KORLE BU STAFF SUE ADMINISTRATORS

MORE than 439 workers and staff of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital have sued the principal administrators of the hospital, including Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng for defrauding them.
According to the plaintiffs, the defendants gave them the impression that they had control, management and ownership of land situated at Oyibi in the Greater Accra region, which they did not and made them paid ¢10 million each for a plot.
They are, therefore seeking an order from the court to compel the defendants issue them with the registered documents covering the plots of land they bout and also put them in possession of the land.
In the alternative, they are seeking an order to compel the defendants to refund to them all moneys collected from them for the purchase of the land, general damages, as well as interest and costs.
But the court had directed the parties to seek an amicable settlement out of court after the plaintiffs filed a motion for judgement in default of defence.
The defendants did not file any defence to the suit but opposed the motion for judgement in default on the grounds that they had entered into negotiations with some leaders of the plaintiffs to discuss, settle and resolve the matter.
Moreover, the defendants said that since the negotiations had not broken down and were on-going, they were surprise about the sudden turn of events that the plaintiffs resorted to the court to pursue the same matter.
The writ was filed by Dr R.B.K. Abraham, Dr J.C.B. Dakubo, Mr Theophilus Mensah, Ms Brace Lily Opokua and Ms Alice Adjormadoh, all of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital for themselves and their other colleagues.
The defendants, on the other hand, are Prof Frimpong-Boateng, Dr B.D.R.T. Annan, Director of Medical Affairs, Mr Christopher Nartey, Director of Administration, Mr Emmanuel E.B. Annan Kakabaah, Director of Finance, Mr Alex Arhin, Secretary to Oybi Land Committee and the hospital, as an entity.
In their statement of claim, the plaintiffs stated that sometime in 2004, the defendants caused publications in their in-house magazine, “Korle Bu Bulletin” and on various notice boards an announcement that they (defendants) had secured a large tract of land at Oyibi on the Kantamanso Road for allocation to staff on hire purchase basis.
According to them, the notice requested that the plaintiffs paid ¢8 million per plot and that the first deduction, which was a deposit of ¢1 million was to be effected through the February 2004 Additional Duty Hours Allowance (ADHA) while the balance of ¢7 million was to be spread over a period of 11 consecutive months.
The plaintiffs said that in response to the offers, they expressed interest and were accordingly deducted at source to meet the payment of their respective plots but the price was increased in due course to ¢10 million, including additional ¢2 million charged each plaintiff to support administrative and documentation processes.
They said in an attempt to assure the plaintiffs of the propriety of the transaction, the defendants issued them with documents to some of the plaintiffs but they were later found to be fake and subsequently withdrawn.
Showing the particulars of fraud, the plaintiffs stated that by organising trips in batches to them to the site of the land, thus assuring them the legitimacy of the entire transaction and failing to deliver to them their part of the bargain, the defendants ought to be deemed to have defrauded the plaintiffs.