company, ITG Limited, formerly Pioneer Tobacco Company Limited, sued CEPS, the AG and SSNIT when its properties, which belonged to the late Benjamin Amponsah Mensah, were confiscated under the erstwhile Provisional National Defence Council, (PNDC) era.

A ruling in its favour on January 21, 2004 directed that a judgement debt of GH¢4,179,718 was paid to it, and in 2009, Betty Mould-Iddrisu, the then AG, ordered the Ministry of Finance to effect the payment of the judgement debt.

However, Peter Hayibor, Head of Legal Services at SSNIT, said his outfit was not aware of the payment of the said amount to the cigarette company.

Mr. Hayibor, who was led in evidence by Dometi Kofi Sorkpor Counsel for the Commission, stated that “when our attention was drawn to that settlement, we indicated our position and requested the AG to be mindful of the rights of the third party which is SSNIT.”

He added that his outfit did not receive any response from the AG, and later heard the judgement debt had been paid to the plantiff.

He told the commission presided over by Justice Yaw Apau that ITG had sued SSNIT and the other parties after his outfit in 1989 bought some properties belonging to ITG when the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority formerly CEPS put it up for sale.

He said “CEPS issued a distress warrant in respect of properties of ITG for non-payment of excise duties and sales tax on products that ITG had sold.”

SSNIT, according to Mr Hayibor “purchased majority of the immovable items which were seized under the warrant.”

The Head of SSNIT Legal Services noted that after acquiring the assets, ITG in 1990 commenced a number of suits claiming the sale of their properties was unlawful.

Among others, he said ITG claimed damages and recovery of their properties which had been sold.

He said after the ruling was made in favour of ITG, SSNIT filed a counter claim at the High Court in Accra, a case which is still pending.

To facilitate the Commission’s investigations, Mr. Hayibor provided it with documents covering the properties SSNIT bought from CEPS.

Sitting continues on Monday June 10, 2013