Accra: A businessman has petitioned the National Security Secretariat, requesting an investigation into the alleged unlawful retention of two hydraulic excavators by the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Manso Nkwanta in the Ashanti region. The petition also calls for the recovery of the machines.
According to Ghana Web, the petition was submitted on behalf of businessman Mr. Raju Parekh by his legal representatives. It alleges that the two SANY SY215C-9LC hydraulic excavators were supplied to the DCE under a rental arrangement in 2024 to support his mining business operations. The petition further states that ownership of the machines was never transferred, and repeated requests for their return have been unsuccessful.
The petition claims that Mr. Parekh has suffered significant financial losses due to the continued loss of possession of the excavators. It identifies the machines by their chassis numbers and requests that National Security trace, recover, and return them to their alleged lawful owner. The lawyers assert their readiness to provide documentary evidence, including proof of ownership, delivery records, communication records, and chassis identification details, to support any official investigation.
The petition follows an earlier demand letter dated July 18, 2026. In this letter, the petitioner's solicitors alleged that the DCE owed an outstanding balance of GHS600,000 related to the purchase of two other excavators and had failed to return the two rented excavators after defaulting on rental payments. Attempts by the petitioner's representatives to retrieve the rented machines were reportedly unsuccessful.
The petition urges National Security to investigate the matter, recover the excavators, return them to the petitioner if ownership is established, and take any action deemed appropriate under the law against any person found to have acted unlawfully.