Attorney General and Minister of Justice Marietta Brew Appiah Oppong has been urged to initiate efforts to contest the Court of Appeal’s ruling on Thursday March 10, 2016, upholding the High Court’s decision to acquit businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome of defrauding the state of GHS51.2 million.
The Member of Parliament for Ablekuma West, Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, said on Saturday, March 12 that there was enough grounds for the appellate court to quash the ruling of sacked High Court judge John Ajet-Nasam.
“The Court of Appeal, thankfully for us, is not the final opinion on this matter. I urge the Attorney General, if they are serious about protecting the interest of the state in this matter, to appeal the decision of the Court of Appeal,” the lawyer and lawmaker insisted.
“I disagree that anyone served with the facts of this matter can say that Woyome deserved to be paid [GHS] 51 million.”
Mrs Owusu-Ekuful, in spite of her opposition to the ruling on the case, stated that the verdict was of little surprise to her, given the actions of some government officials in the matter, which were everything, but in the state’s interest.
“I am not surprised Mr Woyome has won. And the conduct of the office of the Attorney General is what has resulted in this. Because the man (Mr Woyome) didn’t walk in there and take the money by himself. Officials of the state, the legal advisor to the state, the one who is in charge of protecting the legal interest of the state, for some reason, contrived to hand over these monies to Woyome,” she noted.
She said despite court records quoting Waterville as having already paid Mr Woyome, and the Kufuor administration writing to the government under the NDC that Mr Woyome did not deserve any claim, “somehow my sister Betty Mould Idrissu and Hon Barton-Odro [then Attorney-General and Deputy, respectively] decided that: ‘OK, let’s look at this matter again’”.
“And even when the court had said: ‘Don’t pay everything’, even when the president of the republic had said: ‘Halt, don’t give anybody any money’, you go ahead and approve a payment of GHS51million to this man. And the question I ask myself is: ‘Why was [Alfred] Woyome standing alone in the dock?’ Who did he act in concert with to deprive the state of this money? And where are those people? They are untouchable because they are key members of the NDC administration.”
He urged persons in positions of trust for the state to “move beyond politicisation of issues when the interest of the state is at stake” and take decisions that will benefit Ghana rather what will profit their “political traditions”.
“We are doing ourselves too much disservice as a nation when we focus too narrowly on the interests of our political cronies, our friends,” she added.
Mr Woyome was paid the GHS51.2 million after he sued the state over an alleged breach of a purported contract between him and the government. In connection with the termination of the same alleged contract, foreign construction firm Waterville Holdings BVI, was also paid €25 million