Kumasi, May 15, GNA - Baffour Adu Asare, a farmer resident at Atimatim near Kumasi, has filed a suit at a Kumasi High Court for recovery of 10.4 million cedis from Nana Kofi Oppong, Odikro of Atimatim.

The money represents Baffour Asare's share of the total expenses he incurred in a joint contract he undertook with the defendant. The two pre-financed the construction of a mini-market at Atimatim that was awarded by the Kwabre District Assembly in 1998. He said Nana Oppong had collected the money from the assembly when he, plaintiff, was supposed to go for it.

Baffour Asare is also demanding interest on the amount at the prevailing bank rate from December 1, 2004, to the date of final judgement of the case.

In his statement of claim, he said the district assembly awarded to him and the defendant a contract to build a mini-market at Atimatim. As part of the terms of the contract, they were to pre-finance the project and be reimbursed on completion.

The plaintiff said he listed the total expenses he incurred in pre-financing the contract in his petition dated April 25, 2002, to the District Chief Executive for Kwabre, Alhaji Akwasi Yeboah. Baffour Asare said he later received a letter from Alhaji Yeboah indicating that Nana Oppong had collected the money. He said when he contacted Nana Oppong, he admitted having collected the money, that he had used part of it to buy a commercial vehicle and promised to pay him his share in due course.

He said since December 2004, Nana Oppong has failed to honour his promise.