GHAMRO SPLITS …Goes to court

The Human Rights Division of the Accra High Courts would this morning heard the case in which highlife musician Nana Ampadu (with 100 others) is seeking an injunction on the Board of the Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO), accusing it of overstaying its tenure, refusing to give annual financial accounts and refusing to hold elections to elect a new set of leaders.

Interestingly, the GHAMRO Board is split over the court case and some of the Board Members have filed an affidavit in support of Nana Ampadu’s application, saying they absolutely agree that an injunction be placed on the Board immediately.

The other half of the Board has however filed their defence disagreeing with Nana Ampadu’s application and they would all be appearing in court this morning to state their cases.

GHAMRO Board members in support of Nana Ampadu’s application are Bice ‘Obour’ Osei Kuffour, president of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), Alhaji Ahmed Banda aka Bandex, representing the Ghana Association of Phonographic Industries (GAPI), Kojo Antwi, representing the Association of Music Right Owners (AMRO.GH) and gospel musician Mary Ghansah, representing CAMAG.

Indeed, two of the GHAMRO Board Members, Rex Omar and Charles Amoah officially resigned their positions citing similar reasons of lack of accountability against the Chairman, Carlos Sekyi. According to the writ of summons filed by Nana Ampadu and the 100 others, GHAMRO Board Chairman Carlos Sekyi and other GHAMRO Board members including Amanzeba Nat Brew, K.K. Kabobo and Mark Okraku Mantey “have deliberately refused to organise even a single Annual General Meeting since May 2011 when they took office as interim Board Members.”

It said Carlos Sekyi, Nat Brew, KK Kabobo and Mark Okraku Mantey “have been dissipating the funds of the organisation to the disadvantage of the Rights Owners and have been paying themselves monthly salaries between GH¢2000 and GH¢4000 excluding other allowances even though the regulations of the organisation expressly forbids the payment of salaries.”

They claimed Mr. Sekyi, since he started collecting monies on behalf of music rights owners in 2011, has not accounted for the monies till date.

They explained that Carlos Sekyi in his capacity as interim chairman of the GHAMRO Board is mandated by law to give yearly account of the monies GHAMRO collects but this is the third year running and he has not given a single account.