FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN!! Roche Construction slammed with N44 million naira suit for “non settlement”.
Not too long ago, we posted an article questioning the ownership behind ROCHE GROUP and why they were the ones being awarded every major contract in the State. Our questions never got answered.
Lo and behold, as if we have not had enough shock in the first 72 hours of the New Year, this is what THE SUN is reporting:
A construction firm, Roache Construction Nigeria Limited has been slammed with N44million suit over alleged breach of contract entered into with two Irish nationals, Patrick Mcdermott and Cormac Harten.
Joined as co-defendants in the suit challenging the alleged failure to pay the claimants the facilitator fee in the contract for the construction of 305 units of modern blocks of classrooms, were the state Commissioner for Education, the Education Ministry and the state Attorney-General.
The claimants are asking the court to grant summary judgment against the construction company on the ground that it had failed to enter defence into the case, having allegedly severed relationship with the claimants.
According to the suit filed by their counsel, Olumide Oniyire pending before Justice J. Ukoha, the claimants are asking for an order directing the government to compel the company to comply with the terms of agreement dated August 22, 2011 requiring the Roche to pay all persons involved as facilitators in the award of the contract for the construction of the 305 classrooms valued at N9.2 billion.
They are seeking for an order of the court directing the company to pay an interest rate of 21 per-cent on the said N44 million from November 11, 2011, seven days after the company was paid the contract sum up till the date of judgment and thereafter at 10 % till final liquidation of the entire sum.
In the statement of claim, the claimants contended that as facilitators for the executed contracts, they used “their best endeavor and vast contacts within Imo State to source and procure in the name of Roche Construction the award of contract for the construction of 305 units of 12 classrooms modern school blocks in Imo state in favour of the company for the mutual benefit of the 1st defendant and themselves.”
They averred that parties after several discussions on trust reduced to writing, “under a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the 1st Defendant and the Claimants sometimes in October 2011.”
They stated that after the full payment of the contract sum of N9, 272, 000, 000,00 (N9.2 Billion) by the Imo state government, the contractor refused to pay them the “facilitation fee, wages and charges of all persons including the Claimants involved with the contract in reference.”“By the terms of the duly signed MoU reached between the 1st Defendant and themselves, the said Claimants are to receive a total sum of N44, 000, 000, 00 only as facilitation fee on the signed contract from the Imo state government payable in two installments, not subject to any exchange rate fluctuation and all payments were agreed to be made within seven days of 1st Defendant draw down on the contract sum paid to her by the Imo State Government.”
The matter has been adjourned till January 17, 2012 for further hearing.
Hmmmm. Serious fire on the mountain. What can be done to quench it before Jan 17th? LOL!!
How did we even land our selves into washing our dirty linen in the courtroom over a “non-settlement” law suit in the first place?
Could sambarri be looking for a way to tarnish the image of the Imo state government or was this really a case of an “agbata ekee” deal gone sour?
Now that it has boiled down to this; are we still building the 305 schools or not? What is really going on?
Calls made to the Government House were not returned by Press time.
Jesus take the wheel!
