Reform Party chairman in fraud case

Mr Peter G. Kpordugbe, chairman of the National Reform Party (NRP), one of the minority parties which contested the 2000 elections, has been cited for fraud, having allegedly issued a dud cheque for ?4.3 million.

His victim is a Jacob Enim, a video maker of Bricappa Video Production based in Kumasi. According to Enim, Kpordugbe engaged him to take video pictures of the NRP presidential candidate’s campaign trail in Ashanti, Central, Eastern, Volta, Greater Accra and Western regions over a period of three weeks in the run-up to the 2000 elections.

Enim further claims that Kpordugbe paid him cash of ?2 million on 6 December 2000, a day before the elections, and additionally presented cheque No. 058998, dated 15 December 2000, duly signed by Kpordugbe for ?4.3 million to be cashed at the Achimota branch of Barclays Bank.

The cheque, which was issued on behalf of Gamus Multib Services, was deposited into Enim’s Stanchart Bank account in Kumasi, but it was dishonoured on 21 December 2000. Enim also claims he had made over a hundred demands and brought Kpordugbe’s attention to the development, but the NRP chairman would not budge.

A final demand notice was made on 3 September 2001 by Enim’s solicitor to prevail upon Kpordugbe to settle his indebtedness to Enim but that had not yielded any results, either. Following his failure to act, a writ of summons was filed at the Community Tribunal in Kumasi. It is learnt that Kpordugbe had on several occasions evaded service of notices and therefore had to be served by substitution and judgement given after a formal decree had been issued by the court.

Mr S.K.A. Asiedu, presiding over the Community Tribunal, on 14 November last year, ruled that Kpordugbe settle his indebtedness of ?4.3 million, in addition to an interest of ?1,612,000 and a cost of ?300,000. But the reformist would not be moved. Kpordugbe told the Chronicle on phone that Enim had already taken up the matter at a law court and would therefore not want to comment on the issue.