Collapse of building at Swalaba - 4 to face trail

THE Attorney-General’s (AG) Department is to prosecute individuals whose acts led to the collapse of a four-storey building at Swalaba, a suburb of Accra, recently.

Those to be prosecuted include two officials of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) whose names were not disclosed, the developer, Mr Paul Papa Grant, the architect, Dr A. A. Blankson and others whose acts of omission or comission led to the collapse of the building.

The out-going Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu who announced this at the inauguration of the new offices of the Ashiedu Keteke Sub-Metro of the AMA said a report has been forwarded to the AG’s office for immediate action.

According to a ministerial directive on the report of the committee that investigated the circumstances that led to the collapse of the building, Dr Blankson endorsed drawings that his firm did not design while Mr Grant is to be prosecuted for flouting several statutory provisions on building construction.

The out-going minister explained that the directive follows a recommendation contained in a report submitted by the committee which was set up by AMA, and the ministry to investigate the circumstances that led to the collapse of the four-storey building on December 12, 2002.

Mr Baah-Wiredu said the investigations established that there was act of negligence on the part AMA officials, the owner of the building, the engineers and contractors and that they must be made to face the full rigours of the law. He was convinced that the strict implementation of building regulations is the only way to prevent unauthorised persons from designing building plans.

He said the connivance of some AMA officials with developers to put up structures illegally as well as the level of filth in some parts of Accra poses a great challenge to the assembly.

He, therefore, challenged officials of the assembly to follow the due process in the discharge of their duties and to work harder to improve sanitation and revenue mobilisation in the metropolis.

Mr Baah-Wiredu said the assembly has been given ?4 billion to improve on its sanitation, construction and revenue mobilisation activities.

He said many viable projects have been abandoned in the metropolis and called on the assembly to get the projects reviewed.

He charged all Ghanaians to adopt the culture of maintenance since, "too many important and viable development projects have been left to waste."

Throwing more light on the collapse of the building at Swalaba after the function, Mr Solomon Ofei Darko, AMA Chief Executive, said the developer did not give any statutory notice to the AMA for the commencement of work or during the work as required by law.

He said two officials of the AMA have been suspended for a month without pay while the others will be prosecuted.

Mr Darko said the Metropolitan Town and Country Planning and Works Departments are going to be put together under one roof at the Ashiedu-Keteke Sub-metro which was formerly housed at Palladium, Accra, in order to make them more effective.

The ?80 million building was commissioned by Mr Baah-Wiredu with assistance from the Sempe Mantse and acting President of the Ga Traditional Council, Nii Adote Obour II . The ceremony was attended by a Deputy Minister of the ministry, Capt Nkrabeah Effah-Darteh (rtd), Members of Parliament for Odododiodoo, Korle Klottey and Ayawaso West, Messrs Reginald Nii Bi Ayi Bonte, Nii Darku Adu Mante and Dr Mustapha Ahmed.

The five-member committee chaired by Professor Ralph Mills-Tettey, presented its report after five weeks of intensive investigations.

It was also recommended that Mr Christian Kafui Atsu of the Ghana National Fire Service be promoted for his timely intervention which prevented a lot of fatalities at the building site.

The report also reminded all district assemblies to strictly enforce the provision of LI 1630 in all building construction projects.

The report said, "the committee's view that the whole system of building inspection has broken down reflects the lethargic nonchalant attitude of relevant schedule officers in AMA."