Supreme Court Dismisses case against GNPCs CEO

The Supreme Court has dismissed an application by Edem Agbana against the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Dr. Kofi Koduah Sarpong.

K K Sarpong

The plaintiff, Edem Agbana was demanding the resignation of Dr K K Sarpong for staying in office after reaching the age of 65, which is beyond the retirement age for his position.

In court on Wednesday when the matter was called before a seven panel judge chaired by Chief Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah, Agbana’s lawyer, Kisi Adjabeng, withdrew the action.

The case was subsequently struck out as withdrawn.

The applicant contended that Dr Sarpong’s continued stay in office despite crossing the retirement age was a breach of Article 199 (1) and (4) of the constitution.

Agbana was praying the court to force Dr Sarpong to pay back all salaries, allowances and benefits he obtained from the GNPC after he crossed the retirement age.

He also wanted an order forcing Dr. Sarpong “to resign immediately from his position as CEO of Ghana National Petroleum Corporation.”

In February 2017, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo first appointed Dr Sarpong as Acting Chief Executive Officer of GNPC.

Dr. Sarpong was among eight CEOs working for the State that were supposed to retire by March 2019 because they had hit the statutory retirement age.

They were reportedly directed to proceed on retirement by the Presidency.

The other affected CEOs were Eugene Ofosuhene (67) at the Controller and Accountant General; Maxwell Kofi Jumah (68) at the Ghana Industrial Holding Corporation (GIHOC); Isaac Osei (67) at the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR); Kwame Owusu (67) at the Ghana Maritime Authority; Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie (65) at the Forestry Commission; Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare (65) at the Ghana Health Service; and Dr Samuel Annor (64) at the National Health Insurance Authority.

Source: Ghanamatters.com/News