"Woyome and his lawyers can't stop PAC from working" - Member

The Deputy Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Kweku Agyemang Manu, has revealed that businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome has been summoned to appear before the committee.

This is after the lawyers of the businessman declined two invitations to the committee to answer questions relating to the controversial 51 million Ghana Cedis judgement debts paid to him by the state.

Mr Woyome is currently facing charges of defrauding and causing financial loss to the state.

The PAC first invited Mr. Woyome in July but after the lawyers declined the invite, a letter was sent to him again dated August 16. But in a similar fashion, the lawers argued that an appearance before the APC will be prejudicial to cases before the Superior Courts.

But speaking to Breakfast XYZ, Mr. Agyemang Manu said: “The Chairman has issued a summons trying to use the privileges that the committee has. The Committee has the powers of a High Court so when it invites you and you don’t come, the next think is that you should be summoned if the Chairman thinks that your argument is not convincing.”

He said the PAC is yet to receive any response from Alfred Woyome’s lawyers after the summons, stressing that someone who has been summoned does not have any other option than to appear before the committee. “It is by compulsion,” he added.

“Woyome and his lawyers are not the final authority and his lawyers are not the final authorities of our constitution. It is the Supreme Court. Woyome and his lawyers cannot stop the committee from working,” Mr Agyemang Manu averred.

He said the PAC is waiting to see if Alfred Woyome will fail to appear today before any other action will be taken against him. He however suggested that if Mr. Woyome does not show up at the Committee, the option left for members will be to take it to the Supreme Court to seek an order to compel him to avail himself.

According to him, Mr Woyome must come before the Committee to raise any argument or misgivings he (Woyome) has and that he cannot arrogate to himself the choice to either appear or not when he has been summoned.

“You see, people should give respect to institutions in our country. I don’t think it is good enough to sit in your home and write letters. Come and tell the Committee that because of this and this and this, we cannot speak on this matter at this committee.”

He said the PAC will not force anyone who does not want to speak on a particular matter.

“Why wouldn’t Woyome and his friends, his lawyers come and raise these legal arguments and if the Chairman and Committee members feel strongly that he’s got very good reasons why we should discharge him, we will let him go.”