Court freezes GTP accounts

The bank accounts of leading textiles manufacturing giants Ghana Printing Textiles Company Limited (GTP) has been garnished for the company’s failure to pay up the emoluments of 159 sacked workers over a 25-year period.

A total of seven banks namely SG-SSB Bank Ltd (Tema Branch), Agricultural Development Bank Ltd (Tema Branch), Ecobank Ghana Ltd (Tema Branch), Merchant Bank Ghana (Tema Branch), Ghana Commercial Bank Ltd (Tema Industrial Area Branch), Barclays Bank Ghana Ltd (Tema Branch) and Standard Chartered Bank Ltd (Accra) where GTP operates its varied range of accounts have been affected. Last Monday, High Court Justice Mrs. Laurenda Owusu asked the Managing Directors or accredited representatives of the relevant banks, to appear before her to show cause why monies standing to GTP’s credit, should not be attached in satisfaction of the judgment debt.

Counsel for the defendants Mr. Joseph Ayittey supported by fellow counsel Kwasi Amoako-Atta prayed the court that in view of the fact of the garnishment, over a 1000 workers are on the verge of being thrown out of work, while imported goods that could facilitate the works of their client have remained at the ports awaiting clearance.

But in no mood to make any mistake in law but instead, step into the right balance in hearing the application Justice Mrs. Owusu the presiding High Court judge sought the convenience of counsels of the plaintiffs and defendants and settled on Friday April 26, 2012 for a resumption of the hearing.

Just minutes after the adjournment, Gideon Appiah-Kubi one of the 159 sacked workers explained key areas of proceedings to his fellow workers and assured them that come what may, because of the confidence they have reposed in the law court, they were certain to win the case.

In 1988 about 159 workers were thrown out of work by the defendants who were their employers without the payment of their end-of-service benefits.