JJ is lying, I never took €500k in his name – Woyome

Businessman Alfred Woyome has said former President John Rawlings’ claim that he (Woyome) took €500,000 in his (Rawlings’) name from a European group is a “lie.”

Mr Rawlings repeated the allegation in an interview with GhOne’s Nana Aba Anamoah on Friday March 18.

He said: “I’m glad the NPP was able to respond to that character, who was released or cleared of his criminal tendencies; the one they call – what’s his name? – Woyome. I heard somewhere that he said that I’m aware of the millions of dollars that he spent on the party. I’m not aware of any such millions of dollars he spent on the party.

"I am aware of the half-a-million euros he took from a foreign European group in my name; I never saw a penny of it. The one-and-a half million euros he took from that same group, supposedly on behalf of the party, he’s got to account for it.”

Mr Woyome’s acquittal of criminal charges by a high court, in connection with a GHS51.2 million judgment debt paid to him by the state, a few years ago, was upheld by the Court of Appeal recently.

Referring to Mr Woyome as a “criminal”, Mr Rawlings said: “I think he’s been left off because if he were to be prosecuted properly, it would affect others and that would lead to the embarrassment of other people in government. That’s why a criminal like that can be let off. It’s sad. We are not sending the right signal.”

Mr Woyome, however, has responded to Mr Rawlings in a statement saying: “What the former president is saying now is no news. He has said it before; it’s false and was denied by Ingeborg Smith, the Honorary Consul of Austria to Ghana. She said that they don’t have such an amount in their Consulate and they don’t run a charity company. I can’t receive money on anybody’s behalf by misrepresentation; why is he repeating the same lies at this time,” Mr Woyome asked, adding: “I was never in Ghana during the entire constitutional Presidency of Flt.Lt. J.J. Rawlings until five months to the tail end of his regime.”

“I remember his statement on the 12th of March, 2015. This is not the first time he is speaking after a ruling in my favour. God rules in the affairs of men. Long live Ghana. I remember the former president John Evans Atta Mills, may his soul rest in peace. I remember GAME.”