The Brong Ahafo Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr. Kwadwo Yeboah Fordjour, is in trouble. An NPP activist, Mr. Anthony Ferka, from the Jaman constituency, has filed a petition at the Sunyani High Court, asking it to restrain him from contesting the position of chairman of the party.

Mr. Ferka petitioned the court that Mr. Fordjour, also the Managing Director of the Kwadwo Yeboah Fordjour Enterprises (KYFE) had been convicted by a Sunyani circuit court for failing to issue a VAT invoice, but rather issued his own invoices, contrary to section 57 of VAT Act 546 of 1998.

According to Ferka, on July 25, this year, the officials of the VAT Service, upon persistent and numerous complaints of trade malpractices being carried out by KYFE, entered his shop to buy two gallons of emulsion paint.

He continued that the agent of Fordjour, who is the incumbent NPP chairman, issued out the company’s invoice to them instead of VAT invoice. Based on the fraudulent behaviour of Yeboah’s company, the VAT Service then arraigned him before the circuit court.

The petitioner stated that in September, this year, the wife of Fordjour represented him in court, where she pleaded guilty. According to the petitioner, Fordjour and six others were each fined ?400,000, or in default six months imprisonment.

Ferka, through his counsel, Adjei Frimpong, therefore, prayed the court to disqualify Fordjour from contesting the NPP Regional Delegates Congress, “adding by virtue of the said conviction and sentence (fine), Fordjour is ineligible to contest or stand for and to be voted for the position of the regional chairmanship of NPP”.

Quoting from the party’s Constitution, Ferka referred to Article 3, Section C, Sub-section (111)(a) as amended, which stated that “a member shall be disqualified from holding any office or contesting any election in the party, if he or she has been convicted and or sentenced by a court of competent jurisdiction in respect of any offence involving high treason, security of the state, dishonesty, fraud or moral aptitude, unless a period of ten years has elapse after serving the sentence or he or she has been granted a full pardon.”

He argued that applying the provision, the incumbent chairman is disqualified from contesting for the party’s executive.