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The Ghanaian Managing Director of Gillman and Abbey Funeral Services Limited, Emmanuel Abbey, who has been at the receiving end of his partners in the United Kingdom (U.K), in cahoots with a former Accounts Assistant/Book-Keeper, one George Ahele’s unmitigated bile, has daringly returned fires shots at him to  his accusers’ bows.

Mr Abbey, in a thinly-veiled rejoinder to the New Crusading GUIDE, dated 30th September, 2015, accused his UK partners of trying to twist his arms to sell the company to the highest bidder. Published below is the full text of the rejoinder from Mr. Emmanuel Abbey:

 
RE: POLICE CHASE OUT U.K. CITIZEN

… Over Gillman & Abbey Funeral Home VAT Scandal

I wish to react to the above publication in “The New Crusading Guide” of Wednesday, September 23, 2015 and the subsequent publication on the www.peacefmonline.com on September 30, 2015.

(1)   a. While it is true that the company was established in June 2006 by Mr. Roger Gillman, a British national, who is the majority shareholder with 80 per cent shares in the business Mr. Stuart Payne, also a Briton (The Director of Finance), and Mr. Emmanuel Abbey, (the Managing Director),have each 10 percent shares.The shareholding structure can be verified through Registrar Generals Department.

 b. I would not have come out to respond to the above publication, had a second publication not come out to further castigate me as a wicked person, with evil intent. This is not the first time in the world that a partnership had gone sour and it will certainly not be the last time. I would also like to use this opportunity to clear the name of the Odorkor Police who did a fine job to resolve the conflict between myself and Roger Gillman so that their effort would not be in vain. There are proper channels to seek redress rather than seeking to whip the sympathy of the general public through a publication with the facts distorted. I would therefore use those channels to seek redress.

(2)   It is not true that the current business feud is an attempt by me, a minority shareholder, to use under-hand dealings, out of greed, to take over the company as you suggested.I have a good name to protect in the funeral industry in Ghana even more than my partners who do not have any strong attachment to the business as I have. To them this is another chance to set up a company, liquidate it and then make quick money just as they do in the UK.

(3)   It is also not true that Mr. Roger Gillman was chased out of town, on his last visit to Ghana in September this year.

(4)   Mr. Gillman who frequents Ghana several times in a year, duly sought permission from the Odorkor Police to return to Britain and come back in October, after he had given his version to a complaint l lodged about “an unlawful entry” into my office and the disappearance of vital documents and other valuable items from the office.

(5)   Neither the Police nor l threatened to jail Mr. Gillman for 20 years as a result of my complaint without due process. Indeed, Mr. Gillman and l had signed an undertaking with the Police and Lawyers to jointly co-operate for auditors of the Company to assess the operations of the business.

(6)   As regards the payment or non-payment of VAT I have to point out that the Ghana Revenue Authority had served demand notice for payment of the Indirect tax arrears and its associated penalties to be paid within 30 days. This was received before the said publication which sought to erroneously suggest that my wife has influenced the decision for the due tax not to be collected.The said tax which is far less than what you portrayed in your publication has since been settled.


(7)   If, surprisingly, Mr. Stuart Payne, the Financial Director of the Company, failed to notice that VAT returns had not been filed and paid during the period in question then this speaks volumes about his competence and performance. It is even odd that he surreptitiously brought in his own auditors from the UK to audit an already audited accounts to which he had already appended his signature as credibly certified and delivered.

Again it makes little sense why Mr. Roger Gillman would fly all the way from the UK to Ghana just because the Accounts Assistant/Book-keeper had been fired for incompetence and insubordination. As a point of interest the auditors brought in from the UK had even suggested that the said Accounts Assistant needed to be retrained.The fact of the matter is that Roger Gillman had priced out the company and had brought in bidders from the UK to come and have a look at what the company has to offer.

(8)   Let me state emphatically that, my absence from the office, did not warrant Mr. Gillman who arrived in Ghana, unannounced, to break into my office to conduct searches. At this juncture let me set the records straight. Roger Gillman never called me to attend a management meeting to resolve any matter because he had been told I was sick and being attended to at a hospital [Primecare Hospital]. The conference room is always opened but my office is always under lock and key when l am not around. It is not an administrative office as is being claimed by the publication. In fact when I returned to work on the following day I was prevented from entering my office by the security personnel on duty. This, I was told, was an order from Roger Gillman. He had even threatened the staff not mention my name on the premises saying he was the man in charge. This then prompted me to seek help from the police to avoid a confrontation especially as he had brought in two macho men to scare me off the company’s premises. At the police station Roger Gillman when questioned on this issue confirmed that he had given instruction to lock me out of my office.


(9)    Again it is not correct that my wife, who works with the VAT Office [Ghana Revenue Authority] in Accra, had been interfering in any aspect of the business.  My wife rarely visits the company premises and does not offer any advisory services to the company.

(10)           It is instructive that Mr. Gillman permitted his seven-year old son [biological son] to spend his vacation in my home in September last month, and yet discerning readers are being made to believe that l am  a heartless and a greedy businessman as your publication sought to portray.

(11)           If,l am not a shareholder of Gillman and Abbey how come my name is incorporated in the company’s name?


(12)           The publication further states: “I understand that during the second meeting with you [the Police commander], a compromise was eventually accepted by Abbey. During a third meeting at your offices, documents were circulated to confirm this agreement and these were signed by both parties.”

(13)           The proposal put forward by Roger Gillman which Abbey accepted was that he would nominate two people to represent his interest on the board and Emmanuel Abbey also nominate two people to serve his interest. It was also agreed that the four nominees would then nominate a fifth person to be the Chairman of the Board of Directors.

(14)           Unfortunately the publication states that “Mr. Abbey has now, in effect, seized our business and investment in Ghana… Mr. Abbey is now also trying to form a new Board of Directorswithout the agreement of the shareholders.” How do you reconcile these two statements? Contradictions, to say the least!

(15)           Again the publication states that “Mr. Gillman was astounded when Mr. Abbey boasted to the CID Officer during the meeting that he had bribed the VAT official with an amount of C10, 000.00 to cover up his fraud, openly admitting that he had taken advice from his wife who works for the VAT Service. I cannot understand how such a statement could be made to the CID, the lawyer and the owner of the business without any interest being taken by the police. In Europe, it would have led to immediate arrest.” Let me again say that if in Europe such an utterance would have led to an immediate arrest, then he should also know the same could be said of Ghana. In effect what is he trying to tell Ghanaians? Besides, am l so stupid and senseless and ignorant of the Law to say such a thing assuming if it were even true?

(16)           Roger Gillman and Stuart Paynewould want to tell the British High Commission in Accra “… to advise UK community that it is not safe to invest in Ghana”.  There are several UK citizens and companies in Ghana and they are law abiding. Maybe Roger Gillman should check out his business dealings and transactions to name a few.

(17)           I guess Roger Gillman wants to earn cheap Public Relations points and so he makes mention of his TEABAG Charity Organisation. Good. Let us ask him if that organisation is even properly registered or not? Why has he refused to register the company in spite of several advices and admonitions to him? Is it not possible that he is and has been using the charity organisation to fleece his own country the UK and Ghanaians? I would not be surprised if money laundering is part of this outfit? Anyway, I would not want to belabour this PR gimmick. I will leave this for another time.


Addendum:

(18)           I wish to state that this is not the first time Roger Gillman had been arrested by the police in Ghana for unruly behaviour. He has the tendency of being lawless and unscrupulous. In 2008 Roger Gillman was arrested by the airport police when the National Security cameras picked his limousine he was being chauffeured in flying both the National flag [on the right a preserve for the President] and British flag [on the left, assigned to the British High Commissioner in Ghana]. This was the time his passport was seized and his flight that day cancelled. If Roger Gillman’s publication is labelling me as “sneaky”, “wicked” just to name a few, he should not at least forget it was this same “sneaky”, “wicked” guy who helped him out of that serious situation.

(19)           In conclusion, I would like to state that I have a good track record in the development of the funeral industry in Ghana. The funerals of the late President of Ghana, Prof. John Evans Atta-Mill and that of the late Sierra Leonean President, Ahmed Tejan Kabbah and the late Madam Fathia Nkrumah wife of Ghana’s first President attest to my experience and competence.

I am sure you will publish this rejoinder to set the records straight.

 

Thank you

Emmanuel Abbey