The Attorney General on Thursday November 26, failed to appear in court for the beginning of the appeal case against the High Court judgment that freed businessman, Alfred Woyome of any wrongdoing in the Ghc 51 million judgment debt scandal.
The hearing of the appeal which was expected to begin today [Thursday] after all parties filed their addresses, was adjourned because of the absence of the Attorney General.
No official from the department was also available to represent the state.
The AG filed the appeal against the ruling arguing that the High Court judge Justice John Ajet Nassam, erred in law when he acquitted and discharged Mr. Woyome of charges of defrauding the state by false pretences and causing financial loss to the state to the tune of GH¢ 51.2million.
[contextly_sidebar id=”1kKN7O7Tj94PMpnAcApq9fscb0oJlhOp”]The case has been adjourned to the 3rd of December for a date to be set for judgment. It would be recalled that during the Woyome trial, the state prosecutors on several occasions failed to turn up in court.
Observers have suggested that the state’s appeal may hit a deadlock since it did not exhibit much seriousness in getting Mr. Woyome jailed in the first place.
Some believe the state is only seeking to protect Mr. Woyome, an acquaintance from being incarcerated.
Meanwhile the state’s appeal comes at a time when the judge who ruled on the case Justice John Ajet-Nassam, has been named in the judicial corruption scandal in a two-year investigative piece by journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas and his Tigereye PI firm private investigative firm.
The undercover journalist publicly screened a video footage that showed John Ajet-Nassam allegedly taking bribes.
Ajet-Nassam has since been suspended pending investigations into the scandal.
Ajet-Nassam had stated on March 12, 2015, that he did not understand why key actors in the case including former Attorney General and her deputy, Betty Mould Iddrisu and Ebo Barton Oduro respectively were not invited to testify.
He described the prosecution’s case as “shoddy” and, therefore, acquitted and discharged Woyome.
He also ruled that the prosecution had twisted facts when it stated that there had been a misrepresentation, leading to the payment of GH¢51.2 million to Woyome.
But according to the prosecution, the personalities the trial judge held should have been called by the prosecution were immaterial to the case because officers from their various departments had testified.
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By: Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie/citifmonline.com/Ghana