Judgment debt saga: Betty Mould very aggrieved

Former Attorney General Betty Mould-Iddrisu, according to her Lawyer Nana Ato Dadzie, “feels very much aggrieved” over the numerous allegations hurled at her in relation to the payment of certain controversial judgment debts coupled with clamours for her arrest over the same payments.

“Can you imagine my client…feels very much aggrieved that there are all kinds of allegations [yet] nobody is coming out with a substantive action against her”, Nana Ato Dadzie said on Saturday June 29, 2013.

There have been calls from the Minority caucus in Parliament as well as from certain groups within the main opposition New Patriotic Party for the arrest and prosecution of Betty Mould-Iddrisu and her former Deputy Ebo Barton-Oduro, for their roles in the payment of judgment debts to Waterville Holdings, Isofoton S.A, Austro Invest and Businessman Alfred Woyome.

The Supreme Court recently ruled unanimously in separate cases regarding Waterville and Isofoton that all monies paid to them by the Government of Ghana as judgment debt should be refunded.

Waterville was paid €25m while Isofoton received a little more than US$325,000.

The two companies claimed their separate contracts with the Government of Ghana were terminated unjustifiably, thus their resort to the Courts for compensation.

Betty Mould-Iddrisu’s successor, Martin Amidu, who was later fired by the late President John Mills over his claims that some Cabinet Ministers were involved in the payment of what the Supreme Court has now ruled as “illegal judgment debts”, was the plaintiff in both cases.

Mr. Amidu described the extent of collusion in the payment of the judgment debts as “gargantuan crimes”, in a statement he released to the media just a few days before he was dismissed for alleged “misconduct” and apparent refusal to name the Cabinet Ministers he claimed were part of the ‘looting brigade’, according to a statement issued by former Chief of Staff Henry Martey Newman at the time.

He is also battling Mr. Woyome as well as Austro Invest in Court over judgment debts paid them in connection with the construction of some stadia in Ghana ahead of the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations hosted in Accra.

The Supreme Court has deferred ruling on the Woyome aspect of the case pending the ruling of the High Court on certain aspects of the case pending before it.

Speaking on Joy FM’s news analysis programme ‘newsfile’ on Saturday, Betty Mould-Iddrisu’s Lawyer, Nana Ato Dadzie said his client “will defend herself”, adding that: “She believes that she acted professionally. She believes she acted within the remits of the law”.