Akufo-Addo must retrieve GHC51m judgment debt from Woyome – Mahama

Former President John Mahama says he is hopeful that the Akufo-Addo government will continue from where he left off, in the effort to retrieve the GHC51.2 million judgment debt from businessman Alfred Woyome.

According to the former President, the former attorney general Marietta Brew Appiah-Opong ‘did her best’ to protect the interest of the Ghanaian people in the court battle against Woyome over the illegal money paid him in 2010.

Woyome has refunded GH¢4 million to state coffers, representing part payment of the GH¢51.2 million he owes the state.

He has, through his lawyers, promised to pay the outstanding balance by quarterly instalments of GH¢5 million, commencing April 1, 2017.

Speaking in a radio interview in South Africa, Mr. Mahama said the case has slowed because of the numerous legal bottlenecks.

“The person involved is fighting the case at different levels of the court system. But my attorney general pursued this matter diligently and did her best to try and protect the interest of the Ghanaian people.

We cannot be lovers of good governance and also be desirous of arbitrary justice. Under unconstitutional government, you just lockup somebody like that and seize all their assets, but here you cannot do that.

“..The Supreme Court has given a ruling which is being enforced. Indeed the person involved has been pressed to pay back some of the monies. And it is our hope that this government will continue from where we left off,” he explained.