By Charles Takyi-Boadu
Posted: The Chronicle Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Barely 48hours after the leadership of the National Union of Habour Employees (NUHE) raised concerns about certain developments at the Tema Habour, management of Cargo Systems Company Limited (CSCL) has been compelled to react.
Management of CSCL has described as untrue information making rounds in sections of the media which seeks to create the impression that it does not satisfy the requirements needed to operate as a stevedoring company.
In a statement signed by Managing Director of the company, Osei Sarfo-Bonsu, he noted that he wanted to set the records straight to erase any doubts being created in the minds of members of the public.
Whilst admitting that he Sarfo-Bonsu and Bennet Aboagye were the original Directors of Golden Gate Services Limited (GGSL), with Bennet as the Managing Director and he as the Deputy, he noted that later developments led to a serious misunderstanding between them which virtually affected the smooth running of the company.
According to him, Prevailing circumstances at the time led to a closure of the company’s offices at the port.
As a result, he emphasised that the Ghana Port and Habours Authority (GPHA) was compelled to intervene in the standoff by temporarily suspending the company’s operational license until all outstanding issues were resolved.
Subsequently, the statement noted that the sector Minister at the time, Professor Christopher Ameyaw Akumfi intervened to settle the issue amicably.
Later, the Minister was said to have managed to bring the two parties together in a bid to resolve all outstanding issues.
This, Mr. Sarfo-Bonsu said led to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between him and his former partner to enable the GPHA to restore the company’s operational license whiles other issues pertaining to the disagreement were still being investigated.
Under the circumstance, he and Mr. Aboagye reached an agreement in the presence of the Minister for a forensic audit to be carried out by an independent private auditor to go into the books of the company-spanning the period of its inception to date.
He emphasised that the Minister then solicited the assistance of the Auditor-General to appoint a competent and truly independent private auditor to go into the company’s books.
Whilst the company was under investigation by the auditors, Mr. Sarfo-Bonsu indicated that Bennet Aboagye went to the Minister with the excuse that he could no longer work with he Sarfo-Bonsu and thus proposed a split of the company’s operational license.
For that reason, the statement said, the Minister invited both parties to his official residence at which Mr. Sarfo-Bonsu was informed of Mr. Aboagye’s proposal for a split of the company’s operational license.
Under the circumstance, Mr. Sarfo-Bonsu said he could not but obliged to the proposal after which the sector Minister wrote to the Director-General of the GPHA asking him to implement the agreement reached by both parties concerning the split.
On the strength of the Ministers letter, Mr. Sarfo-Bonsu said the GPHA decided to split the license and directed that both parties submit the new names of their respective companies for them to be issued with licenses.
Barely a week after the implementation of the agreement reached, Mr. Sarfo-Bonsu mentioned “Mr. Aboagye for reasons best known to him went back to the Minister saying that he was no more interested in the split hence asking the Minister to reverse the earlier decision.”
For one reason or the other, he said the Minister also obliged to his request thereby suspending his earlier directive for the company’s operational license to be split.
This decision, according to him again resurrected the cold-war which existed between him and Mr. Bennet Aboagye.
Contrary to laid down procedures and provisions of the Companies Code, Mr. Sarfo-Bonsu further emphasised that Mr. Aboagye under very bizarre circumstance illegally terminated his (Sarfo-Bonsu’s).
He therefore noted that he was left without an option than to patiently wait for the forensic audit report which waded into the activities and operations of the company.
Finally, when the report came out, he noted that it unearthed negative findings which confirmed his suspicion of financial malfeasance in the company.
Meanwhile, he said the Minister had earlier told him and Mr. Aboagye that the basis for a split of the company’s operational license could only be determined by the outcome of the forensic audit.
When the auditors submitted the final report, Mr. Sarfo-Bonsu who had virtually been without a job for the past nine months said he approached the Minister to find out from him as to what decision he was going to take on the report.
In his own wisdom, he noted that the Minister decided to split the license and therefore wrote another letter to GPHA to effect the earlier decision which was dully carried out after which a letter was written to the two of them to resubmit the names of their new companies for issuance of separate operational license.
For this reason, Mr. Sarfo-Bonsu noted that he complied with all the requirements and conditions set out for the issuance of an operational license and was subsequently issued a license to operate.
According to him, he has since written three different letters to Mr. Aboagye requesting him for a meeting to discuss the assets and liabilities of the company including the future of the workers which the later has flatly turned down.
“Management of Cargo Systems Company Limited (CSCL) therefore finds it not only outrageous but also despicable for Mr. Aboagye to be hopping from one media house to the other peddling all sorts of falsehoods about the company and it’s Managing Director, Mr. Sarfo-Bonsu instead of responding to the substantive issues at stake”, he said.
Management of CSCL has thus asked all media houses to contact them before going out with any such publications in order not to create negative in the minds of people.
Management of CSCL has described as untrue information making rounds in sections of the media which seeks to create the impression that it does not satisfy the requirements needed to operate as a stevedoring company.
In a statement signed by Managing Director of the company, Osei Sarfo-Bonsu, he noted that he wanted to set the records straight to erase any doubts being created in the minds of members of the public.
Whilst admitting that he Sarfo-Bonsu and Bennet Aboagye were the original Directors of Golden Gate Services Limited (GGSL), with Bennet as the Managing Director and he as the Deputy, he noted that later developments led to a serious misunderstanding between them which virtually affected the smooth running of the company.
According to him, Prevailing circumstances at the time led to a closure of the company’s offices at the port.
As a result, he emphasised that the Ghana Port and Habours Authority (GPHA) was compelled to intervene in the standoff by temporarily suspending the company’s operational license until all outstanding issues were resolved.
Subsequently, the statement noted that the sector Minister at the time, Professor Christopher Ameyaw Akumfi intervened to settle the issue amicably.
Later, the Minister was said to have managed to bring the two parties together in a bid to resolve all outstanding issues.
This, Mr. Sarfo-Bonsu said led to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between him and his former partner to enable the GPHA to restore the company’s operational license whiles other issues pertaining to the disagreement were still being investigated.
Under the circumstance, he and Mr. Aboagye reached an agreement in the presence of the Minister for a forensic audit to be carried out by an independent private auditor to go into the books of the company-spanning the period of its inception to date.
He emphasised that the Minister then solicited the assistance of the Auditor-General to appoint a competent and truly independent private auditor to go into the company’s books.
Whilst the company was under investigation by the auditors, Mr. Sarfo-Bonsu indicated that Bennet Aboagye went to the Minister with the excuse that he could no longer work with he Sarfo-Bonsu and thus proposed a split of the company’s operational license.
For that reason, the statement said, the Minister invited both parties to his official residence at which Mr. Sarfo-Bonsu was informed of Mr. Aboagye’s proposal for a split of the company’s operational license.
Under the circumstance, Mr. Sarfo-Bonsu said he could not but obliged to the proposal after which the sector Minister wrote to the Director-General of the GPHA asking him to implement the agreement reached by both parties concerning the split.
On the strength of the Ministers letter, Mr. Sarfo-Bonsu said the GPHA decided to split the license and directed that both parties submit the new names of their respective companies for them to be issued with licenses.
Barely a week after the implementation of the agreement reached, Mr. Sarfo-Bonsu mentioned “Mr. Aboagye for reasons best known to him went back to the Minister saying that he was no more interested in the split hence asking the Minister to reverse the earlier decision.”
For one reason or the other, he said the Minister also obliged to his request thereby suspending his earlier directive for the company’s operational license to be split.
This decision, according to him again resurrected the cold-war which existed between him and Mr. Bennet Aboagye.
Contrary to laid down procedures and provisions of the Companies Code, Mr. Sarfo-Bonsu further emphasised that Mr. Aboagye under very bizarre circumstance illegally terminated his (Sarfo-Bonsu’s).
He therefore noted that he was left without an option than to patiently wait for the forensic audit report which waded into the activities and operations of the company.
Finally, when the report came out, he noted that it unearthed negative findings which confirmed his suspicion of financial malfeasance in the company.
Meanwhile, he said the Minister had earlier told him and Mr. Aboagye that the basis for a split of the company’s operational license could only be determined by the outcome of the forensic audit.
When the auditors submitted the final report, Mr. Sarfo-Bonsu who had virtually been without a job for the past nine months said he approached the Minister to find out from him as to what decision he was going to take on the report.
In his own wisdom, he noted that the Minister decided to split the license and therefore wrote another letter to GPHA to effect the earlier decision which was dully carried out after which a letter was written to the two of them to resubmit the names of their new companies for issuance of separate operational license.
For this reason, Mr. Sarfo-Bonsu noted that he complied with all the requirements and conditions set out for the issuance of an operational license and was subsequently issued a license to operate.
According to him, he has since written three different letters to Mr. Aboagye requesting him for a meeting to discuss the assets and liabilities of the company including the future of the workers which the later has flatly turned down.
“Management of Cargo Systems Company Limited (CSCL) therefore finds it not only outrageous but also despicable for Mr. Aboagye to be hopping from one media house to the other peddling all sorts of falsehoods about the company and it’s Managing Director, Mr. Sarfo-Bonsu instead of responding to the substantive issues at stake”, he said.
Management of CSCL has thus asked all media houses to contact them before going out with any such publications in order not to create negative in the minds of people.
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