Vodafone suit fixed for March

Accra, Feb. 9, GNA - Hearing of the legal addresses of parties in the Ghana Telecom (GT)/ Vodafone International suit has been fixed on March 16. The Fast Track High Court (Commercial Division) has therefore ordered plaintiffs within 14 days to file their addresses. The defendants would also respond to the legal address from the date of service by plaintiffs, the court ordered. The court would, on March 16 after listening to the legal addresses fix a date to deliver its ruling.

Issues for hearing at the next sitting, among other things would be whether or not the plaintiffs had any locus standi in the matter and whether or not the process adopted prior to and leading to the placement of Sales and Purchase Agreement before Parliament were in accordance with the procedures provided under the Companies Code and the Constitution. Others are whether or not Articles 6 (1), (6), Articles 10 (7), 12 and 13 (21) of the Agreement contravened the Constitutional requirements and whether or not the High Court had the jurisdiction to determine the constitutionality of the Agreement ratified by Parliament. The plaintiffs made up of Professor Agyemang Badu Akosa, Dr Nii Moi


Thompson, Mr Kwame Jantuah and two others are also seeking the restoration of the optic fibre network to the Volta River Authority and an order for the true revaluation of the assets of GT.

They were also seeking the revocation of the agreement for the sale f Ghana Telecom (GT) to Vodafone International. The lawyers were Mr Bright Akwetey, who represented the plaintiffs, Mr. Festus Kayi for GT, Mrs P.J. Naana Dontoh, a Chief State Attorney who represented the Attorney-General. The plaintiffs instituted the legal action against the previous government to halt the sale of the state-owned Ghana Telecom to Vodafone International. On July 3, last year government announced an agreement on the sale of GT to Vodafone. In the agreement, government retained 30 per cent share.