Former Attorney General, Martin Amidu, has alleged that the current Attorney General (AG), Marietta Brew Appiah Oppong, withdrew her application to examine embattled businessman, Alfred Agbesi Woyome over the GHC51 million judgement debt saga, because President Mahama personally gave an order.
Mr. Amidu in a statement copied to citifmonline.com after filing an application at the Supreme Court to personally examine Mr. Woyome, argued that the AG backtracked in order to protect some National Democratic Congress (NDC) officials, who benefited from the GHc51 million paid Mr. Woyome by the state as judgment debt.
“In my application I filed today [November 4, 2016], I made use of information provided to me that: ‘….when the Judgment Debtor was served with the order of the Court, he went to inform the NDC of which he is a member and financier; and the incumbent Government, in particular the Attorney General and the President personally, that should the order applied for by the Government for his examination be not discontinued, he will have no option at his appearance at the Court than to disclose truthfully and faithfully to the Court on oath the names of all NDC and Government beneficiaries of the judgment debt, which was paid to him as a result of the unconstitutional conduct of the Attorney General declared in the decision of this Court.’”
“I have also stated the information available to me and my belief that: ‘the NDC and the Government realizing the power of this Court pursuant to its order granted for the examination of the 3rd Defendant/Respondent/Judgment Debtor to ‘order the judgment debtor or officer to produce any books or documents in the possession of the judgment debtor relevant to these questions at the time and place appointed for the examination’ took to panic resulting in the President instructing the Attorney General upon her own advice to him to discontinue the application for examination of the judgment debtor which the Court had already ordered,” Mr. Amidu added.
The allegation comes on the back of claims by pressure group, OccupyGhana, that the AG gave up on the case in order to protect Woyome’s accomplices who belong to the governing NDC.
The Attorney General which had served an earlier notice to orally examine Mr. Woyome at the Supreme Court, suddenly announced a discontinuation of the case.
The notice of discontinuance dated October 26, 2016 stated that “please take notice that the 1st Defendant Judgment Creditor [Attorney General] herein has this day [26th Day of October 2016] discontinued the present application to orally examine the 3rd Defendant Judgment Debtor [Alfred Agesi Woyome] with liberty to reapply.”
But Mr. Martin Amidu, who secured a ruling at the court ordering Mr. Woyome to pay back the money, has in his latest application, asked the Supreme Court to allow him to examine Mr. Woyome.
“…I have this morning 4th November 2016 filed an application at the Supreme Court for leave to examine the Judgment Debtor as the citizen public interest Plaintiff in favour of whom the case was decided for the Republic of Ghana.”
He said if given the chance “the good people of Ghana will hear and see the beneficiaries of the unconstitutional judgment debt in the NDC and this Government.”
He further challenged President Mahama to allow his examination of Mr. Woyome to commence if government has nothing to hide.
“Gargantuan crimes were indeed committed as I stated in 2012. Corruption is trying to prevent the public from hearing the whole story from the horse’s own mouth. I challenge the honesty and integrity of the President and the Government to allow the examination of its financier, the Judgment Debtor, Alfred Agbesi Woyome to proceed without hindrance if they have nothing to hide.”
Background
Alfred Woyome was paid ¢51 million after he claimed that he helped Ghana to raise funds to construct stadia for purposes of hosting the CAN 2008 Nations Cup.
However an Auditor General’s report released in 2010, said the amount was paid illegally to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) financier.
The Supreme Court in 2014 ordered Mr. Woyome to pay back ¢51 million fraudulently taken from the state, after Mr. Martin Amidu, a former Attorney General challenged the legality of the judgment debt paid the businessman, Waterville, and Isofoton.
Following delays in retrieving the money, the Supreme Court judges unanimously granted the Attorney-General clearance to execute the court’s judgment ordering Mr. Woyome to refund the cash to the state.
Woyome prevents officials from valuing residence
Mr. Woyome in April 2016 prevented officials of the Attorney General’s Department and the Lands Commission from having access to his Kpehe residence for valuation. The move was part of a directive from the Supreme Court to retrieve monies illegally paid to him.
But Woyome resisted the move, saying the planned valuation was illegal. Mr. Woyome had earlier won the criminal prosecution that sought to imprison him for the offence.
Below is the full statement from Mr. Amidu
AMIDU APPLIES TO THE SUPREME COURT TO EXAMINE ALFRED AGBESI WOYOME THE JUDGMENT DEBTOR – BY MARTIN A, B. K. AMIDU
Today, spurred on by agitations from the public who are protesting against the lack of probity, accountability and transparency on the part of the Government in purporting to discontinue the Government’s application and consequential order granted by the Supreme Court on 19th October 2016 (ordering Alfred Agbesi Woyome to appear before the Court on Thursday 10th day of November, 2016 at 9: 00 am in the forenoon to be examined orally on Oath to ascertain whether he as the 3rd Defendant/Judgment Debtor has any property or other means of satisfying the Judgment), I have this morning 4th November 2016 filed an application at the Supreme Court for leave to examine the Judgment Debtor as the citizen public interest Plaintiff in favour of whom the case was decided for the Republic of Ghana.
I have examined the circumstances surrounding the Government’s reluctance to enforce the judgment and orders of the Court with the seriousness which the matter deserves. I share the view expressed by objective and reasonable members of the public that because the Government was the 1st Defendant/Respondent against whom the Supreme Court made declarations of unconstitutional conduct in paying the judgment debt to Alfred Agbesi Woyome the Government has been pretending for purely political reasons at each turn to take steps to enforce the judgment and orders of the Court only to deliberately abort them. I agree that the Government’s objective has always been to create the appearance and impression in the minds of the unsuspecting public that it is complying with the enforcement orders. The Attorney General’s latest application to discontinue the Government’s application to examine its financier, Alfred Agbesi Woyome, is one more such trick to deceive the public and obstruct the course of justice.
In my application I filed today, I made use of information provided to me that: ‘….when the Judgment Debtor was served with the order of the Court he went to inform the NDC of which he is a member and financier and the incumbent Government, in particular the Attorney General and the President personally, that should the order applied for by the Government for his examination be not discontinued he will have no option at his appearance at the Court than to disclose truthfully and faithfully to the Court on oath the names of all NDC and Government beneficiaries of the judgment debt which was paid to him as a result of the unconstitutional conduct of the Attorney General declared in the decision of this Court.’
I have also stated the information available to me and my belief that: ‘the NDC and the Government realizing the power of this Court pursuant to its order granted for the examination of the 3rd Defendant/Respondent/Judgment Debtor to “order the judgment debtor or officer to produce any books or documents in the possession of the judgment debtor relevant to these questions at the time and place appointed for the examination” took to panic resulting in the President instructing the Attorney General upon her own advice to him to discontinue the application for examination of the judgment debtor which the Court had already ordered.’ The full application can be found on my website at martinamidu.com.
I would like to assure all public spirited Ghanaians that should I be given the opportunity to examine the Judgment Debtor, Alfred Agbesi Woyome, in Court the good people of Ghana will hear and see the beneficiaries of the unconstitutional judgment debt in the NDC and this Government. Gargantuan crimes were indeed committed as I stated in 2012. Corruption is trying to prevent the public from hearing the whole story from the horse’s own mouth. I challenge the honesty and integrity of the President and the Government to allow the examination of its financier, the Judgment Debtor, Alfred Agbesi Woyome to proceed without hindrance if they have nothing to hide.
Martin A. B. K. Amidu
4th November 2016
Join GhanaStar.com to receive daily email alerts of breaking news in Ghana. GhanaStar.com is your source for all Ghana News. Get the latest Ghana news, breaking news, sports, politics, entertainment and more about Ghana, Africa and beyond.
