The Ministry of Youth and Sports has requested for time to conclude the search for a letter which confronted the proposal by the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of CAN 2008 that a Chinese construction firm be allowed to partake in the bidding process for the stadia construction project.<\/p>\n
According to the ministry, it had \u201ccommenced the process of tracing the document but will require some time to complete the search\u201d,<\/p>\n
The correspondence, dated May 25, 2014 and signed by the Chief Director of the ministry, Alhaji Abdulai Yakubu, on behalf of the sector minister, was addressed to counsel for businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome.<\/p>\n
It was copied to the Registrar of the court and the Chief Director of the Ministry of Education.<\/p>\n
Mr Justice John Ajet-Nasam, the presiding judge in the GHc51.2 million criminal case against Woyome, acknowledged receiving the letter and enquired from parties in the case if they had done same.<\/p>\n
Both the prosecution and the defence teams replied in the affirmative.<\/p>\n
Background<\/b><\/p>\n
On May 19, 2014, the Financial Division of the High Court directed the ministries of Education and Sports to produce the said letter which was alleged to have been signed by then Minister of Education and Sports, Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo.<\/p>\n
According to Mr Justice Ajet-Nasam, its order was aimed at ensuring justice and fair trial.<\/p>\n
The order followed a request put forward by Mr Buabeng after he had withdrawn a bid to tender the said letter through Woyome.<\/p>\n
The withdrawal was due to an objection raised by a Chief State Attorney, Mrs Yvonne Attakorah-Obuobisa, who argued that the letter could not be admitted in evidence because it was ineligible and not signed.<\/p>\n
Woyome told the court on May 19, 2014 that Mr Osafo-Maafo signed the letter that informed the LOC that procurement procedures for the stadia construction could not be side-stepped.<\/p>\n
Case adjourned<\/b><\/p>\n
Meanwhile, hearing could not go on yesterday because Mr Buabeng was absent due to an emergency.<\/p>\n
One of the lawyers for Woyome, Mr Robertson Kpatsa, informed the court of the emergency Mr Buabeng got confronted with last night but did not give details.<\/p>\n
The case was, accordingly, adjourned to June 9, 2014.<\/p>\n
Woyome was in court.<\/p>\n
Credit:Graphic<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Ministry of Youth and Sports has requested for time to conclude the search for a letter which confronted the proposal by the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of CAN 2008 that a Chinese construction firm be allowed to partake in the bidding process for the stadia construction project. According to the ministry, it had \u201ccommenced […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":10002,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n