State identifies $7.5m Woyome properties to defray GHC51m debt

The State has identified five substantial properties supposedly owned by Mr Afred Agbesi Woyome estimated at $1.5million each that could prove vital in retrieving the GH¢51.2 million judgement debt he received from the state.

Deputy Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame made this disclosure moments after the Supreme Court had adjourned hearing of a case in which defunct UT Bank claimed to be the receiver of certain properties of (Woyome) the state had identified.

The court was expecting a witness of UT Bank to mount the witness box and give evidence but the witness was not in court.

The court presided over Justice A Benin, however, ordered lawyers of defunct UT Bank to make available their witness next Monday, October 22.

Background

Mr. Woyome was paid GH¢51million after claiming he helped Ghana raise funds to construct stadia for the hosting of the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations.

However, an Auditor General’s report released in 2010, held that the amount was paid illegally to him.

Subsequently, the Supreme Court in 2014 ordered Mr. Woyome to pay back the money, after a former Attorney General, Martin Amidu, single-handedly challenged the legality of the payments.

Following delays in retrieving the money, Supreme Court judges unanimously granted the Attorney-General clearance to execute the court’s judgement, ordering Mr. Woyome to refund the cash to the State.