This is the sixth application he has filed since the beginning of his oral examination by the Attorney General.

Mr. Woyome is praying the court to put on hold all processes to reclaim the money from him until a determination of another related case being heard at the African court.

[contextly_sidebar id=”R0uYWplvicBzjnKdUJzyHZvlYEML20aX”]Mr. Woyome, who was expected to continue with the oral examination on how he intends to re-pay the judgment debt, did not show up court in court today, Monday, claiming that he is unwell.

The Supreme Court on October 20, 2017, dismissed an application by Mr. Woyome, which sought to stop the seizure and valuation of his properties by the state.

The Supreme Court made the ruling in an application he had filed to stop the government from continuing with moves to seize and value his properties.

His application followed state officials storming one of his residences at Trasacco to value the property.

The court presided over by a sole judge, Justice Alfred Benin, described the application as one without merit hence his decision.

The ruling by the court paved way for the state to continue with the valuation of the properties of Mr. Woyome in its quest to retrieve the monies he owes the state.

–

By: Fred Djabanor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Woyome ‘runs’ to Supreme Court for cover appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to the report, the MoF and the CAGD failed to capture the amount in their accounts in 2016.

The omission is one of two judgement debts that did not reflect in the accounts of the Consolidated Fund. The second one is a $3.8 million judgement debt against Dunkwa Continental Goldfields Ltd (DCGL) that the country won at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in August 2015.

[contextly_sidebar id=”qVGuYx5VAKZhJcMBW5ANAIjxa5wOUjlL”]The response offered by CAGD in the case of Mr Woyome’s money was that the amount had been “disclosed in the notes to the Public Accounts, since our revenue policy requires that revenue is recognised only upon receipt”.

On the ICC order, the report said: “The Ministry of Justice and Attorney-General (MoJAG) stated that the company could not be traced at their last official address. We have, however, disclosed the transaction in the notes to the Public Accounts.”

However, the 2016 Auditor-General’s Report on the Consolidated Fund stated that notwithstanding the CAGD’s explanation, the anomaly constituted weaknesses that must be addressed holistically.

It was the view of the Auditor-General that periodic monitoring and reconciliation among debtor institutions, Public Debt and Investment (PDI) and Debt Management Division, were done on an ad hoc basis and, therefore, not comprehensive to cover the state’s entire receivables.

Background

The state has been battling Mr Woyome since 2012 over the GH₵51 million paid him in a default judgement in 2010.

The Supreme Court, in a review application on July 29, 2014, ordered Mr Woyome to refund the money because the contract upon which he received the payment had not been sent to Parliament for approval, contrary to the 1992 Constitution.

In the case of the DCGL judgement debt, a tribunal constituted under the rules of the ICC in 2015 dismissed a $200-million claim filed against Ghana by two foreign-owned mining companies.

The companies, the DCGL and the Continental Construction and Mining Company Limited (CCML), filed the action against the government in 2011 but the tribunal threw out their claims for lack of merit.

It then proceeded to award $3,164,137.51 against the applicants and a further order for a refund of $700,000 to Ghana.

Both companies had accused the government of unlawfully terminating their contracts, but the tribunal held a different view after taking the submissions of the parties into consideration.

However, the tribunal upheld the state’s counter-claim for $700,000, being a World Bank loan that was lent to the two companies by the government.

According to the tribunal, the government of Ghana, acting through the then Minister of Lands, Forestry and Mines, did not breach or unlawfully terminate the project agreement relating to the Dunkwa gold mine.

Government owes SSNIT & NPRA

In the same report, the Auditor General stated that last year the Ministry of Finance failed to transfer GH¢819,880,284 of mandatory statutory funds to the Social Security and National insurance Trust (SSNIT) and the National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA).

As of December 31, 2016, the MoF had failed to transfer GH₵534,849,413 to SSNIT as the contribution of public sector workers.

Similarly, GH₵285,030,871 was not transferred to the NPRA as required by law.

Section 3(b) of the National Pensions Act, 2008 states: “Out of the total contribution of eighteen and a half per centum, an employer shall, within 14 days from the end of each month, transfer the following remittances to the mandatory schemes on behalf of each worker: (a) thirteen and half per centum to the first tier mandatory basic national social security scheme; and (b) five per centum to the second tier mandatory occupational pension scheme.”

According to the Auditor-General, the government’s failure to ensure the payments meant that the government risked “paying penalties at the rate of three per cent per each month of default to the schemes as enshrined in Section 64 of the Act”.

He recommended that the MoF should ensure that the outstanding balances were transferred to the schemes immediately to avoid payment of penalties by the government and also ensure strict adherence to Section 3 of the National Pensions Act, 2008.

No excuse

In a management response, the MoF stated that the non-payment of those amounts to the NPRA and SSNIT was due to cash flow constraints.

“The MoF has made provisions for these arrears in the 2017 budget. Discussions have been initiated with the institutions to agree on a payment plan to settle the outstanding amounts,” it said.

However, the Auditor-General, from his audit position, said: “In my view, cash flow constraints cannot be used as a justification for the anomaly.”

Discrepancies in debts

Apart from the MoF’s indebtedness to the two pension-related institutions, the report revealed discrepancies in the closing balances reported by the CAGD and the confirmation received from the statutory institutions — the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF) and the Road Fund — amounting to GH¢1,306,592,288.

While in the books of the NHIA, it had GH¢544,976,790 as the government debt, the Public Accounts had GH¢793,543,687, with the difference noted as GH¢248,566,897 by the Auditor-General.

For the GIIF, GH¢2,235,146,303 was stated as the government’s obligation, but in the CAGD’s books, the government’s debt was GH¢693,190,263, with GH¢1,541,956,040 as the difference.

For the Road Fund, it stated GH¢225,573,791 as the government’s liability, but the Public Accounts had GH¢212,370,646, with GH¢13,203,145 as the difference.

According to the report, the anomaly could be attributed to the inability of the CAGD to perform periodic reconciliation with the statutory institutions to confirm their balances.

“This also led to the unexplained difference of GH¢1,306,592,288 between the liabilities reported in the Consolidated Fund Accounts and those captured by the statutory institutions,” it said.

The Auditor-General recommended that the “CAGD should liaise with the institutions to reconcile the liabilities to ensure that accurate figures are restated in the financial statements to reflect the true liability position of the government to the institutions”.

The CAGD, in response, said it was in the process of reconciling the discrepancies noted.
–

Source: Graphic Online

The post Woyome’s GH¢51m not captured in ministry’s account appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to him, the embattled businessman at the centre of the controversial GHc51 million judgment debt saga, only has acquaintances in the party and insisted that NDC should not be associated with Woyome’s corruption tag.

[contextly_sidebar id=”lJfSUKqLD9WnjavnbbGig89eHCiLvAcE”]“Woyome has never been a member of the NDC and I stick to that length. It’s only that he came to encumber whatever it is with the NDC with some supporters. NDC did not know Woyome until this matter came up,” he stressed on Eyewitness News on Wednesday.

Pee Yalley made the claim when commenting on recent happenings in the NDC which has led to some members of the party demanding the suspension of party founder, Jerry John Rawlings and former Attorney General, Martin Amidu.

Mr. Rawlings and Amidu have come under attack from some members of the party including former Deputy Chief of Staff, Dr. Valarie Sawyerr who claims the two have brought the name of the NDC into disrepute with their comments.

The two have consistently chastised the NDC describing the party as corrupt and cited Woyome’s “unconstitutional” receipt of the GHc51 million judgment cash.

In the case of Amidu, the man who is on the heels of Woyome for the cash,  two members of the NDC have petitioned the leadership  of NDC to have him suspended.

Stop attacking NDC; name corrupt persons

However, Mr. Pee Yalley on Eyewitness News dared Mr. Amidu to mention names of persons in the NDC who benefited from the GHc51 million booty and back it with evidence or forever hold his peace.

“If there are any individuals in the NDC who are acquaintances of the Woyome crime he has the right to mention them rather than to smear all of us with that situation. If Martin Amidu has evidence of any body in the NDC who might have got a dime out of that situation he should mention their names. Because some of us have lived our lives bringing up the NDC and I have never been corrupt in any manner so Martin Amidu or anybody cannot just smear all of us with corrupt image.”

“The fact that Woyome may have some connection with NDC members the same way he has connection with some NPP members. Was the NDC formed because of Woyome? No we did not. We formed NDC because we believe that as social democrats we have something to offer to the people of this country. We are not going to back down by Woyome’s one time corruption,” he fumed.

–

By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post Woyome is not an NDC member – Pee Yalley appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to Reginald Seth Dogbe, this is aimed at safeguarding the interest of Mr. Woyome who they believe is being persecuted in Ghana.

[contextly_sidebar id=”AqxpcqBwVvoongfMFAxxwrHz7rkY7VZe”]“Like Mr. Woyome clearly stated it looks as if this matter concerning him is not prosecution but persecution where all his rights to fair hearing is being ignored. And he feels that the best forum where he can get fair justice as far as the ruling against him is concerned is outside and the human rights courts is one of those avenues because Ghana has signed to international protocols and some of those protocols have establish that very course and we can only do good to respect those international bodies,” he said on Eyewitness News on Friday.

Mr. Woyome’s petition to the International Chamber of Commerce court (ICC) to look into his case was thrown out on Thursday.

The ICC rejected Woyome’s petition citing Article 6(4) of its Arbitration Rules and also the lack of establishment of prima facie.

Prior to ICC’s ruling, Mr. Woyome had gone to the human rights court concerning some declarations made by Ghana’s Supreme Court some years back.

An earlier statement from Lawyers of Mr. Woyome insisted that “the Supreme Court of Ghana erred by linking Alfred Agbesi Woyome to the Waterville contract by ‘necessary linkage’ using the now ‘residual unspecified Jurisdiction’ to ground ‘Justice ‘as their main Principle in ordering a refund of monies paid to Mr. Alfred Agbesi Woyome legally under the laws of Ghana.”

“Mr. Alfred Agbesi Woyome has sent this aspect of the case to the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Right in Arusha Tanzania by invoking Article 40 read together with Article 75 of the 1992 constitution of The Republic of Ghana under case number Ref:AfCHPR/Reg./appl.001/2017/001. Ghana has ratified the necessary protocols of the African Court, recognized the competence of the African Court, and also submitted to the authority of the African Court. A preliminary determination of the case has been made and a prima facie case has been established by the African Court in favour of Mr. Alfred Agbesi Woyome and Ghana has been served all the necessary processes through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ghana,” the statement added.

Background

Mr. Woyome was paid the GHc 51 million after claiming he helped Ghana raise funds to construct stadia for the hosting of the 2008 African Cup of Nations.

However, an Auditor General’s report released in 2010, held that the amount was paid illegally to him.

Subsequently, the Supreme Court in 2014 ordered Mr. Woyome to pay back the money, after Martin Amidu, challenged the legality of the payments.

Following delays in retrieving the money, 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.

There had been previous attempts to orally examine Mr. Woyome, with Mr. Amidu himself, in 2016, filing an application at the Supreme Court to find out how the businessman was going to pay back the money.

This came after the Attorney General’s office under the Mahama Administration, led by the former Minister for Justice, Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong, discontinued a similar application.

In February 2017 however, Mr. Amidu withdrew his suit seeking an oral examination, explaining that the change of government and the assurance by the new Attorney General to retrieve all judgment debts wrongfully paid to individuals, had given him renewed confidence in the system.

–

By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post I trust Africa human rights court to be fair – Woyome appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The ICC rejected Woyome’s petition citing Article 6(4) of its Arbitration Rules and also the lack of establishment of prima facie.

[contextly_sidebar id=”zR1SdmTkaf0kDAcUVzJdntn4SAQJSQTP”]The decision meant that Woyome’s case does not meet minimum requirement of the ICC for arbitration.

But a statement from Lawyers of Mr. Woyome, while welcoming the ICC’s decision said they had already advanced the case at the African Court  on Human and People’s Rights concerning some declarations made by Ghana’s Supreme Court.

“The Supreme Court of Ghana erred by linking Alfred Agbesi Woyome to the Waterville contract by ‘necessary linkage’ using the now ‘residual unspecified Jurisdiction’ to ground ‘Justice ‘as their main Principle in ordering a refund of monies paid to Mr. Alfred Agbesi Woyome legally under the laws of Ghana.”

“Mr. Alfred Agbesi Woyome has sent this aspect of the case to the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Right in Arusha Tanzania by invoking Article 40 read together with Article 75 of the 1992 constitution of The Republic of Ghana under case number Ref:AfCHPR/Reg./appl.001/2017/001. Ghana has ratified the necessary protocols of the African Court, recognized the competence of the African Court, and also submitted to the authority of the African Court. A preliminary determination of the case has been made and a prima facie case has been established by the African Court in favour of Mr. Alfred Agbesi Woyome and Ghana has been served all the necessary processes through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ghana,” the statement added.

The statement also noted that Ghana has been ordered to appoint Lawyers to represent the country by Tuesday, August 8, 2017.

“Ghana has been ordered to appoint their lawyers latest by Tuesday the 8th of August 2017. Ghana has also been ordered to file their response within 30 days after the 8th of August 2017,” the statement added.

Cries of persecution

Mr. Woyome had come out publicly to say he felt he was being persecuted by the Supreme Court in the matter of the judgement debt.

This came on the back of the Court’s approval, at the time, for him to be orally examined by former Attorney General, Martin Amidu.

Arguing this point, Mr. Woyome further noted that after an earlier judgment served him to pay the GHc 51 million, the Supreme Court rejected his mode of payment.

According to him, he had wanted to pay GHc4 million and spread the rest over a period of time but his appeal was rejected by the Supreme Court.

The embattled business is once again in court and has appeared to be orally examined by the Attorney General’s office on issues pertaining to whether he owes any debts and has property to satisfy the debt, and the manner in which he used the judgment debt money paid him, among others.

Mr. Woyome had revealed at the appearance he had been out of business since 2012 as he had lost all his businesses after his arrest in 2011 and subsequent trial.

Background

Mr. Woyome was paid the GHc 51 million after claiming he helped Ghana raise funds to construct stadia for the hosting of the 2008 African Cup of Nations.

However, an Auditor General’s report released in 2010, held that the amount was paid illegally to him.

Subsequently, the Supreme Court in 2014 ordered Mr. Woyome to pay back the money, after Martin Amidu, challenged the legality of the payments.

Following delays in retrieving the money, 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.

There had been previous attempts to orally examine Mr. Woyome, with Mr. Amidu himself, in 2016, filing an application at the Supreme Court to find out how the businessman was going to pay back the money.

This came after the Attorney General’s office under the Mahama Administration, led by the former Minister for Justice, Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong, discontinued a similar application.

In February 2017 however, Mr. Amidu withdrew his suit seeking an oral examination, explaining that the change of government and the assurance by the new Attorney General to retrieve all judgment debts wrongfully paid to individuals, had given him renewed confidence in the system.

CLICK HERE FOR THE STATEMENT FROM WOYOME’S LAWYERS

–

By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post Woyome runs to African court after ICC rejection appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Mr. Woyome prayed the Supreme Court last week to stay proceedings on the oral examination since he had filed for a review in the case.

[contextly_sidebar id=”MXMo5NcpUSOBwVSVakyvZ4DcTfDpNTNy”]This follows  a request granted the Attorney-General’s department to question the businessman on whether the properties he owns are able to be used to offset the debt owed the state, as well as how he spent the judgment debt wrongfully paid to him.

His lawyer, Ken Anku, argued that, his client will face an irreparable damage if the oral examination is allowed to take place before the ruling on their review case, but a deputy Attorney General, Godfred Dame, opposed the application describing the reasons as incompetent and unmeritorious.

Judgement debt saga

Mr. Woyome was paid GHc 51 million after claiming he helped Ghana raise funds to construct stadia for the hosting of the 2008 African Cup of Nations.

However, an Auditor General’s report released in 2010, held that the amount was paid illegally to him. Subsequently, the Supreme Court in 2014 ordered Mr. Woyome to pay back the money, after a former Attorney General, Martin Amidu, single-handedly challenged the legality of the payments.

Following delays in retrieving the money, 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.

Mr. Amidu himself, in 2016, filed an application at the Supreme Court seeking to examine Alfred Woyome, on how he was going to pay back the money, after the Attorney General’s office under the Mahama Administration, led by the former Minister for Justice, Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong, discontinued a similar application.

In February 2017 however, Mr. Amdu withdrew his suit seeking an oral examination, explaining that the change of government and the assurance by the new Attorney General to retrieve all judgement debts wrongfully paid to individuals, had given him renewed confidence in the system.

–

By: Fred Djabanor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Ruling on Woyome’s plea against oral examination today  appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Mr. Mahama explained that, his administration could not retrieve the money because he could not have acted arbitrarily since Ghana operates a democratic system of governance.

[contextly_sidebar id=”rKcW4Q4342H6TCjhUOXB20e6fEV479G5″]The erstwhile Mahama administration received a lot of public backlash for failing to retrieve the money for the state, with many accusing them of deliberately dolling out the cash to a man who at some point financed the ruling NDC party.

But speaking on a local South Africa radio station, Power FM, the former President expressed confidence in the Akufo-Addo-led government to continue from where he stopped.

“Under an unconstitutional government, you can just lock up someone just like that, and seize all their assets; but we live in constitutional governance and democracy, and so the law must work. And the Supreme Court has given a ruling which is being enforced. Indeed, the person involved has been pressed to pay back some of the money, and I’ve heard he’s started paying back some of the money and it is our hope that this government will continue from where we left of,” he added.

Background

Mr. Woyome was paid GHc 51 million after claiming he helped Ghana raise funds to construct stadia for the hosting of the 2008 African Cup of Nations.

Subsequently, the Supreme Court in 2014 ordered Mr. Woyome to pay back the money, after Mr. Martin Amidu, a private individual and a former Attorney General, challenged the legality of the payment.

However, several years on, the state is yet to retrieve the money. This was after Mr. Woyome even won the suit by the state that sort to imprison him for fraud.

Mr. Mahama insisted that, his government did its best in pursuing the case.

“The Supreme has given a ruling, the lower courts have given a different ruling, the person involved is fighting the case at different levels of the court system. But the Attorney General, who left, has pursued this matter diligently and done her best in the legal means to try and protect the interest of the Ghanaian people.”

He also used the opportunity to answer critics who accused him of not showing the willpower in retrieving the money for the state saying that “we cannot be lovers of good governance but also be desirous of arbitrary justice.”

Mahama to deliver keynote address at ALM

Mahama is expected to deliver the keynote address at the African Leadership Magazine (ALM) Person of the Year 2016 Awards Programme in Johannesburg, today, Thursday.

He will be speaking on the theme: “How can Africa win the progress race?”

The former President is expected to be decorated with the African Political Leader of the Year Award for his contributions towards deepening and enriching Ghana’s democracy and his contributions in Africa.

–

By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post I hope gov’t will pursue Woyome cash – Mahama appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

“Martin Amidu cannot question me on how I spent the GHc51 million because at the time that money was paid to me it was not declared by the law that it was unconstitutional, it was never declared like that,” he stated on Eyewitness News on Thursday.

Martin Amidu who is also an anti-corruption campaigner is in court hoping to orally examine Woyome over the judgment debt case but it seems that hope would delay because Mr. Woyome has filed a counter application seeking to stop Amidu from orally examining him.

The anti-corruption campaigner had insisted that Mr. Woyome spent the money with some bigwigs in the Mahama-led administration hence the resistance to his pursuit of the case.

But speaking to Richard Dela Sky on Eyewitness News Woyome insisted that nobody can ask him to explain how he spent the money.

“Martin [Amidu] can only question me after the judgment of the case about my ability because the judgment of the case never stated that I should say how I spent money. The judgment which was delivered by unanimous decision overturning the original judgment said that I should refund [the] money; nobody can import that aspect that I should explain how I spent my legally acquired fruit,” he stated.

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.

The Supreme Court in 2014 ordered Mr. Woyome to pay back the amount, after Mr. Martin Amidu challenged the legality of the judgment debt paid the businessman.

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.

However, two years on the amount is yet to be retrieved in full.

–

By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post Amidu can’t ask me how I spent GHc51 million cash – Woyome appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to him, huge sums of monies were paid to senior members of government who would have been named if the examination had proceeded today [Thursday].

“As I said this Woyome case is so dear to me having suffered to get this thing from the Republic but the way I see it the only way we can get the money is to get this president out.  Because consistently he had the muscle to do it and if I had examined Woyome he would see what I mean, when i say he and his government are complicit,” Amidu said in an exclusive interview with Citi News’ Umaru Sanda Amadu.

[contextly_sidebar id=”JXNNdn8DxHDBFPI3hMKgAs9NGNWOrbHL”]Lawyers of Woyome filed an application at the Supreme Court seeking to suspend the court’s earlier decision to allow Martin Amidu to orally examine him.

But the court adjourned hearing of the case to December 1, 2016 because parties to the case — the Attorney General and Amidu received the application late.

Meanwhile Mr. Amidu in the interview argued that today’s judgment is yet another attempt by the John Mahama-led government to deny Ghanaians the 51 million Cedis.

“There are abundant things I could have asked in cross examination, the guy would not have denied it and that is why it is dangerous for them to allow me to examine him before 7^th December.”

“There was even an instance in which a 100,000 cheque was given by Woyome when President Mills was traveling abroad. I won’t mention the name when I cross examine you would know. He signed the cheque and the endorsement of the cheque will show you who cashed it,” he added.

Martin Amidu further reiterated his call on Ghanaians to vote against President John Mahama on December 7 saying that is the only way the GHc51 million cash could be retrieved from Woyome.

“The fingers of the president are not seen on this document but his reaction to the application for examination clearly shows that he has a vested interest and if you follow Woyome’s outburst in media…he was strongly supporting the president. So there is no doubt that they are working in cohort.”

He also explained that though government was against the oral examination, they allowed Woyome to file an application to have it stopped to divert attention.

“It will be embarrassing for the government if they file an application because the whole public will know that after all they didn’t want to collect the money so their surrogates file it but the Attorney General’s office was in court tele-guiding things unethical lawyers do,” he added.

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.

The Supreme Court in 2014 ordered Mr. Woyome to pay back the amount, after Mr. Martin Amidu 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.

Check below for the full interview:

–

By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post Judgement debt saga: Woyome would’ve blown NDC’s cover – Amidu appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

December 1, 2016 is the new date for the hearing of the case.

The adjournment according to the judge was because the application was served on the Attorney General and Martin Amidu late.

Amidu’s examination of Woyome in limbo

Lawyers of Woyome filed two applications at the Supreme Court praying the court to review the ruling which granted Martin Amidu the permission to orally examine their client a week ago.

[contextly_sidebar id=”kfwpVfKYf6eE9dWcImz6AQaixluQxXCH”]The second application, on the other hand, is a request for a stay of proceedings to enable the court determine the motion for review.

A stay of proceedings is a ruling by the court in civil and criminal procedure, halting further legal processes in a trial or other legal proceedings.

Background

Mr. Woyome was earlier ordered by the Supreme Court to appear in court for an oral examination over the controversial judgement debt saga. The order followed an application filed by Mr. Amidu, praying the Supreme Court to allow him to orally examine Woyome, after the Attorney General (AG) discontinued the process to examine him.

Justice Anin Yeboah, who gave the ruling argued that the applicant had the right to do that because he personally came to court to get a judgment to have Mr. Woyome pay back the GHc51 million cash he received as judgment debt.

The judge also indicated that the application was granted because there was no evidence of execution before the court by the AG presently. Mr. Amidu’s action followed a move by the Attorney General’s (AG) office, led by the Minister for Justice, Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong, to discontinue an oral examination of Mr. Woyome, despite serving an earlier notice to do same. The notice of discontinuance 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.”

This forced Mr. Amidu to file the application in court, in which he even alleged that President Mahama had ordered a discontinuation of the case because Mr. Woyome had threatened to expose officials of government and the NDC who benefited from the amount.

The AG’s office arguing against Mr. Amidu’s application in court questioned his right to examine Mr. Woyome over the matter.

The ¢51 million judgement debt 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.

The Supreme Court in 2014 ordered Mr. Woyome to pay back the amount, after Mr. Martin Amidu 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

But 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 claiming it was illegal.

The move was part of a directive from the Supreme Court to retrieve monies paid to him.

Mr Woyome however, 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.

–

By: Fred Djabanor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Woyome case adjourned to December 1 appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.