{"id":265423,"date":"2016-11-05T13:34:12","date_gmt":"2016-11-05T13:34:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=265423"},"modified":"2016-11-05T13:34:12","modified_gmt":"2016-11-05T13:34:12","slug":"woyomes-case-proof-of-our-failing-democracy-casely-hayford","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2016\/11\/woyomes-case-proof-of-our-failing-democracy-casely-hayford\/","title":{"rendered":"Woyome’s case proof of our failing democracy – Casely-Hayford"},"content":{"rendered":"
Anti-corruption crusader, Sydney Casely-Hayford, believes government\u2019s handling of the Woyome saga is symptomatic of Ghana\u2019s failing democracy.<\/p>\n
His assertion follows a move by the Attorney General’s office to discontinue an oral examination of the businessman, Alfred Agbesi Woyome, over the controversial GHc 51 million judgment debt paid to him.<\/p>\n
[contextly_sidebar id=”BcsgvkdXkV8rkuX2ItqijTaXgqz9LDs6″]Mr. Casely-Hayford suggested that, the AG\u2019s office, led by the Minister for Justice, Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong, is clearly forced to protect the government, a proof that the\u00a0AGs office is not indipendent of government.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis now tells you why our democracy doesn\u2019t work. It doesn\u2019t work because the AG who is supposed to be an independent prosecutor to ensure that all of these is sorted out, is now conflicted because the AG is now trying to protect its government,\u201d he said on The Big Issue<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Appiah-Oppong’s job on the line if she follows Amidu<\/strong><\/p>\n Mr. Casely-Hayford further opined that, Mrs.\u00a0Appiah-Oppong’s job would be on the line like the former AG, Martin Amidu, if she doesn’t kowtow to the government’s demands.<\/p>\n Mr. Amidu was was sacked in 2011 for misconduct, a move Mr. Casely-Hayford described as one of the “biggest travesties of justice we ever did for the people of this country” as he contended that, the former AG was rather sacked because he decided to pursue Mr.\u00a0Woyome in the judgment debt saga.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you think that if the AG decided to pursue this case and follow it through, there would be no repercussions on her from government? How difficult would it be for her to be sacked tomorrow? How difficult was it for Amidu to be sacked.”<\/p>\n \u201cFor the first time in recent history, we had an Attorney General who was actually prepared to put his foot down and prosecute cases that he thought had to be done irrespective of whether you were government or whether you were private,\u201d Mr. Casely-Hayford stated.<\/p>\n The recent turn of events have compelled Mr.\u00a0Amidu to file\u00a0an application at the Supreme Court, praying it to allow him to examine Mr.\u00a0Woyome.<\/p>\n