Court orders arrest of Kumasi businessman

By William Yaw Owusu

Wednesday May 16, 2007
THE Commercial Court in Accra has issued a warrant for the arrest of Gazy Fattal Dakmak, a Lebanese for allegedly absconding with about 463 million belonging to Microcel Limited.

This follows the grant of an ex-parte application by the court, presided over by Justice Henry Kwofie, in the case in which Microcel Limited has sued Dakmak together with his father, Bassam Gazy Dakmak, to recover the 463 million from the two.

Moving the application for a warrant to arrest the absconded Dakmak. Mr Yonny Kulendi, counsel for Microcel, said on April 24, Dakmak purchased from Microcell, Areeba recharge units worth 86 million and scratch cards worth 63 million for which he issued two cheques to be drawn at the Zenith Bank branch in Kumasi

On April 26, Dakmak again collected recharge scratch cards worth 30 million and presented another cheque to be paid into the account of the plaintiff in the same bank in Kumasi.

When the plaintiff presented the cheques at the bank, they were dishonoured. He then notified Dakmak who claimed his account had mistakenly been overdrawn at the time the cheques were withdrawn.

Dakmak told the plaintiff to present the cheques again because he had rectified the problem but when the plaintiffs presented them the second time, they were dishonoured.

Although the debt was yet to be paid, Dakmak on April 30, succeeded in collecting another ¢8.6 million worth Areeba electronic recharge unit with a promise to pay cash because he claimed he had run out of products.

Dakmak was also able to go behind the complainant to collect and their ¢130 million worth of Areeba electronic units and ¢144 million worth of scratch cards from the plaintiff’s Sale Manager.

When the Sales Manager asked another person to accompany Dakmak to his shop to collect t he money, he diverted his course and left the emissary stranded and quickly called the plaintiff to say that he was in the bank making effort s to cash all the money to him.

On May 4, Dakmak’s father called on the plaintiff and in the presence of some mutual friends, said he had taken the responsibility to ensure that the debt was paid and this was agreed by the plaintiff.

Mr Kulend said that after several efforts, the two defendants had still not paid the debt adding “the plaintiff has now found out that Fattal Dakmak, aided by Gazy Dakmak, has similarly appropriated goods and huge sums of money from other suppliers who are also hunting for Dakmak.”