I had no contract, but I worked for the government – Woyome

The man at the centre of the GH¢51 million judgment debt saga that has engaged the attention of Ghanaians since the lid on the deal was broken by the then Assin North Member of Parliament, Kennedy Agyepong, and first published by The Chronicle in December 2010, has finally admitted that he never entered into an official contract with the Government of Ghana.

In a no-holds-barred interview with The Chronicle in Accra, Mr. Woyome said in spite of not holding a formal contract, he worked for the Government of Ghana, and hoped that the Accra Fast Track High Court would recognise this role when it comes to delivering its final verdict. “We are jubilant. We are happy that we have won the case,” he told The Chronicle.

He concedes that though he was never offered any contract in his financial engineering deal with the government, he insists that he worked for the state, which work has been acknowledged by the government in court.

He maintained that the crust of the matter would be if, indeed, he did any work for the government, and if the government itself acknowledged what he did through documentary evidence.

“The issues are that I did work… Did the government engage me to work for the state? Do we have evidence of all those work in the form of letters and any other thing? If that is the issue, did I bring the product, or did I create the product that was needed? Yes, I created those products,” he argued.

Asked if he had any fears that the Supreme Court ruling could have any possible ramifications on his case at the High Court, Mr. Woyome intimated that he had faith in the judicial system to deliver justice.

“I have always said that I have faith in the judiciary. But that does not mean that everybody in the judiciary is a saint, and that is why there are checks and balances and appeal systems. As to our actions thereafter, that is something that is within our bosom,” he philosophised.

Mr. Woyome told The Chronicle that although the case in court has had severe repercussions on his businesses, things were picking up gradually.

“I lost huge sums of money and employees. But business is picking up because the type of business we do does not require us to be chasing after clients.”

He said although he had been wrongfully vilified, he was committed to creating jobs and sustaining viable business in the country as he had done in other economies.

He recounted how his businesses were almost grounded when there was a court order restraining his assets.

Mr. Woyome said the first GH¢17million he received as the first payment of the GH¢51million paid him by the state, went to local banks operating in the country.

He said when it came out that some of his assets abroad were being sold, he approached these banks holding his money, and they intervened, and wondered why the Economic and Organised Crimes Organisation (EOCO) never mentioned it in its report.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) financier warned that the way and manner his case had been handled in the public domain could send the wrong signals to the investor communities. He said that the cost of doing business would run higher because of the political and sovereign risks that would come with it.

“If those demands begin to come in, then Ghana would be categorised as a rogue country, and that’s my worry,” he said.

On a lighter note, Mr. Woyome said key members of the political divide who go on radio and other media platforms to vilify him, secretly call him to feign their innocence.

“A lot of friends across the political divide will be calling me, hello, and say, as for me, I am not part oohh! I have forgiven them, but I know they are all part,” he said, bursting into laughter.