Ghana to pay US$170m in damages to Ghana Power for 'sleeping' on case

• Ghana has a US$134m case at the London Commercial Court

• The court has slapped a US$170 million damage on the country

• US$170 million The Court gave reasons that the country went to sleep on the case after the current Attorney General took over the case

Ghana has been disallowed by London’s Commercial Court from bringing a belated challenge to a US$134 million UNCITRAL award in favour of a power contractor.

According to a report from myjoyonline.com, the court also ruled that the excuse that national elections and the coronavirus were not enough for it to have delayed so much.

By that, this case that started under former Minister of Justice, Gloria Akuffo, with the current Minister of Attorney General, Godfred Odame, as her deputy, is to pay a whopping US$170 million in damages to the claimants; Ghana Power Generation Company (GPGC).

It is reported that State Attorneys together with Godfred Dame, who took over the case, went to sleep on the job, costing the country this damage.

The attempts by Dame and his subordinates to hide behind the 2020 general election and the coronavirus pandemic was therefore rejected by the London court in its ruling on Wednesday, June 8, 2021.

In his statement, judge Mr. Justice Butcher did not grant the wish of the government of Ghana for an extension of time to apply to set the award aside, describing such attempts as “intrinsically weak”.