THE GHANA ASSOCIATION of Forest Plantation Wood Millers and Exporters (GATEX) has dragged eight people who are said to be posing themselves as the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the association to court.

In a writ filed at an Accra Fast Track High Court in April this year, GATEX is seeking a declaration that a so-called meeting held in Kumasi on March 27, 2006 by the defendants was illegal and therefore any purported elections and formation of an IMC was null and void.

Again GATEX was seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from holding themselves up as members of the purported IMC of GATEX. It is further seeking an order to direct the defendants to surrender or return immediately all letters and correspondence meant for GATEX which have been surreptitiously collected from the Forestry Commission under false pretence as executives of GATEX.

National executives of the association were also asking for general damages for maligning them and accusing them for having hijacked the GATEX for their personal and selfish interest.

The eight defendants who have been dragged to court for posing as IMC of the GATEX are Joseph Kwaku Siaw, of Oti Yeboah complex, Mr. Yaw Sifah, Konstak Company Ltd and Nana Ohene Amoah, Dicksso Company Ltd.

Others are Mr. Kofi Okyere Nyamekye, Kan Company Ltd, Nana Akua Konto, Queen mother, Nkawie Panin and Nene Oti Nartey Otibu.

The rest are Mr. Henry K. Kokofu and William Ntim of F.N. Dua Wood Processing Company Ltd.

According to GATEX , since the formation of the association the defendants have not only failed to neither pay any dues, nor renew their membership but have also failed to contribute in kind to the welfare of the association and have also refused or ignored to attend general meetings.

The statement of claim said the defendants who were not the members of the association (GATEX) on March 15, this year, through an unsigned notice for a special meeting, organized a meeting on March 27, at the conference room of Peps Lodge TUC, Adiemra in Kumasi and elections and thereby elect four of the defendants as executives of GATEX.

?The said notice was not copied to any of the members constituting the official National Executive Committee of the GATEX,? stated the claim. Notwithstanding this, the defendants without any authority arrogated unto themselves the powers of the national executives of GATEX and formed an IMC to run the affairs of GATEX.

According to the plaintiff after arrogating powers to themselves, the defendants went ahead to the Ministry of Land, Forestry and Mines and collected all correspondence addressed to the plaintiff as if they were the genuine national executives when they knew that they were imposters.

According to the statement the leadership of GATEX has not changed, as some people would want the world to believe.

Meantime, a statement issued in Accra by the President of GATEX, Nana Kyerekuma II said he was still at post as well as the national vice president, Mr. Richard Asante Bediako. The statement advised the public to be careful about imposters who were parading themselves as the IMC of the association. "Whoever does business in the name of GATEX with the so-called IMC does so at his own risk", said Bediako