Takoradi Timber Coys In Battle Over GH�65,850 Debt

The management of Fidey Company Limited, a Takoradi based timber company, has filed contempt charges against their counterparts from ASD Lumber Company Limited, also a timber processing company based in Sekondi-Takoradi, for disobeying the orders of a Sekondi High Court to auction its assets to offset a GH�65, 850 debt it owes the former. Fidey brought an action at the court against ASD, which took over the management of Western Veneer and Company Limited (WVLC), for failing to settle the GH�65,850 it owes. Though Fidey won the case, ASD still failed to settle the debt, compelling the creditors to file a writ of FIFA at the same court for the seizure and auction of properties of the company to pay the debt, a request which was granted by the court, which went further to fix December 23, last year, for the auctioning of the properties. Among the equipment to be auctioned were two OTT compressor machines, three oven heaters, four plywood cutters, a generator plant, two dryer machines, and six pillars. The Chronicle gathered that when the auctioneer, bailiffs and two police personnel went to the premises of the ASD on the agreed date to auction the aforementioned items, they were prevented by the management from undertaking the legally-sanctioned duty. The management of ASD, led by one Mr. George Sancherey, prevented them from entering the premises of the company to auction the properties on grounds that the company was government-owned, therefore no one would be allowed entry, as was written on the gate of the company As a result, the bailiffs, auctioneer and the two police personnel were not allowed entry into the company. The three have already filed their report back to the court, while sources at the court confirmed the story to The Chronicle when contacted. The auctioneer, Mr. Calvis Okine, who was to carry out the auction, in his report to the court mentioned George Sancherey, together with Kofi Atta, Opoku Agyemang, Frimpong Manso, among others, as people who prevented him from carrying out his duty. The unhealthy development has compelled Fidey to file contempt charges against Nana Ampaabeng and George Sancherey, first and second defendant respectively, who are management members of ASD. Fidey is praying the court to commit the two into prison for contempt of court. According to counsel for Fidey, the conduct of the two and their agents in interfering with the course of justice, constitute a grievous interference with the administration of justice, and has brought the authority of the court into disrepute and disrespect. �That unless committed to prison, the respondents will continue to show disrespect for judicial authority,� Fidey argued. The court would hear the contempt charges on January 14th this year. ASD Lumber, according to the Chronicle sources, is also indebted to three companies in the region to the tune of GH�149,000 in fuel, logs and vehicular tyres supplied to the company. The companies are Asona Timbers, NOBCO and Bikat Company Limited. Management sources at the above mentioned companies confirmed the company�s indebtedness to the Chronicle.