The Chief Executive Officer of the now-defunct gold dealership firm, Menzgold, Nana Appiah Mensah also known as NAM 1 has expressed empathy for the firm's customers who are at the receiving end of the legal battle between himself and the state.

According to him, he is unable to pay his customers because of the current legal battle.

Speaking to JoyNews' Richard Kwadwo Nyarko after a court hearing on Thursday where his application of no case was dismissed, he said until the court proceedings end, his firm could not disperse the monies to clients.

“We need to take this albatross of criminal liabilities off our back and we can look at it from the civil realm.”

• Read also: Court orders NAM1 to open defence as it dismisses ‘no case’ application

“Then when we go to the civil realm, it is between us and those we transacted with, then we can negotiate and find a middle ground and then do the necessary payments then we leave.”

In dismissing the no-case application, the court presided over by Justice Ernest Owusu-Dapaah said the CEO of Brew Marketing Consul, the defunct gold dealership firm, and Menzgold have a case to answer and should open their defence.

Regarding previous efforts to address financial responsibilities, NAM 1 said although efforts were made to begin payments it had been complicated by the ongoing criminal proceedings.

• Read also: We disagree with the court’s ruling but we trust it – NAM 1

“Before the criminal court, if you are making payments, as you guys will recall, we started making some payments to the Ghana Police Service. We didn’t make the payments to them but we needed them to aid us, give us security to make the payments.”

“But that effort has been thwarted by this criminal proceedings or prosecution. When you are before a criminal proceeding, if you are making payment, who are you making the payments to? Is it to mitigate the punishment that will be meted against you if you are found culpable? Is it to stop the prosecution? What is it for? We cannot make payments before a criminal court, he said.