No matter how long it takes, Woyome will cough up GHC51m – Attorney General

Attorney General Gloria Akuffo, has said legal hurdles have prevented government from retrieving the GHS51 million wrongfully paid to businessman Alfred Woyome.

The Supreme Court ordered Mr Woyome to refund the amount but so far only GHS4.6 million have been paid. The last payment was done in 2016.

The Nana Akufo-Addo-led government, which made the retrieval of the money a campaign promise, has so far failed to retrieve any additional funds.

Ms Akuffo explained that: “The court has made a decision that he is liable to pay certain money that belong to the state, if he is existing, natural justice requires that he be heard which is what is going on. I can only say that we’re not relenting in our effort to retrieve the money for the state and I’m hopeful that the time will come, even legal hurdles have their end.”

Mr Woyome was paid the said amount after an alleged contract he had with the state to construct stadia for the hosting of the 2008 African Cup of Nations, was truncated, purportedly without due process, by the Kufuor administration.

However, an Auditor General’s report released in 2010 held that the amount was paid illegally to him. The Supreme Court in 2014 then ordered Mr Woyome to pay back the money to the state.