GHAMRO slapped with a legal suit

Ghana Music Rights Organisation (GHAMRO) has been sued over the composition of the interim board as well as the interim election committee of the organization.

The suit filed by four members of the Election Committee of GHAMRO seeks, among other reliefs, a perpetual injunction restraining GHAMRO and its officials from interfering with the performance of the functions of the plaintiffs as duly appointed Election Committee members of the organization.

Nana Boahene, aka Stebo, Rev. Mensah Bonsu, Kingsley Sarpong, and Gloria Dzifa Ashinyo, who filed the suit, avers that the appointment of members of the board and interim election committee, including those whose permitted two terms had elapsed, contravene certain provisions of GHAMRO’s constitution.

Attached to the suit are Abraham Nuetey Adjetey (CEO), Augustina Addison, Aziz Haruna, Kwabena Donkor, Eric Afriyie, Seth Amponsah, Rex Owusu Marfo, Diana Hopeson, Ahmed Banda, and Abraham Kofi Boakye.

The plaintiffs, in their statement of case, aver that they were appointed on October 14, 2020, to conduct elections for new members of the Board of GHAMRO.

They contend that their appointment to conduct a fresh election brought the life of the previous board to an end by January 15, 2021.

The suit avers that the Election Committee opened nominations for qualified members of GHAMRO to file nominations for board membership.

It says at the close of monitoring and subsequent vetting, nine (9) persons were approved to contest the election while three were disqualified “on the grounds that each had already served as a member of the board for two consecutive terms.”

It further contends that following the disqualification of the said aspirants in accordance with the clear provisions of the said Article 4.4(2) GHAMRO’s Constitution, the conduct of the disqualified aspirants, coupled with the assistance of the CEO and other members, frustrated the performance of the plaintiffs as Election Committee members of the 1st defendant.

It said the plaintiff on April 6, 2021, wrote to the Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) requesting its assistance towards the election of the qualified aspirants as members of the board.

However, some of the defendants secretly held an extraordinary general meeting on April 19, 2021, and formed and/or appointed an interim board constituted by Augustina Addison, Rex Owusu Marfo, Diana Hopeson, Ahmed Banda, and Abraham Kofi Boakye as members of the said interim board.

The plaintiffs allege that the said interim board further constituted Augustina Addison, Aziz Haruna, Kwabena Donkor, Eric Afriyie, and Seth Amponsah as members of a newly constituted Election Committee to take over the work of the Election Committee.

These acts, the plaintiffs contend, contravene the clear provisions of the constitution of GHAMRO, especially 4.21, 4.8(4), 6.6(1), 6.7, 6.8, and 6.9 of the constitution.

The plaintiffs also said that the defendants, despite the pendency of the suit, continue to hold themselves out and are also held out by the other defendants as interim board members of GHAMRO, and that they will not cease to do so unless the court orders them.

They are, therefore, asking the court for an order directed at the defendants to re-instate the plaintiffs as duly elected members of the Election Committee to continue the performance of their functions as Election Committee of GHAMRO.

They also want an order directed at Abraham Neutey Adjetey to properly account for his stewardship and role as Chief Executive Officer of GHAMRO.

Source: Ghana/MaxTV/MaxFM/max.com.gh/Joyceline Natally Cudjoe