Okudzeto Ablakwa reveals details of GH¢95 million judgment debt settlement to West Blue

The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has shed more light on the government's judgment debt settlement of GH¢95 million involving West Blue Consulting, the Attorney-General, and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).

According to the lawmaker, the settlement was reached through a consent judgment on July 9, 2024, with an agreement to ensure full payment by September 25, 2024.

In a post shared via X on Sunday, August 18, 2024, the North Tongu MP said the debt settlement is to be made in three tranches before the Akufo-Addo government leaves office and will be net of taxes.

He, however, raised concerns about the Attorney-General’s conduct in this West Blue saga, which appears inconsistent with President Akufo-Addo's assertion that his administration contests all civil litigation against the state to avoid judgment debts.

The lawmaker pointed out that during the president’s last message on the State of the Nation, he stated emphatically: “The Attorney-General has continued, in a very effective manner, the tradition under this administration of contesting every civil litigation against the state and has avoided the numerous judgment debts that used to be given against the state.”

In view of this, Okuduzeto Ablakwa wrote that “It is quite baffling that the same NPP political actors who accused former President John Mahama of awarding a bloated contract to West Blue now claim President Mahama did not pay West Blue adequately, and that there was an outstanding claim of some GH¢21.6 million.

“It is instructive to point out that we may at least find consolation in the fact that this GH¢95 million settlement is almost 50% lower than the GH¢187.3 million Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko was demanding from the Finance Ministry on behalf of West Blue when I blew the whistle in the Kitchen Scandal exposé of August 01, 2023,” he added.

The MP also emphasised that the GH¢95 million settlement is significantly lower than the GH¢187.3 million originally demanded by Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko on behalf of West Blue, following the public outcry over his involvement in the ‘Kitchen Scandal’ exposé of August 2023.

“Interestingly, following the public backlash about Prime Minister Gabby’s role in this sordid affair after the publication of my parliamentary oversight findings, I note that a different legal firm, Adjekum & Co PRUC, signed the court’s settlement as new lawyers for West Blue,” the lawmaker stated.

In the wake of this development, the NDC lawmaker said the Minority Caucus in parliament plans to summon key officials, including the Attorney-General, the Minister of Finance, and the GRA Commissioner-General, to explain why they did not mount a stronger defence in court, despite the internal objections initially raised by the GRA and Finance Ministry.

See his post below:

What we now know about the GHS95million West Blue Judgement Debt from Court Documents:

1. It was a consent judgement agreed by all parties (West Blue, Attorney-General and the Ghana Revenue Authority) on July 9, 2024;

2. There is an agreement to ensure full payment by 25th… pic.twitter.com/UaW6Z2b5Zz

— Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa (@S_OkudzetoAblak) August 18, 2024