The properties of the New Patriotic Parties (NPP) will today be auctioned at the Party’s headquarters in Asylum Down Accra to defray the value of a judgement entered against the party by an Accra Fast Track high Court-Commercial Division.
By late evening yesterday, the court’s auctioneer and a team of armed police officers who are to undertake the auction were said to be getting ready for the auction.
On July 14, 2010, the court, presided over by her Ladyship, Justice Margaret Melbourne threw away an affidavit in opposition to a May 14, 2010 judgement slapped on the Party by the court.
The application in opposition to the earlier judgement was filed by Zoe, Akyea & Co. The recent ruling follows a case filed against the NPP by Ghana’s lead music composer, Mawuli Decker, who insisted on the court action for non-payment of professional fees for musical works done for the Party’s electioneering campaign.
The judge in her ruling said that the NPP’s application for stay of execution which was based on non service on the Defendant was baseless.
According to her, the application is not competent in respect of Order 36 Rule 2 of C1.47 in terms of the fact that the application should have been within fourteen days after the trial.
The court ruled that judgement was entered on May 14, 2010 and the instant application was dated June 22, 2010 which was woefully out of time and therefore dismissed the application and awarded cost of GH¢500, against the NPP.
The Chairman of the NPP, Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, reacting to reports about the impending auctioning of the facility, said he was hopeful the party's lawyers will resolve the issue.