Call Dame to order - Woyome fires NPP

Businessman Alfred Woyome has said Deputy Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame has peddled lies following claims by the latter that he (Mr Woyome) had tried colluding with the now-defunct UT Bank to hide his landed assets from the state in connection with attempts by the government to retrieve a GHS51.2 million judgment debt illegal paid him years ago.

According to Mr Woyome, known to be a financier of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), there is a deliberate attempt by political opponents to tarnish his hard-earned reputation.

Mr. Dame told journalists after Monday’s Supreme Court hearing in which the now-defunct UT Bank claims to own some four properties it received from Mr Woyome, the same of which have been identified by the state for possession to defray part of the GHS51.2 million judgment debt.

Responding to Mr Dame on Accra-based Citi FM’s Eyewitness News, Mr Woyome told Umaru Sanda Amadu in an interview that: “This is purely propaganda by Godfred Dame”.

“There has never been any collusion, I mean [Dame] should stop the lies about me. Someone in the NPP government should talk to him [Dame]. They should call Dame to order.” – he said.

Mr Woyome threatened: “If Godfred Dame keeps doing what he’s doing, I’ll see him in court. If I lose the case, I’ll pay but if I win, the state would have to pay me.”

Background

Mr Woyome obtained the amount on claims that he helped Ghana to raise funds for the construction of stadia the CAN 2008 Nations Cup hosted by Ghana.

An Auditor General’s report released in 2010, however, said the amount was paid illegally to the businessman.

The former AG, who has earned the accolade citizen vigilante for his anti-corruption pursuit, suo moto [on his own] initiated a suit at the Supreme Court against Woyome, which eventually lead to the declaration of the payment as unconstitutional two years ago.

The Court thus ordered the retrieval of GHC51.2 million from Mr Woyome but the businessman took legal steps to justify he deserved the money paid him.

On July 29, 2014 the Supreme Court ordered the businessman to refund the GH¢51.2 million judgement debt which was paid to him between 2009 and 2010.

According to the court, Mr Woyome had no valid contract with the state and, therefore, did not deserve the money paid him.

The legal action which gave rise to the judgement was initiated by a former A-G, Mr Martin Amidu.

Since the judgement, Mr Amidu had mounted a number of legal warfares to ensure that Mr Woyome refunded the money to the state.

In 2016, he filed an action at the Supreme Court to be given the opportunity to orally examine Mr Woyome over how he (Woyome) intended to repay the money.

The move was after the then A-G had discontinued the request to orally examine the businessman after the two parties had agreed on a payment module in which Mr Woyome paid GH¢4 million.

Although the Supreme Court granted his prayer, Mr Amidu abandoned the oral examination when the New Patriotic Party (NPP) won the 2016 elections.

According to him, the NPP had promised to retrieve the money as a matter of urgency and, therefore, there was the need for him to give the government the space to do so.