.....After U.S. SEC Indictment... Ghanaian con-priest involved
TWO AMERICANS indicted by the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a $1.4 million fraudulent international gold trading scheme last year were recently in Ghana to pitch for an estimated $110 million housing project at the Ministry of Works and Housing.

The project, Ghana Low-Income Housing Project, is a reported brainchild of London-based Yugoslav millionaire Sima Maljkovic, a director of Union Engineering Belgrade, who was contacted through the Yugoslav (now Montenegro) Embassy in Accra to assist in the building of low income houses in Ghana, following similar project in other part of Africa.

The project, which Gye Nyame Concord gathered, has a $10 million working capital or ‘walk around money’ for feasibility studies, drawings and cost estimate to set up local and international companies interested in the project, was expected to start this year.

Intelligence gathered indicates that the two Americans, Messrs. Ardis Gaither, 60, and Mark Tuley, 34, who were indicted on March 22, 2002 with four others, including Ghanaian con-priest, Rev. Godfried Sarpong, 43, have been in and out of Ghana several times.

The duo were indicted by the SEC together with Sarpong for raising $1.4 million through illegal offer and sale of unregistered promissory notes to several investors in several U. S. states. They also reportedly made false claims in the transaction of their business.

One of the indicted men, according to the SEC also stole most of the investors’ money. But while the American government was on the tail of men, Concord Intel gathered that the two had by February last year found their way into Accra. They have since been in and out of the country to Canada and other European countries, diplomatic sources told this reporter.

Ardis Gaither, Concord can reveal was involved in the ‘bid’ for the proposed $100 million project here in Ghana with a number of Ghanaians, including a lady friend of Rev Sarpong, (name withheld presently).

Rev. Sarpong has himself also left an unpaid bill estimated to be in the region of $10,000-plus at the plush La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra.

Sources say Ardis and his other colleagues had intended to use part of the $10 million work-around money to fund the settlement of their part in the $1.4 million SEC scandal.

While Mark Tuley left the country at the beginning of the year for his home state of Texas, Rev. Sarpong, who organised a prayer event for former President Jerry Rawlings administration during the latter days of 2000, is presently believed to be holed up in London, U.K.

Ardis, reportedly out of the country at the moment, is meanwhile part of an impending legal battle at the courts over a $400,000 investments into a mining company that has former business partners, Anna Georgulas, the Reverend Ebenezer Markwei, head pastor of Living Stream Ministry International and Mr. Eric Siaw Williams, a businessman and son of the late J. K. Siaw, angling for each other’s throat.

Ms Georgulas refused to speak on this issue when reached on phone at her Spintex Road home several weeks ago.

Neither could the Concord reach Ardis, or Tuley in Texas. Investigations continue.