Idikoko Accuses Socrate and Bosomprah of Fraud

The newly elected President of the Film Producers Association of Ghana (FIPAG), Mr. Augustus Abbey, known in movie circles as “The Great Idikoko”, is accusing the Copyright Administrator, Mr. Bosomprah...

and renowned producer of the movie “Love and Sex” and CEO of Movie Africa, Mr. Socrate Sarfo, of blatant cheating and perpetuating fraud. Mr. Abbey revealed that he noticed several discrepancies in the financial accounts of the Association as he went through FIPAG’s documents when he assumed office a few weeks ago.

The fraud, he claims, is being perpetrated through the National Anti-Piracy Committee (comprising actors and movie producers in the country), set up to fight the illegal activities of pirates and to account to its members all monies accrued from the sale of stickers.But Mr. Abbey alleges that the actors and film producers have not been able to account for revenue received since its establishment some three years back.

According to Mr. Abbey, the “Love and Sex” movie producer represented film producers on the committee and was supposed to ensure that FIPAG’s share of royalties and revenue from the sale of stickers was accounted for, but till date, not even a pesewa is in their coffers.

“I am holding both Socrate and Bosomprah (who was the Chairman of Anti-Piracy Committee) responsible because they were directly in charge of the money,” he said. Minutes of one of the committee’s meetings intercepted by peacefmonline.com and dated 22nd March 2005, indicates that the audio visual industry was supposed to take a per head amount of 50.00(50Ghp) out of the total per head amount of 300 old Ghana cedis (30pesewas), but since 2005 no money is in the association’s coffers.

In an interview with Idikoko, he minced no words when he described the actions by the two individuals as blatant cheating, which amounts to fraud, and vowed not to let matter rest by allowing their money to go down the drain. “We (I and some of my elected executives) have confronted Bosomprah but are not satisfied at all by what Bosomprah and his people told us...The stickers we saw do not have serial numbers on them so how can they even account for something like that.

This is very serious. We have tasked Socrate Sarfo to go deep into the administration of the funds since he was in charge of what was supposed to be the share of those in the audio visual industry,” he stated. Mr. Abbey stressed that should all efforts to get to the bottom of the matter fail, he will consider legal action against Socrate Sarfo and B.K. Bosomprah.

When reached for his side of the story, Socrate Sarfo, who is also the newly elected PRO of FIPAG, said he tried several times but to no avail, to find out how much money has been accrued from the sale of the stickers.

According to him, the issue has nothing to do with him as an individual but the association he is representing. “I have not taken any money. It is the Anti-Piracy Committee that has to explain to the new FIPAG Executives where the money is and how they are going to account for it,” Socrate said.

Meanwhile Nana Bosomprah, in an interview on Peace FM’s “Entertainment Review” last Saturday, February 27th, refuted all the allegations levelled against him saying “they are basis.” “The people are not buying the stickers like the public has been made to believe...and i’m ready to offer explanation and provide documentary proof to anybody who wants know,” he added.