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Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Drama as Woyome physically stops officials from valuing his Kpehe residence


Source: Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | George Nyavor | george.nyavor@myjoyonline.com
Alfred Woyome
Alfred Agbesi Woyome on Thursday prevented officials from getting access to his Kpehe residence for valuation as the state attempts to retrieve some ¢51 million from the embattled businessman. 
The officials from the Attorney Generals Department and Lands Commission had been trying to value four houses at Kpehe in Accra, identified to belong to Mr Woyome, in fulfillment of a Supreme Court ruling. 
The Supreme Court in 2014 ordered Mr Woyome to pay back ¢51 million fraudulently taken from the state after Mr Martin Amidu, a former Attorney General challenged the legality of judgment debts paid the businessman, Waterville, and Isofoton.
Following delays in retrieving the money, the Supreme Court judges unanimously granted the Attorney-General clearance to execute the court’s judgment ordering Mr Woyome to refund the cash to the state.
The nine-judge panel chaired by Chief Justice, Mrs Georgina Theodora Wood, warned that a higher crime could be committed if Mr Woyome refuses to refund the money.
The state later filed an application at the Supreme Court seeking direction to enforce the order to compel Mr Woyome to refund the money.
The Attorney-General, Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong, was then granted the power to use any appropriate means to retrieve the money.
Mr Woyome, however, does not seem to agree with the A-G’s strategy to retrieve the cash.
In an exclusive interview with Joy News’ Favour Nunoo after the drama, Mr Woyome said he did not err in his decision to deny representatives of Attorney Generals Department and Lands Commission access to his Kpehe residence for valuation and subsequent confiscation to the state.
According to him, the move by the state officials constituted an illegality.
“There is a process in court which the A-G is aware of – since March [2016]. My lawyer wrote to them today because the A-G wrote and said there was no process. I am wondering why they want this media drama,” he told Joy News.
The businessman, however, said his fingers are crossed for the day the Supreme Court will see reason and overturn its ruling against him.
“I believe that one day the Supreme Court will depart from this decision and for me, I don’t accept it. We are using every means possible externally and within the Africa region to seek a right,” he said.
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Full list: Asiedu Nketia, Pratt, Anyidoho benefited from ¢51.2m Woyome cash - NPP


Source: Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Austin Brakopowers
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has released a list of some key members of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) who allegedly benefited from the GH¢51.2 million judgment debt wrongfully paid to Alfred Woyome.
NPP Communications Director, Nana Akomea at a news conference in Accra Monday, said it was never the case that the NDC financier solely benefited from the judgment debt paid him in 2010.
He said Mr Woyome wrote down the names of all the beneficiaries of the money and noted the purposes for which they were going to be paid the money.
“Mr Woyome was very meticulous in keeping the records,” he added.
The key beneficiaries, according to him include;
(a)A GHC1 million payment was made to the NDC party on 15 February 2011
(b)GHC75,000 was given to Professor Awunor on 28 June 2011
(c)GHC60,000 was given to Jewel Ackah on 16 June 2011
(d)GHC20,000 was given to NDC General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia popularly known as General Mosquito on 2 September 2011
(e)GHC60,000 was given to former head of Agricultural Development Bank (ADB), Steve Kpordzih in 2011
(f)GHC8,000 was given to one Suhyini of Radio Gold in 2011
(g)GHC2,000 was given to Managing Editor of Insight Newspaper, Kwesi Pratt in 2011
(h)GHC15,000 was given to the NDC branch in Hohoe in 2011
(i)GHC42,000 was given to the NDC for the purchase of 30 motorbikes
(j)GHC100,000 was given to NDC's Koku Anyidoho who is now a Deputy General Secretary,
(k)GHC30,000 was given to the NDC for the renovation of its party office on 29 March 2011
(l)GHC13,000 was again given to NDC Deputy General Secretary, Koku Anyidoho on 1 May 2011
(m)GHC30,000 was given to NDC Greater Accra Regional Chairman, Ade Coker on 8 February 2011
These beneficiaries, Nana Akomea claims are people who defended Mr Woyome even after the Supreme Court ruled that the money was wrongfully paid to the businessman and should be returned to the state.
“Clearly, the money that Woyome received, he made a huge payment out of it to NDC,” he said.
Sections of Ghanaians have questioned the resolve of government to retrieve the GH¢51.2 million from Mr Woyome. 
The doubt of some Ghanaians peaked after Attorney-General (A-G), Marietta Opong-Brew withdrew an application to cross-examine the businessman about the use of the money.
Angered by the development, former A-G, Martin Amidu filed a suit at the Supreme Court to be given the opportunity to do the cross-examination.
Lawyers of the businessman were displeased with Mr Amidu’s action resulting in a counter suit to have the former A-G’s case thrown out.
They said Mr Woyome has reached a settlement agreement with Mrs Opong-Brew to pay back the money but the NPP believes government wants to refocus the attention of Ghanaians from the money.
Nana Akomea said President Mahama has not demonstrated the commitment to retrieve the money despite public outcry.
"Fish rot from the head," he said, adding the President has scars of corruption on him which makes him unfit to lead the nation in the next fours.
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Mahama's Gov’t awarded another GH₵35m contract to Woyome despite scandal, says OccupyGhana

Source: Ghana | Myjoyonline.com

Alfred Woyome
OccupyGhana says it has discovered a GH¢35 million contract awarded to embattled businessman, Alfred Woyome, although the dust is yet to settle on a scandalous judgement debt awarded to him.
Mr Woyome is yet to refund a GH¢51.2 million judgement debt he obtained from the state which according to the Supreme Court was acquired through unconstitutional and invalid contracts between the state and Waterville Holdings Limited in 2006 for the construction of stadia for CAN 2008.
Despite the apex court’s ruling, the businessman is currently fighting the retrieval of the money by the state, claiming among other things, that he earned it.
In a statement issued Thursday, the pressure group said it “is shocked, outraged and appalled to discover that while the nation is still reeling from the effect of the Alfred Woyome judgment debt scandal, and the stalled and hesitant attempts by the Attorney-General to execute the judgment of the Supreme Court, the Government of Ghana has, on the blind side of Ghanaians, entered into a ‘confidential’ and potentially lucrative agreement with Woyome, acting through one of his companies, Anator Holding Company Limited.”
OccupyGhana explains that Anator Holding Company is one of the companies that has filed a suit claiming to be the owner of two of Woyome’s properties that the Government has to attach in the execution of the judgment.
“That matter is still pending and unresolved,” OccupyGhana, which is composed of astute lawyers and other professionals, said in the statement.
Background
Woyome sued the state in 2009 for what he claimed to be a wrongful termination of the contract by the erstwhile Kufuor administration.
The contract, Woyome averred, was for him to raise money for the construction of stadia for the CAN 2008 tournament which was held in Ghana.
He secured a default judgment in 2010 after the then Attorney General Betty Mould Iddrisu failed to prosecute the case.
Even when the court had asked that only the first tranche of 17 million cedis be paid to the businessman until after the case had been concluded, officials of government went ahead to pay all three tranches.
A 2010 audit report made adverse findings about government officials involved in the payment made to Mr Woyome.
Mr Woyome recently filed a suit in the apex court seeking a review of an earlier decision that would have allowed former Attorney General, Martin Amidu, to cross-examine him over the controversial GH¢51.2 million judgment debt.
The former Attorney General had initiated the proceedings to retrieve the money paid the businessman.
Read below OccupyGhana's full statement.
24th NOVEMBER, 2016
OCCUPYGHANA® PRESS STATEMENT
WOYOME AGAIN! GH₵35 MILLION CONTRACT DISCOVERED: OCCUPYGHANA® EXPOSES GOVERNMENT
OccupyGhana® is shocked, outraged and appalled to discover this: That while the nation is still reeling from the effect of the Alfred Woyome judgment debt scandal, and the stalled and hesitant attempts by the Attorney-General to execute the judgment of the Supreme Court, the Government of Ghana has, on the blind side of Ghanaians, entered into a “confidential” and potentially lucrative agreement with Woyome, acting through one of his companies, Anator Holding Company Limited.
This same Anator Holding Company, in the current proceedings in court, is one of the companies that has filed an interpleader, claiming to be the owner of two of Woyome’s properties that the Government has finally managed to attach in execution of the judgment. That matter is still pending and unresolved.
We have seen a Framework Agreement dated as recently as 21st December 2015, for Anator Holding to “develop deep seaports (including) industrial parks and green townships” in Ghana. The Agreement is signed by Woyome as Executive Chairman of Anator Holding Company Limited, and the then Minister for Transport, Dzifa Aku Attivor. That Agreement was entered into on the basis of a non-binding scantily drafted Memorandum of Understanding entered into between the same Woyome company and the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority on the same subject on 28th August 2015. The Framework Agreement with Ghana is expressed to have been entered into so that Woyome’s company can raise an initial financing of US$8.5M just for feasibility studies. In other words, Woyome is relying on the country’s goodwill to raise financing for a sweetheart deal that he has entered into with the GPHA and is possibly shopping around banks all over the world for money, on the back of this agreement.
That bogus Agreement was signed with the express approval of Cabinet, as conveyed by a letter signed by the Chief of Staff from the Office of the President, dated 16th December 2015. It is instructive to point out that the Agreement was signed on the same day that the Cabinet approval was received by the Ministry of Transport.
We have seen how Woyome operates. He hit us for GH¢51.2M that he did not deserve, on the basis of a non-existent contract. Our Government and its lawyers, either unconcerned or guilty of complicity, sat back when Woyome went to court and obtained a default judgment against us. Even though Mr. Martin Amidu has obtained judgment for the people of Ghana, we are struggling to recover that money from him, and this same Anator Holding is battling to stop us from selling at least two of Woyome’s properties to pay the debt.
It, therefore, beggars belief that in the face of all of these, our government would enter into any kind of agreement involving the same character and/or his companies. The irony of the date that agreement was signed cannot be lost on us. 21st December 2015 was the date that the former Minister of Transport, Dzifa Attivor, appeared in Parliament to lament that her Ministry was broke and that its budget was “woefully inadequate to meet developmental needs of the sector.” Incidentally, that was also the date that the impugned Smarttys deal, involving the same Dzifa Attivor, broke in Parliament.
We are shocked beyond words! We demand from the Government, full disclosure and a full explanation of the circumstances surrounding this contract. Who authorised it? Did the President know that Dzifa Attivor was entering into this contract on our behalf, and if so, did he do anything to stop it? Did the President know about the Cabinet approval? We demand from the Government and GPHA evidence that all proper statutory and procurement approvals were duly obtained in entering into these agreements and memoranda with Woyome. Further, we demand that the Government immediately cancels that agreement. Woyome has our money. He obtained that money under dubious circumstances. Thanks to Mr. Martin Amidu, we have judgment against him. He has failed to pay. We should not be doing business either with him or with any corporate entity that he owns, controls or is associated with, under any circumstances.
Yours, in unwavering service to God and Country,
OccupyGhana® 

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