Unending GIA problems now heads for chaos

Mpiani`s `Thuggey` Finally Ends In Int`l Court
Minister served finale notice Showdown at the Hague

After weeks of carefully managed public relations efforts to show that all is well with Ghana International Airlines (GIA), the US based GIA-USA, significant shareholders who are also the managers and operators of the airline, have indicated that they are fed up with the window dressing after they were booted out under force of arms on the orders of the chief of Staff, Mr. Kwadwo Mpiani nearly a year ago.

The Minister in charge of Aviation, Ms. Gloria Akuffo on Tuesday was startled in her office when she was served with legal documents giving GIA 30 days to appoint an arbitrator for a showdown in the international court for arbitration in The Hague, under the United Nations Commission of International Trade Rules.

GIA is claiming over $15 million in losses, based on the assessed $50million value of the business at the time when Mr. Kwadwo Mpiani in a temporary lapse of judgment, ordered heavily armed paramilitary men (pictured) to seize the offices of the airline in broad daylight when the President was out of the country and threw out the MD, Mr. Brian Presbury and the Vice President of GIA, Mr. Sammy Crabbe.

Not even the intervention of the Vice President would allow Kwadwo Mpiani seen by most Ghanaians as demonstrably more powerful than His Excellency Alhaji Aliu Mahama could restore normalcy as Aliu’s efforts to rein in the protective ring of defence mounted by executive Greater Accra NPP against Mpiani was snubbed, and his prayerful supplications rebuffed in a wounding affront that has festered to date.

At the time Kwadwo Mpiani had a loose control as a kind of caretaker of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority after Dr. Amoako Tufuor, President’s longstanding friend now in charge of the Apraku Engineered School Feeding Programme from the Castle, was booted out of office, a vacuum existed.

GIA-USA, LCC through their lawful representative, Mr. Sammy Crabbe initiated a civil suit in an Accra Commercial Court to restore the status quo after the bloodless illegal takeover.

A number of officers with dubious bonafides were hired and hurriedly put in place to constitute the management and board without reference to a subsisting shareholders’ agreement governing the conduct of the airline’s business. They include the Managing Director of the Department of National Lotteries, Mr. Kojo Andah who collapsed Sterling Financial Services and walked away with debts totaling billions, after a decade at executive position at Ashanti Goldfields (details later).

Mr. Gustav Azu Mante who was the chairman of the Ghana Airways Task Force negotiating on behalf of the workers, slipped to the other side when the position of board chairman, of GIA was dangled before him. Then there was Group Captain Frank Okine, who was also an old hand at Ghana Airways, respected banker Mrs. Frances Adu Mante also found herself on the board as piece of furniture as she continuously pleaded ignorance whenever pertinent questions were raised with her. Azu Mante also acted as the CEO of GIA.

The airline then set off on a precipice as cash flow became a problem following the two ouster of the signatories to the bank accounts of GIA, Mr. Pensbury, a British who had to be flown out of the country the very night under the protective wing of American marines who raced to the airport during the assault at the airport road offices of the GIA.

He and Mr. Sammy Crabbe, the Vice President were the signatories to the airline’s bank accounts.

In a dubious twist, the new board managed to open a separate bank account and withdrew sums of money from a number of local and international banks, breaching another aspect of the management agreement.

However a looming action against Merchant Bank and Ghana International Bank in London may have been averted following peaceful overtures between the banks concerned and GIA, LLC representatives though, it all depends on the mood of Sammy Crabbe and his American partners who are now prepared to go the whole hog.

In the interim, SSNIT reluctantly opened its vault and parted with nearly US$11 million as loan for the government’s stake in the joint venture, representing tax payers’ money at the time when SSNIT’s investment portfolio is creaking.

Dr. Charles Wereko Brobbey deploying key journalists from the Coffee shop mafia including Graphic editor Yaw Boadu Ayeboafo, Randy Abbey, Gina Blay, put out an elaborate deceptive spin, presenting to the public a picture of fraud perpetrated by Sammy Crabbe, circulating pieces of material detailing malfeasance while they drank and wined at the Chinese restaurant. Significantly, Alhaji Haruna Atta, probably an erstwhile member of ‘the mafia’ preferred to stay out of the fest, ostensibly stung by the humiliation of Aliu, his godfather.

In a telephone call to The Chronicle, Mr. Mpiani challenged our editor Mr. Ato Kobbie to confront or check with Mr. Crabbe issues of the ‘audit report’ into the running of the GIA during the period when they were at the helm.

Chronicle has not been able to lay hands on the audit report and would publish the content after due diligence, but Mr. Crabbe claims there is nothing that incriminates him at all.

From the tone of the correspondence to Ms. Akuffo, GIA-USA, LLC have reached a point of no return, as the local courts could not deal with the intractable issues, leaving the extremely expensive option of international arbitration at The Hague as the last thow of the dice.