Woyome misses court again

Lawyers for judgement debtor and embattled businessman, Alfred Agbesi Woyome, yesterday told the Supreme Court that he was still ill and was unable to attend court.

Osafo Buaben presented yet another excuse duty document to the single Supreme Court Justice handling the case in his chambers to support the request of his client to be given more time to make himself available for his oral examination to continue.

The Deputy Attorney General, Godfred Dame, who was in court for the Attorney General’s Department, confirmed that he did not oppose the latest plea for more time from the judgment debtor.

The court thus adjourned sitting to November 13, 2017.

In April this year, Mr Woyome initiated an action at the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), arguing that the judgment debt paid to him by the past National Democratic Congress (NDC) government, which the Supreme Court ruled that he got wrongfully and should be refunded, was a breach of his human rights.

He asserted in his statement of claim at the African Court of Justice that his human rights to equality before the law, fair trial and an impartial tribunal had been violated by the Supreme Court of Ghana.

Per an arrangement between Mr Woyome and the Attorney General, he started refunding the money by installments in November last year.

According to the arrangement, he was supposed to have made a second part payment of GH¢5million by April 1, 2017, but our checks indicated that the second payment has not been made as at now.

Mr Woyome is to pay GH¢5million every four months in installment until the final payment is made on April 1, 2019, per the arrangement with the AG last year.

However, Mr Woyome who was dissatisfied with the ruling by the Supreme Court resorted to the two international bodies, ICC and African Court of Justice to determine the matter.

The AG was subsequently served with the African Court of Justice suit through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Attorney General later filed fresh motion asking the Supreme Court to order Mr Woyome to appear before it on June 28, 2017 to be orally examined regarding his indebtedness of GH¢51.2 million to the state.

An Ex-parte motion filed on Friday, June 2, 2017 sought to know from Mr. Woyome whether there was any property for satisfying the judgment of dated July 29, 2014.

It would be recalled that Chief State Attorney, Mrs. Dorothy Afriyie-Ansah, filed a similar suit in 2016, but later filed a discontinuance based on the payment schedule the AG’s Department and Mr Woyome agreed upon out of which a part payment of GH¢4 million was made.

Mr Justice Anin Yeboah, the single judge hearing the case, granted the request of the AG.

Not satisfied with the AG’s discontinuance of her oral examination of the judgment debt, citizen vigilante, Mr Martin Amidu, also filed a writ in 2016 to orally examine Mr Woyome as part of processes to retrieve the money.

Mr Amidu, however, withdrew his case when there was a change of government on January 7, 2017 explaining that he was confident the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government was going to pursue the matter.