Board aware of my shares in Areeba - Aggrey

Accra, June 11, GNA - Mr. Richmond Aggrey, former Vice Chairman of Scancom, who has sued Areeba, now MTN, for 20 per cent of the company's shares on Wednesday explained that before his exit from Areeba, Mr. Jamal Ramadan and Ahmed Mikhati, who were members of the board, were aware of his shares in Grandview Limited. He said the share transfer agreement was prepared by Mr Andreas Hesse, the Company Secretary, and copies were sent to him (Aggrey) in Nigeria and Mr Chris Wilmot to sign their portions. Mr. Aggrey was continuing his evidence in chief in the case in which he has sued Scancom Limited, Operators of Areeba Mobile network now MTN,

for 20 per cent of the company.

He also tendered in evidence various documents, including copies of

his share transfer agreement and minutes of the meetings held before and

after his exit from the company. Mr. Aggrey said upon his return to Ghana in 2001, he wrote to Mr Jamal Ramadan that, he should be re-instated onto the board of the Company. He said his enquiries from the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) and Registrar General's Department (RGD) confirmed that, he (Aggrey) still held 20 per cent of Areeba contrary to the statement from Investcom Consortium that his shares had been sold. Mr Aggrey affirmed that the invitation by Mr. Edward Salia, former Minister of Communications, to the board to talk about Mr. Aggrey's membership of the board amounted to harassment. He said their summons to the Minister's office was not a courtesy call as the defence would have the public to believe. He said it was Mr Ramadan who devised the plan for the Board to set up a new company so that he (Aggrey) could hide his identity. He said they proposed to him that his shares would be safe at the new company and that he should exit from the company to stop the threat from former President Jerry John Rawlings. Mr Aggrey, a businessman, has sued Scancom Limited, operators of Areeba Mobile phone service, now MTN, and Investcom Consortium Holdings S.A. of Beirut, Lebanon, majority shareholders in Areeba, as well as Grandview Management of Texas, United States to claim 20 per cent share of the company