Two lawyers clash at probe into player transfer

Accra (Greater Accra), 15^th October 99

The Commission probing the international player transfer on Thursday threatened to sack Mr. Bright Akwetey and Mr. Ernest Thompson, Board Secretary of Hearts of Oak from the Commission's sittings for misbehaviour.

The incident occurred when Mr. Akwetey, ex-Board Secretary of Hearts, was cross-examining Mr. Ato Ahwoi, the Board Chairman on some of the players, Hearts have transferred since he took office.

Mr. Akwetey suggested to Mr Ahwoi that Olloquaye Commodore's transfer fee from Hearts to a Romanian Club in 1995 was paid through Mr. Thompson's bank account in London.

Mr. Thompson, who had already tendered into evidence a letter from the Romanian club, stating that the money was paid through the Social Security Bank, did not take kindly to the allegation.

This developed into a heated argument to the extent that both lawyers insulted each other.

Both of them apologised after the chairman of the Commission, Mr. Justice Sule Gbadegbe had warned to sack them. Mr. Akwetey, however, withdrew his allegation.

Other lawyers, who were present and contributed to the exchanges instead of advising their colleagues, were also asked to render an apology to the Commission, which they did.

When proceedings resumed, Mr. Akwetey again alleged that the transfer fees of players such as Christian Sabah, Owusu Benson, Stephen Appiah and Sam Johnson had been under-declared by the Hearts management.

On all these players, Mr. Akwetey demanded from Mr. Ahwoi copies of documents covering their transfers but the Hearts Board Chairman refused to do that.

The Commission at this point asked Mr. Akwetey to come back and see the secretary of the Commission to look through the documents Hearts have already tendered into evidence for any information he needed.

Mr. Ahwoi admitted that Hearts paid 17,000 dollars to the GFA as its percentage of Sabah's transfer instead of 20,000.

In an answer to a question, Mr. Ahwoi said, "The GFA would be in better position to answer how they calculated their percentage".

Mr. Ahwoi mentioned Mr. Jones Abu Alhassan, vice-chairman of RTU as the agent of Sports Link, who took 10,000 dollars from Robert Sabah's transfer fee to Saudi Arabia in 1996.

This brought back the Shamo Quaye transfer saga in which one Mr. Appiah Kubi of Sports Link in Sweden is said to have taken 50,000 dollars of the transfer fee.

Mr. Akwetey found it difficult to believe that the Sports Link of Sweden is different from the one in Saudi Arabia and said, "both are owned by one Ghanaian who is in Ghana at the moment".

Mr. Ernest Bediako, former Chief Executive of Hearts told the Commission under cross-examination that Masawudu Nada was transferred for 10,000 dollars without an International Transfer Certificate (ITC).

He said because the player was a juvenile, he did not need an ITC and as a result Hearts also did not pay the GFA any percentage.

Mr. Bediako told the Commission that Hearts did not pay any percentage to the GFA in relation to Alhaji Shaibu's transfer to Germany because the player left without their consent.

"The player left and started playing for the club before he wrote to us that his new club has agreed to pay us 10,000 DM which we accepted since the boy had already started playing for them without the ITC ".

In another development, the Commission advised Hearts to negotiate a mode of payment to Sony Halifax and Mighty Victory Colts clubs in connection with the transfer of Sam Johnson and Stephen Appiah.

GRi