Woyome attempts to block Amidu examination

Embattled businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome has filed an application for stay of proceedings at the Supreme Court on his impending oral examination by former Attorney General Martin Amidu.

In the motion, Mr Woyome said: “Take notice that Counsel for, on and behalf of, the applicant herein will move this honourable court for an order praying for stay of proceedings pending the determination of an application for the reversal of the ruling dated 16th November, 2016 of His Lordship, Anin Yeboah, JSC, sitting as a single justice in the above-mentioned case.

Mr Agbesi Woyome was set to be examined on the controversial GHS 51.2 million judgment debt saga. This follows the Supreme Court ruling giving Mr Amidu the opportunity to examine Mr Woyome Thursday November 24.

Mr Amidu filed an application to that effect three weeks ago. He said in a statement: “…I have this morning, 4th November, 2016, filed an application at the Supreme Court for leave to examine the judgment debtor as the citizen public interest plaintiff in favour of whom the case was decided for the Republic of Ghana.”

His action followed a move by the Attorney General to discontinue oral examination of Mr Woyome. The AG’s notice said: “Please take notice that the 1st Defendant Judgment Creditor [Attorney General] herein has this day [26th day of October 2016] discontinued the present application to orally examine the 3rd defendant Judgment Debtor [Alfred Agbesi Woyome] with liberty to reapply.”

Before filing his application, Mr Amidu said: “I have examined the circumstances surrounding the government’s reluctance to enforce the judgment and orders of the court with the seriousness which the matter deserves. I share the view expressed by objective and reasonable members of the public that because the government was the 1st defendant/respondent against whom the Supreme Court made declarations of unconstitutional conduct in paying the judgment debt to Alfred Agbesi Woyome, the government has been pretending for purely political reasons at each turn to take steps to enforce the judgment and orders of the court only to deliberately abort them.

“I agree that the government’s objective has always been to create the appearance and impression in the minds of the unsuspecting public that it is complying with the enforcement orders. The Attorney General’s latest application to discontinue the government’s application to examine its financier, Alfred Agbesi Woyome, is one more such trick to deceive the public and obstruct the course of justice.”