Dr. KK Sarpong fires back at Kotoko

Dr. Kofi K. Sarpong former Executive Chairman of Kumasi Asante Kotoko, has said the legal team of his former club, did a lazy work by failing to read the full details of his handing over notes hence their worries over funds from the transfer of players during his term of office.

In an answer to allegations made against him by the legal team of Kotoko in their statement of defence in an ensuing battle at the Kumasi High Courts over outstanding debts owed him, Dr. Sarpong, said though the response were vicious of him they expose the defendant as not having bothered even to read the handing-over notes aforesaid or at all which contained detailed explanations for defendant’s perceived issues or worries".

Dr. Sarpong said he has not at any time during or after his tenure as Executive Chairman of defendant benefitted personally from any transfers that were concluded during his term of office adding that he ran a very transparent system of player transfer assisted by the FIFA Transfer Payment System (TMS), which makes all documentation relating to player sales available not only to the parties involved but to the football authorities of both countries and that all documents and information on any player sales and transfer internationally has been at all materials times available to the defendant and its TMS Manager which allows the Finance Manager to invoice the clubs.

He noted that "it is elementary knowledge that if the said handing over notes were read by the defendant and it had issues, it ought to have sought clarifications which it failed to do largely because it could not know what was entailed in the notes.

Dr. Sarpong also rejected claims that that the receipts on how he spent US$17,021 on transport expenses were missing and avers that he never, at any time during or after his tenure as Executive Chairman of the defendant, told any auditor, Board member or officer of the defendant that such receipts were missing.

He added that "Without admitting the amounts stated, all receipts covering any transport expenses were provided in support of any claims made, to the Finance Manager of the defendant who is still at post and whose responsibility it is to keep appropriate records of such receipts and that any claim to the contrary by the defendant is an attempt to deceive the court and could have provided photocopies of the receipts if defendant had requested same for any purpose".

Dr. Sarpong also rejected allegations of Kotoko that receipts covering GH¢70,581.00 covering transport and incidental expenses on Messrs Kwame Baah-Nuako, Patrick Ofori and himself were mixed up.

Dr. Sarpong maintained that he never made any such disclosure anywhere and to whosoever as all receipts covering any transport expenses were provided in support of any claims made to the Finance Manager of the defendant who is still at post, whose responsibility it is to keep appropriate record of such receipts and that any claim to the contrary by the defendant is an attempt by the defendant to deceive the court.