Arrest Woyome!…Demands PAC

Beleaguered businessman, Alfred Agbesi Woyome, has carried out his threat not to appear before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) over the 51 million Ghana Cedis judgment debt saga despite a summons issued against him to do so.

This has incurred the wrath of the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament, Mr. Albert Kan-Dapaah, who has vowed to exercise the powers bestowed on him as Chairman of the Committee by issuing a bench warrant for the arrest of Mr. Woyome through the Inspector General of Police, Paul Tawiah Quaye. Mr. Woyome first declined invitation to appear before the Committee in July and the PAC was again forced yesterday to suspend hearings on that matter due to Mr. Woyome’s failure to appear.

According to his lawyers an appearance before the PAC will be prejudicial to cases before the Superior Courts.

Mr. Woyome, who is currently battling his case in four separate High Courts namely Criminal Division High Court, Commercial-Civil Division High Court, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court for adjudication and or determination, insists that it will be prejudicial to speak on the matter.

Mr. Woyome is currently facing charges of defrauding and causing financial loss to the state.

Mr. Kan-Dapaah maintains that the refusal of Mr. Alfred Agbesi Woyome to appear before Committee is a clear violation of Article 103 (3) (1-6) of the 1992 Fourth Republican Constitution of Ghana, which mandates the Committee to summon any individual to answer questions that are of national interest.

He argued that an earlier subpoena was sent to the lawyers of Mr. Woyome in the name of ‘Oseowoe’ Chambers which demanded the appearance of their client which they also responded by rejecting the offer; and that despite the matter being in court, the Committee has every constitutional power to probe him (Woyome).

Woyome’s lawyers argue in their reply to the PAC that “much as we do not doubt your constitutional mandate under Article 187(5)(6) of the 1992 Constitution, we do not think those clauses give you the right to raise questions or discuss matters which are currently pending before all the Superior Courts such as this instant one, for adjudication.”

Meanwhile, the NDC Member of Parliament for South Tongu in the Volta Region, Mr. Mensah Kobla Woyome, has chided his fellow NDC MPs on the Committee for failing to defend their own when the Chairman made the declaration.