Lawyer and member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Gary Nimako Marfo, has filed an action against the Ga East Municipal Assembly and the Municipal Chief Executive, Elizabeth Kaki Mann, for their failure to pay his outstanding legal fees.
Mr Marfo, who is the Legal Director of the governing party, is seeking recovery of GHc130,050 in legal fees, as well as interest on the sum and damages for breach of contract and cost, including legal fees.
According to him, a retainer agreement was executed between the Ga East Municipal Assembly and his law firm in October 2019.
Under the agreement, Mr Marfo’s legal fees were chargeable separately on a case-by-case basis. Mr Marfo avers that his law firm rendered legal services for the assembly from the commencement of the agreement until October 2021.
However, after madam Mann was appointed in September 2021, she decided not to continue with Mr Marfo’s engagement. Mr Marfo claims that he subsequently submitted an invoice of GHC130,050.00 to the assembly as outstanding retainer and litigation fee due up to the date of termination in accordance with the agreement.
Despite serving the assembly with a demand notice in November 2021 for payment of its debt, the MCE has refused or failed to honour the demand.
Mr Marfo contends that all attempts to get the assembly to discharge its obligation towards him have proved futile, and that until the court compels the Ga East Municipal Assembly and its chief executive, they will not pay the outstanding debt owed to him.
Mr Marfo stated “that under the said retainer agreement, legal fees in respect of litigation were chargeable separately on a case-by-case basis and that, through his law firm, he rendered legal services for the 1st Defendant from the commencement of the agreement until October 2021.
“Plaintiff says that after Elizabeth Kaki Mann (2nd Defendant) was appointed to replace her predecessor in September 2021, the 2nd Defendant decided not to continue with the engagement.
“Plaintiff avers that upon the termination of the Agreement, the Plaintiff, through its law firm, delivered to the defendants all documents and files belonging to the 1st Defendant in his possession.
“Plaintiff avers that after the files were released to the Defendants, the new counsel for the Defendants, Kingsley Amoakwa-Boadu Esq., called Plaintiff for his consent to continue the cases which consent was duly given.
“Plaintiff avers that the grant of his consent to the new counsel for the Defendants was to enable him to proceed with the defendants’ ongoing cases in order not to ground those ongoing cases in court.
“Plaintiff avers that he subsequently submitted an invoice of One Hundred and Thirty Thousand, Fifty Ghana Cedis (GH¢130,050.00) to the Defendants as outstanding retainer and litigation fee due up to the date of termination in accordance with the Agreement.
“Plaintiff avers that even though the Defendants were served with demand notice as far back as November, 2021 for the payment of its debt owed the Plaintiff and his law firm, the MCE, Elizabeth Kaki Mann has refused or failed to honour same,” Mr Marfo stated in his statement of case.
“In spite of oral and written demands to get the Defendants to pay the debt owed the Plaintiff, the 2nd Defendant particularly insists that she would not pay the debt owed the Plaintiff because the Retainer Agreement with the Assembly was not executed by her but by her predecessor.
“In August 2022, he sent a written notice of intention to sue the Defendants, but the same has been ignored by the Defendants and “that all other attempts by some officers of the 1st Defendant to get the 2nd Defendant to discharge 1st Defendant’s obligation towards the Plaintiff have proved futile,” he said.