Court grants application for directions

Accra, Dec. 7, GNA - An Accra Fast Track High Court on Tuesday grant= ed an application for directions filed by 84 former National Security person= nel under the former NPP administration whose appointments were terminated by=

the NDC Government.

The court, presided over by Mr Justice C.J. Honyenuga, an Appeal Cou= rt Judge, said although the National Security Coordinator and the Attorney-General were served with copies of the application, they failed to respond. The application was whether their appointments were terminated becau= se of the perception that they were political appointees of the NPP and were=

they entitled to end-of-service benefits.

Mr Justice Honyenuga ordered parties in the case to exchange documen= ts they intended to rely on 10 days prior to the adjourned date. The court adjourned the case to December 17 and awarded GH¢300 cos= ts each against the National Security Coordinator and the Attorney-General. Captain Nkrabeah Effah Darteh (Rtd), counsel for the security personnel, prayed for 1,000 Ghana cedis costs against the defendants for their continued non-appearance in court. In a suit filed the personnel were seeking a declaration that they w= ere entitled to end-of-service benefits upon the termination of their appointments, consistent with the conditions governing their employment a= s staff of the National Security Secretariat. They are also seeking an order compelling the defendants to pay thei= r benefits. In their statement of claim, they contended that they are citizens o= f Ghana and were employed as regular staff of the National Security Council= .. They averred that although they lost their jobs because of the chang= e of political leadership, President John Evans Atta Mills acknowledged "th= eir dedicated and loyal service to the State". According to them, in partial fulfilment of the conditions governing=

the termination of their appointments, they were each paid three months salary in lieu of notice.

They, therefore, petitioned for payment of their end-of-service benefits but that was ignored and letters written by their solicitor did not yield any result. The personnel said unless the court intervened, the defendants would=

not heed their demands. However, the National Security Coordinator has contended that the th= ree months salary paid to them represented the "full amount due the personnel= in case of disengagement between them and the National Security Council." The Council also has denied that the personnel are entitled to end-of-service benefits as part of their conditions of service.