George Opesika Aguddey, the 2004 presidential candidate of the Convention People�s Party (CPP) has filed an appeal in an Accra high court challenging his conviction for refusing to pay social security contributions of his workers.
He is no longer serving his three-month jail sentence as pronounced on him by the District Court because the High Court has granted him bail in the sum of GH2 million and requested that he deposits the Title Deed of his house at Sampa Valley, pending the determination of the appeal.
It is barely a month and 11 days ago, when the District Court, presided over by Mr. Aboagye Tandoh, pronounced a jail sentence on him for refusing to pay his workers� contributions totaling GH2,635, 161.90 and also under-declaring the number of his employees.
According to the Corporate Affairs Manager of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust, Ms Evangeline Amegashie, SSNIT had been served a copy of the appeal and was waiting for the District Court to send the record of proceedings to the high court for hearing to begin, probably next month.
At the high court, Mr. Aguddey will argue his appeal first, and then SSNIT would respond after which the court would then fix a date for judgement.
Mr. Aggudey, who is the Chief Executive of Gocrest Security Company was on September 14, sentenced to a three-month imprisonment by an Accra District Magistrate Court for failing to pay his workers social security contributions totaling GH2, 635,161.90. The court further ordered him to pay all his indebtedness, in addiction to a fine of GH6,000 or in default, serve an additional 18 months in jail.
Passing judgement, the presiding judge Mr. Aboagye Tandoh, said that evidence before him showed that, �Mr. Aguddey was aware of his indebtedness, but was hiding behind his political affiliations and had been playing workers� SSNIT contributions.�
The judgement followed an eight-month of court litigation between him and SSNIT. Mr. Aguddey was arraigned in February for non-payment of the contributions but pleaded not guilty to the charge and was granted bail in the sum of GH100,000 with a cash surety of GH50,000 to be justified last March.
According to SSNIT prosecutors, Mr. Emmanuel Baddoo and Ms. Freda Naa Adjeley Konney, he had failed to pay GH1,036,986.77 SSNIT contributions of his workers from January 2010 to April 2012, which had accrued an interest of GH1,616,172.13.
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