From the left: Martin Amidu, Alfred Agbesi Woyome and Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah
The Supreme Court has granted the application filed by Martin Amidu to orally examine National Democratic Congress (NDC) bankroller, Alfred Agbesi Woyome, over whether or not he (Woyome) has the means to pay the controversial GH¢ 51.2 million judgement debt paid to him by the state.
The court, presided over by Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, was empathic that the NDC financier must on November 24 appear before it and be examined on oath by Amidu, a former Attorney General and Minister for Justice who is fondly called Citizen Vigilante for his anti-corruption crusade.
In the view of the Supreme Court Justice, the applicant has the right to pursue the businessman over the “colossal” amount of money because he personally came to court to get a judgment to have Mr. Woyome pay back the money.
Justice Anin-Yeboah, granting the application by Mr. Amidu, stated that no serious efforts had been made by Attorney General Marietta Brew Appiah-Opong two years after the court had ordered her to retrieve the cash.
The court held that per the AG’s motion filed to discontinue the case, there was no evidence of any execution before the court by it (AG) currently.
He said the application succeeded because Mr. Amidu is not chasing the money as a direct beneficiary of the amount but for the state.
The judge however, struck out the scandalous claims made by the applicant in his affidavit in support of the motion, indicating that it was only the said paragraph that ought to be dismissed and not the entire deposition.
The ruling triggered excitement among the public as Kweku Baako Jnr, editor in-chief of the New Crusading Guide, danced to show his happiness that at long last, the Woyome saga was getting somewhere.
Woyome Dazed
Woyome, who appeared dazed by the decision, sat for over two minutes in the court with his left hand supporting his chin, apparently mulling over the quelling questions and the tough time ahead of him.
He nonetheless, regained his composure, angrily stormed out of the court with an initial attempt to talk to the media, but was dissuaded from doing so by his lawyer, Ken Stephen Anku.
Woyome warded off attempts by curious journalists to hear what he had initially wanted to say. He rhetorically asked why some Ghanaians were treated in a certain way.
In a follow up media interview on Facebook live video, Woyome said, “I disagree totally with today’s ruling.
“Martin Alamisi could go ahead if he has the legal strength to tell the whole public as to what he knew as an attorney general working with EOCO; how those monies were expended. But for the sake of the law, and for the sake of the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, I disagree totally with today’s ruling and I will do whatever I can to see to it that justice is done in this case.”
Though Woyome said he would respect the court’s decision, he was apprehensive that the impact of the case would be felt on the international scene because there are a number of cases on the same matter pending in court.
The NDC financier accused the Supreme Court of persecuting him in the controversial GH¢51 million fraudulent payment. “I am speaking as a citizen, and I feel that the Supreme Court is persecuting me,” he lamented.
According to him, he had wanted to pay GH¢8 million, and spread the rest over a period of time; but his appeal was rejected by the Supreme Court.
“I proposed to pay GH¢8 million and pay the rest in the following months…but the Supreme Court denied and threw it out,” he said, complaining that after the rejection of his mode of payment, the Supreme Court further ordered the Attorney General to evaluate his properties, saying such a move was to “disgrace me.”
Arguments
Mr. Amidu has filed the motion at the court to be given the opportunity to question Woyome days after the AG had filed to discontinue the processing towards the retrieval of the money.
At the previous sitting which was characterized by fireworks, the AG, represented by her Deputy, Dominic Aryine, challenged Mr. Amidu’s locus in going after the money lost to the NDC financier, saying that Amidu was violating the Constitution by coming to court to retrieve the money.
He said it was only the AG’s office that was mandated by law to do so.
The deputy AG stated that Amidu does not have the locus to mount the instant action, although the former AG was the plaintiff in the case in whose favour the judgment was delivered as a public interest case, adding that the applicant could not enforce the judgement of the court.
Mr Dominic Aryine explained that the said money was public fund and the action by Mr Amidu was also in public interest but the former AG, coming under Article 2 of the 1992 Constitution, could not enforce payment of the money.
Responding to the opposition of the AG, Mr Amidu said judgment was delivered in his favour and that he is the right person to come to the court to seek the enforcement of the order of the court.
He said whether he has an interest or not could be looked at by reading Article 2 of the Constitution in its entirety.
According to him, the order of the Supreme Court was directed at Woyome to refund the money and not to the AG.
‘Solvent’ Woyome
The former AG insisted that Woyome could pay the money but had just refused to do so.
He indicated that he is the proper person to be permitted to examine Woyome insisting, “He has the means; he is just refusing to pay”.
Citizen Vigilante wondered why the AG was preventing him from examining Woyome in public.
By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson
jeffdegraft44@yahoo.com