Over 100 protesting Menzgold customers arrested

Police have arrested over 100 customers of defunct gold dealership firm, Menzgold, who had picketed at the home of the CEO to demand the release of their investment.

The aggrieved customers had besieged the plush residence of Nana Appiah Mensah, Wednesday, to retrieve their locked-up cash without police approval.They had vowed to sleep at the CEO’s residence until their monies are paid because they have run out of patience.

Scores of them bused from Tarkwa and Kumasi in the Western and Ashanti regions, respectively, joined those in Accra to embark on the protest they had hoped will result in some fruitful response.

Officers from the police operations team have cleared all of them from the residence and taken to the police headquarters.The operations team led by ACP Kwasi Ofori, said none of the customers approached the police to inform them about their actions, a reason they have been arrested.

“We all know that we live in a democratic country with rules, regulations and laws. We have a public order law and the spirit and letter of that law mandate every citizen to inform the police with any intention to demonstrate.

“Police have not been informed and looking at this environment, it is an estate meant for several people and for these group of persons to invade the premises, assaulting the security detail and having forcefully entered the place to carry out such an illegal exercise definitely has something to do with the police,” the Accra Regional Police Operations Commander said.

But prior to the arrival of the police, two warning shots were fired from the house. The embattled firm had announced earlier that it will from Friday, December 27, 2019, begin paying customers their locked-up funds which have been in arrears for the past three years.

Public Relations Officer for Menzgold, Nii Armah Armateifio said about 200 customers had been paid but the customers are skeptical about this report. One of the leaders of the aggrieved customers said that information cannot be true.

According to Francis Owusu, none of his members has been paid even a dime so he wonders which 200 of the customers have been paid.He challenged the customers to direct them to these members so they can verify the truth of the claims for themselves.