Confirm Sam Pyne, He Has The Capacity To Deliver —
President To Assembly Members
President Akufo-Addo has firmly appealed to the Assembly Members of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) to confirm his nominee for the Assembly, Sam Pyne.
According to him Sam Pyne is not only popular in Kumasi but has the capacity to deliver.
“Sam Pyne did not incur the debt on the Assembly and should not be a victim of the past.I am appealing to the Assembly to consider the work he can do,” the President told Kwame Adinkrah in a One-On-One interview on Pure FM in Kumasi.
He said the Assembly should not use the alleged KMA debt to blackmail Sam Pyne adding that that’s not the way it should go.
President Akufo-Addo revealed that he has directed the Local Government Minister, Hon Dan Botwe to look into the debt of the Assembly and brief him accordingly on how the debt was accrued and its genuity.
“Upon assumption of office, we realized that figures of the lots of debts do not add up in many areas and sectors,” he emphasized.
Threat
Members of the Assembly earlier last month threatened to resist attempts to confirm any nominee as Chief Executive until the central government pays off the Assembly’s outstanding debts.
As at 31st December, 2016, KMA’s financial liabilities stood at GH¢119,213,333.22 as captured in the sessional address on 11th and 12th May, 2017 by the then Mayor, Osei-Assibey Antwi.
In a span of 4 years, the KMA owes its contractors and business allies over GH¢50 million, a situation that forced the Assembly to send SOS to the central government for bailouts.
According to the 2020 Auditor General’s report, KMA used the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) committed sum of GH¢670,720.78 to pay judgment debt to some four contractors.
The Auditor General recommended the Assembly to refund the penalty paid from the Assembly’s Internal Generated Funds (IGF) into the DACF.
Background
A Kumasi High Court has granted an order to FREDCO FD Company Limited, a sub-contractor of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), to sell the Assembly’s administration building to defray a judgement debt of almost GH¢5 million.
In 2016, FREDCO FD obtained a similar order and attached three vehicles of the KMA and promised to go for more immovable properties of the Assembly if the amount from sale of the vehicles was not enough to defray the debt.
The Judgement creditor (FREDCO FD) in 2017, secured a similar order to get three other buildings including the Kumasi mayor’s residence at Plot no. 9 Old Peters Avenue at Nhyiaeso.