The Mo-Ari family from Walewale in the West Mamprusi Municipality of the North East Region has served notice to the Ghana Police Service of their intended street protest against the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) over what they described as the ‘unlawful’ deductions from a family member – Alhaji Ayatuli’s salary.
According to the family, the demonstration is to express their anger and frustrations over the bank’s continuous deduction of Alhaji Ayatuli’s salary for over six and half years in the name of loan deduction.
Portions of the notice of demonstration served the police and shared on social media read:
“The focus of our intended demonstration is to show our displeasure of the unfair treatment to our brother, Alhaji Ayatuli, who fought very hard in the Walewale District court from 10th April, 2017 to 18th February, 2020 for two years, eleven months with Agricultural Development Bank. Alhaji Ayatuli emerged victorious in the court case, but was still denied what he is due, even after the court ordered him to pick the bank’ emergency plant by way of forcing them to pay him what is due and stop their unlawful deductions, they still continue to do the unlawful deductions up to date. We hope to draw at least 150 people to participate in this all-important exercise”.
Statement by Ayatuli’s family
Background of the Deductions
Alhaji Ayatuli, they said acquired a loan of GHS 6,000 from ADB, Walewale branch in 2013 of which the loan repayment would have been made in three years, ending in 2016. However, the bank never made any deductions from 2013 even after the client laid complaints until 2014 when it started taking the full salary of the client instead of the documented amount of GHS 270.
The full salary, they added, was deducted for a period of 10 months nonstop up to 2015, after which they started deducting GHS429 monthly which is still more than the legally agreed amount of GHS 270. This amount was deducted until February 2020 when Alhaji Ayatuli took the case to Tamale circuit court.
The circuit court passed judgment in his favor and ordered ADB to refund the monies and pay him damages, but the bank failed to do so, leading to the court granting him a permit to pick the bank’s power plant in place of the damages.
An amount of GHS 2,000, the family said, was paid by the bank to take back the power plant, but refused to make any refund to him afterwards. He subsequently reported back to the court for the bank’s refusal to give him the refund, but the court directed that he file the case at the high court as the action of ADB amounts to contempt of court which the circuit court has no powers to charge.
The situation has forced the frustrated man’s family to resort to demonstration as they claim they cannot afford to hire a lawyer to file the case in the high court again after their attempt to get a state lawyer from legal aid failed.
Attempts to report the case to the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia have also failed as representatives of the affected family who travelled from Walewale to Accra were denied access to him.
Mo-Ari Family has therefore scheduled Monday, October 18, 2021 to embark on the demonstration in Walewale.
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