Goosie Tanoh Before Court

The Tema High Court 'B' Sitting on case in which a Tema-based businessman, Mr. Phillip Ato Villars filed a suit at the court against Transport Commodity General Ltd. and its Managing Director, Mr. Goosie Tanoh, for breaching a contract between them, has adjourned the case to May 11.

Mr. Villars is demanding an amount of ¢1.6billion from the astute politician for what he described as breach of contract the two parties entered into for some business transactions. The businessman is also demanding interest on the money at prevailing bank rate from January, 2006, until the date of final payment as well as claiming damages for the breach of the same contract and other costs.

The court presided over by Justice Mariama Owusu adjourned the case to give the plaintiff and his counsel enough time to explain circumstances that led to the meeting of the two as well as present the assessment of damages before court. The High Court judge also wants the plaintiff counsel to submit details of the contract and other relevant information regarding the case before court. According to the businessman, his decision to go to court is premised on the inability of the politician to pay him the amount due him after several promises he made to him to that effect landed on rocks.

Mr. Villars in his statement of claim indicated that Mr. Tanoh acting in his capacity as the Managing Director of the Transport & Commodity General Limited in August 2004, entered into a contract agreement with him where he gave an mount of ¢300milion to Mr. Tanoh under the terms and conditions in the agreement between them. He averred that again in September the same year, he gave out ¢600million to him under the same terms and conditions in the agreement. The businessman claimed that he went into the agreement with Mr. Tanoh, based on what he called 'a fraudulent misrepresentation' the latter made to him to the effect that his company had a second financial standing, when in actual fact it was the opposite.

He said unknown to him, Mr. Tanoh's company was swimming in total debt and was at the verge of bankruptcy at the time he was informed that the company had a sound financial footing. Mr. Villars continued that the former Reform Party flagbearer failed woefully to comply with the terms of the executed agreement in terms of offsetting the agreed payments leading to owing him (the businessman)¢1.6 in terms in principal and interest.