Ghana@50 Secretariat owes hotel $240,000

Wednesday, August 5, 2009 (Page 16)

A VISIBLY unhappy managing director of Lagus Fort Hotel Limited yesterday told the presidential commission investigating the Ghana@50 Secretariat that the secretariat owed his hotel $240,000.
According to Mr Joe Ofori, who is also a legal practitioner, the secretariat leased his 106-room hotel for two years amounting to $720,000 annually from February 15, 2008 to January 14, 2009 but left it in disarray.
“The hotel was always full. They were making money but they refused to pay us,” Mr Ofori told the commission headed by Mr Justice Isaac Duose with Mr Osei Tutu Prempeh and Mrs Marietta Brew-Oppong as members.
He said managers appointed by the secretariat vacated the hotel premises in August 2008 leaving behind huge utility bills, bills for security services, among others, and further accused the secretariat of making huge profits at his expense.
He told the commission that the hotel went for a $200,000-loan facility to enable it to meet the secretariat’s extra demand that each of the rooms in the hotel facility be upgraded with air conditioners, fire and smoke detectors, Internet facilities, fridges, television sets, among others.
Narrating how he came into contact with the secretariat, Mr Ofori told the commission that he approached the secretariat in November 2006 and informed it that his facility was available for outright purchase or long lease to which the secretariat opted for a lease.
He said the hotel and the secretariat subsequently entered into an agreement in which the secretariat demanded for an upgrade of the facility and in turn agreed to rent it for $30,000 a month.
According to Mr Ofori, the secretariat took possession of the hotel facility and made a first payment of $360,000, adding that an additional $120,000 was converted into cedis and paid in March 2008 leaving a balance of $240,000.
He said on May 21, 2008, his hotel wrote to the secretariat demanding for the balance and further ordered them to vacate the hotel, since they were not in the position to pay his balance.
Mr Ofori told the commission that although the secretariat kept referring him to the managers of the hotel anytime he demanded for payment, he did not deal with the managers because “I did not know them legally.”
He also told the commission that he had documents to prove that he entered into agreement with the secretariat, as well as documents to prove that the secretariat owed him $240,000.
In apparent reply to an earlier suggestion from counsel for Dr Charles Wereko-Brobbey, the former Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana@50 Secretariat, to the effect that he (counsel) might need enough time to get in touch with the then managers of the hotel to clarify issues, Mr Ofori said “we do not need anybody to interpret the documents to us”.
Answering questions from counsel for the commission, Mr Ofori told the commission that the secretariat did not tell him why it was leasing the hotel facility.
He told the commission during cross-examination from counsel for Dr Wereko-Brobbey, Mr Akoto Ampaw, that nobody had occupied the hotel since managers appointed by the secretariat vacated it.
He said the damage to the hotel was so great that it was currently under renovation.
Mr Ofori further submitted that he was not claiming damages, although he insisted the bills left behind must be borne by the Ghana@50 Secretariat.
Hearing continues today, August 5, 2009.