Bench warrants issued for three employers

Tema, Sept. 29, GNA- The Tema Circuit Court 'A' has issued bench warrants for the arrest of three employers for failing to honour their obligations to their employees under the Social Security Scheme. The court, presided over by Mr Charles Asiedu, gave the orders on Thursday, September 23, when the three persons, woefully failed to appear before it.

They are Peace Aku Akoto, Managing Director of Smile Image Limited in Tema, David Ntinagyei Mintah, Managing Director of Mapok Pharmacy Limited at Nungua, and Emmanuel Bortey Borketey, Managing Director of Belfort Preparatory School, also at Nungua.

Mr Sam Owusu-Anim, prosecutor of the Accra East Area office of SSNIT, Tema, said inspections conducted at Smile Image and Mapok Pharmacy revealed that the two companies were in arrears.

Mr Owusu-Anim told the court that between August 2001 and August last year, Smile Image, a Tema advertising and printing establishment owed SSNIT arrears totaling 19.3 million cedis.

The managing director of the company, Akoto, has since the service of summons, paid eight million cedis out of the total amount of 19.3 million cedis. In the case of Mapok Pharmacy, Mr Owusu-Anim stated that inspections carried out on the establishment for the period from September 1998 to March this year indicated that the company was in arrears of 11.8 million cedis.

The company has paid six million cedis out of the amount, the prosecution said.

Mr Owusu-Anim told the court that between May 1985 and July 1999, Borketey, Managing Director of Belfort Preparatory School, failed to pay into the Social Security fund an amount of 33 million cedis being outstanding contributions and penalty thereon for the same period. The prosecution said the case was first called on February 11, this year, during which Borketey, the managing director of the School, was granted a 50 million cedis bail with one surety.

Mr Owusu-Anim stated after series of adjournments of the case, the accused person failed to the arrears.

On September 23, all the three accused persons failed to appear before the court.

Consequently, the court had to issue bench warrants for their arrest.