Friday, July 31, 2015

TARZAN SUES GBC OVER TV LICENSE

By William Yaw Owusu
Friday, July 31, 2015

Energy expert Dr. Yves Charles Wereko-Brobby aka Tarzan has sued the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation over the controversial TV License initiative.

He wants the Fast Track High Court to restrain the state broadcaster  from collecting TV Licence fees from August 1, 2015, which he deems as “illegally”.

In processing the court document, the former Chief Executive of the defunct Ghana@50 Secretariat joined media regulator the National Media Commission (NMC), Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA) and the Attorney-General to the suit.

According to Egbert Faibille Jnr. of Faibille & Faibille law firm, who is representing the plaintiff, GBC “cannot share any moneys received by it with any other entity whether private or state-owned as same ought to be deposited in its bank accounts.”

The plaintiff is contending, among other things that the “2nd, 3rd and 4th Defendants have not been appointed by the Minister of Finance by any legislative instrument to be a licensing authority(s) as provided for by NLCD 89; particularly when 3rd Defendant as an association and/or its individual members are not statutory corporations.”

Dr Wereko-Brobby is praying the court to declare that it is illegal for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th respondents to be beneficiaries of any TV licence fee collected.

The plaintiff is also praying the court for an “order of perpetual injunction restraining 1st Defendant, its official, assigns, hirelings, privies, servants, agents and/or any person claiming under or through it; and howsoever described from commencing and/or resuming the collection of the newly introduced TV Licence Fees from the 1st day of August, 2015 or any date thereafter as the formula for sharing same as announced and/or any other formula for sharing same among Defendants is unlawful and a violation of LI 226, NRCD 89 as well as NLCD 226.”




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