Tamale (Northern Region), 14th May ?99 ?

Ghana Telecom is taking legal action against 56 customers in the northern region who have failed to settle their telephone bills.

On Wednesday, the company obtained a judgment at a Tamale High court in which a communication centre operator was ordered to pay an outstanding bill of 51 million cedis plus interest at the current bank rate.

The court, presided over by Mr Justice T. R. Aninakwa, awarded one million cedis costs against the defendant, Y. Y. Hassan of "Sunyani Communication Centre", Tamale.

Mr Kofi Dua-Adonteng and Mr Sylvester Williams both solicitors of Ghana Telecom said the company is exercising its rights to retrieve millions of cedis in outstanding bills.

They cited in particular, communication centre operators, who collect instant customer service fees but fail to pay what is due to Ghana Telecom, adding that the prosecutions would continue until the defaulters settle all arrears.

The two solicitors explained that customers are disconnected if they fail to settle their bills after one month. Thereafter the customer is reminded to pay the arrears, but failure to do so after two months, could result in the institution of a legal action by the company to retrieve its money.

They, therefore, appealed to customers to pay their bills promptly to ensure uninterrupted service and avoid such embarrassing situations as prosecution.