Woyome Case: Karbo takes a swipe at gov't

NPP Deputy Communications Director Anthony Abayifa Karbo has lambasted the Attorney General, Mrs. Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong, and the Government of Ghana over the acquittal of businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome.

Mr. Woyome was accused of illegally receiving 51 million cedis from the State in 2010 for his role in the construction of stadia for the CAN 2008 tournament held in Ghana.

The court ruling saw Mr. Woyome discharged and acquitted of any financial fraud against the State.

This, however, incurred the wrath of former President Jerry John Rawlings who described Mr. Woyome as a "thief" and wondered why the Attorney General failed to present Betty Mould Iddrisu and the other parties who were alleged to have played significant roles in the payment of the judgement debt to Alfred Agbesi Woyome.

Speaking on Peace FM, Anthony Karbo described Woyome's acquittal as the "biggest conspiracy, the biggest political scandal in the history of this country since 1957…” and further claimed that "This will qualify for a classic Hollywood movie."

He also wondered why the Attorney General's Department could not fight the case to compel Mr. Woyome to pay the money to the State.

He expressed disappointment in the Government of Ghana to have also left Mr. Woyome off the hook and to him, the case was perhaps just an act.

In his view, there was no way the government would have retrieved the money from him (Mr. Woyome) looking at the government's posture toward the case and AG's inability to prosecute the then Attorney General Betty Mould Iddrisu and the first Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ebo Baton Oduro for their various roles in the judgement debt payment.

To him, the discharge of Mr. Woyome will continually make mockery of Ghana on the international platform.

“NDC people are trying so hard to equate the freed Woyome case to other court cases that people have gone to court and have been freed. But the circumstances are different; the circumstances are completely different… This is an insult to the conscience of Ghanaians; this particular case. It’s a major scar on national consciousness [major scar]. The whole world will laugh at Ghana…”