Former West Ham United and Black Stars midfielder John Paintsil has denied borrowing US$20,000 from his former teammate Derek Boateng during the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
Paintsil has been sued by Boateng for failing to refund the $20,000 sum he borrowed in camp during the first FIFA World Cup tournament to be staged in Africa.
But even before they make their first appearance before Justice Jennifer Akua Tagoe, Paintsil says he does not owe the former Getafe midfielder and is ready to prove his innocence in court.
“Well, you know that the matter is in court and when an issue is in court you don’t talk about it,” Paintsil said in an interview with Kasapa FM.
Confirming that he had been served to respond to the charges in court, Paintsil added: “To be honest I don’t owe Derek, I will leave it to the court to decide”.
He also stated that he will not speak in the media about the matter till it was determined by the court.
According to a report by the Daily Heritage newspaper, Boateng is demanding the recovery of the amount plus interest at commercial bank rate from the date the defendant collected the money till date of final payment in the writ of summons.
Also, the former Fulham and Getafe star is asking Paintsil to defray his legal fees and cost.
Boateng was granted an order of substituted service on 16 August, 2018 to serve the defendant (Paintsil) after several unsuccessful attempts since filing the writ on 15 May, 2018.
Statement of Claim
According to the statement of claim, the plaintiff said he is a Ghanaian, a footballer and plying his career internationally, and resides in London, while the defendant, John Paintsil, is also a footballer and currently residing in Ghana after a successful international career.
The plaintiff said, he (Boateng) and the defendant (Paintsil) were all national team players of Ghana Black Stars and were part of the Ghanaian contingent that played in the 2010 world cup held in South Africa.
The plaintiff contended that while the team was in South Africa, the defendant borrowed $20,000 from him (Boateng) and he (Paintsil) promised to pay the money at the camp, but later promised to pay when he returned to his club.
The plaintiff further stated that because they were playing for the national team, he did not pursue the defendant vigorously for his money thinking since they were friends, the defendant would willingly pay the money.
“On several occasions, he demanded the money from the defendant, but he kept giving excuses…’I will pay, I will pay’. There was a time he demanded the money and the former wife of the defendant stepped in to say that he should exercise patience, the husband will pay,” the
High stakes gambling in Black Stars camp?
The plaintiff averred that recently when he demanded his money, defendant made it clear that he did not owe the plaintiff ”but admits that that money he collected from the plaintiff was used for gambling at the camp and since he lost, he has no money to give to the plaintiff.
The plaintiff said he was not part of that game, but the defendant borrowed the money and used it personally for his own interest and therefore must refund the money.
Source : graphic.com.gh
