<<Print>>

The Deputy Director in Charge of Finance and Administration at the Department of Urban Roads, Phillip Lartey, and the Board Chairman of African Automobile Limited (AAL), who doubles as the Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Mohammed Hijazi, appeared before the Judgment Debt Commission. They appeared yesterday in respect of issues surrounding vehicles supplied to state institutions in 1995, including the Ministry of Roads and Transport. Mr. Lartey said the Department of Urban Roads took delivery of some Mitsubishi vehicles from AAL under a World Bank Project. Mr. Lartey intimated to the commission that African Automobile Limited (AAL) supplied vehicles to the Department under a World Bank Project in 1995. According to him, the World Bank paid 90% of the cost of the vehicles and the Government of Ghana was supposed to defray the remaining 10%, but could not tell whether the government paid the remaining 10% to AAL. When quizzed as to whether the Urban Roads owed AAL some vehicle maintenance fee, he intimated to the Commission that all maintenance were paid for, as and when the services were rendered. However, he pleaded for more time to enable him search for information on the case and also visit Public Records & Archives Administration Department (PRAAD) to locate all necessary documents. The CEO of AAL, Mr. Hijazi presented all documents pertaining to the various judgments from some institutions such as Ministry of Education, Ministry of Roads and Highways and other institutions which had already appeared before the commission in respect of the vehicles. He also tendered in Audited Accounts and Tax Returns of the company from 1995 to 2012. He said AAL went to court in respect of certain vehicles they supplied to some government institutions in which judgment was entered in their favor. Some of these judgments were AAL vrs MDAs Suit No. RPC 193/2008 given in January 2009, AAL vrs MDAs Suit No. 194/2008, given in April 20011 and AAL vrs Ministry of Employment, Manpower Development on July 31, 2010. These judgments were given to AAL in respect of the vehicles supplied to various government institutions. The Sole commissioner, Justice Yaw Appau, an Appeal court judge revealed that AAL had gone to court due to some default payment by the Urban Roads and Agencies of some service and maintenance cost after the delivery of the vehicles. He said according to AAL, these Urban Roads departments and agencies that owed them were the Sekondi office of Urban Roads which owed GH �33,117.76, Tema GH�78,530.90 and Kumasi GH�17,551.74. Justice Appau said in his remarks that �the unfortunate thing was that when the Attorney General and Ministry of Finance were sued neither the Ministry of Roads nor Urban roads was made a party to the case,� he noted He said since AAL has submitted all the documents to assist the commission, they were going to study them and if there was the need to call AAL back the commission will do so. However, the representative from Urban Roads should search through their archives to supply them with their documents, since it would be unclear what transaction transpired and what led to the judgment debt settlement.