The much anticipated Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of HFC Bank is likely to come off next week.
[contextly_sidebar id=”QzbJVx3xwHu8FoWUkVaegUWa6dKbCXFD”]It follows the dismissal of a case brought before an appeals court in Accra by a shareholder of HFC Bank seeking to stop the holding of the bank’s EGM.
The shareholder took the case to the appeals court after an Accra high court on February 9th, 2015 dismissed the application for stay of execution of the holding of the bank’s EGM on the grounds that Robert Yartey, the shareholder’s lawyer had no valid lawyers’ Annual License to practice in Ghana at the time he filed the case.
But the appeals court on 4th March,2015 threw out the case on the grounds that the case was devoid of any merits.
Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) an institutional shareholder of the bank, who requisitioned the EGM told Citi Business News, HFC Bank’s EGM was only adjourned because of the stay of execution filed by the shareholder at the Court of Appeal.
General Manager and General Counsel for SSNIT Peter Hayibor told Citi Business News HFC bank’s company Secretary will fix Tuesday March 10, 2015 as the new date for the EGM to come on.
“The order was made previously by the High Court that the EGM must held on the 17th February, it had to be adjourned because of the present application and the company secretary issued a directive that because of the present application the EGM could not come on, so the EGM was adjourned. So now that there is no obstruction what the company secretary needs to do is issue the notice for the meeting to be held because it was an adjourned meeting. Therefore next week Tuesday or Wednesday the meeting must come on as far as the company code is concerned.”
Peter Hayibor told Citi Business News it is appropriate for the meeting to come on just a week after the court case at the same venue at the same time as stipulated in the company code on adjourned meetings.
Meanwhile Counsel for the shareholder Robert Yartey said any attempt to have the shareholders meeting earlier than the scheduled Annual General Meeting (AGM) in April will be stopped since that will be against the shareholder’s will.
“We would not be opposed to an AGM coming on next month because that is when the Annual General Meeting must come on in April but anything which falls short of that we are likely to look at it.” He said.
He adds that they are satisfied that the Appeals Court did not direct or order for the contentious EGM to come on asking that the proper procedures must be followed to have the pending shareholders general meeting to come.
“The court has not directed that the EGM must come on at a certain time so the proper procedures must be followed to have the meeting convened something we are satisfied with.”
By: Norvan Acquah-Hayford/citifmonline.com/Ghana
