Martin Amidu and Alfred Agbesi Woyome
The Supreme Court yesterday adjourned until February 8, 2017 the hearing of the oral examination of businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome by Martin Amidu, a former Attorney General and Minister for Justice, over the GH¢51. 2 million judgement debt paid to him by the state.
The court, presided over by sole judge, Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, held that other applications filed to challenge the examination had not yet been determined.
The court subsequently adjourned proceedings in view of the motion before it, seeking to review the court’s earlier decision.
Mr. Amidu (known as Citizen Vigilante because of his sustained crusade against corruption) told the court that he was aware of such motions before the court as same was due to be heard on February 1, 2017.
Justice Anin-Yeboah at the previous sitting indicated that the court would await the outcome of the applications on the case – the motion for review and interpretation of certain portions of the 1992 Constitution.
Earlier, Kenneth Anku, lawyer for Mr Woyome – the National Democratic Congress (NDC) financier – reminded the court that at its sitting on December 6, last year, it adjourned proceedings because it informed the defence team that an application had been filed in connection with the case.
He insisted that his client was not privy or party to the said application so filed.
Martin Alamisi Amidu, who represented himself as lawyer in the hearing, indicated that at the previous hearing, there was a motion to stay proceedings based on which he also filed some processes objecting its (motion’s) competence.
It may be recalled that the court last month granted an application to stay proceedings filed by Woyome.
The court acceded to the request of the applicant “in the substantial interest of justice,” adding that the grant of the application would not occasion any injustice against the trial.
Mr Agbesi Woyome, by the court ruling, temporarily managed to stop the much anticipated oral examination and to pave the way for two judges to take a second look at the ruling which cleared Mr. Amidu to grill him.
Subsequent to that was a fresh application filed by David Kwadzo Ametefe seeking a declaration that upon a true and proper interpretation of Articles 2 (1), 128, 130 and 134 of the 1992 Constitution, a single justice of the Supreme Court has no jurisdiction to determine matters involving the interpretation of the Constitution.
Woyomes’s counsel is also seeking a declaration that the ruling by Justice Anin-Yeboah sitting as a single judge of the Supreme Court delivered on 16 November, 2016 in the case granting the opportunity to Mr. Amidu to execute the judgement in the case (Martin Alamisi Amidu vrs. the Attorney-General & 2 others) in suit number J7/10/2013, is inconsistent with the provision of the said Articles of the Constitution.
Ametefe among other reliefs, wants an order from the court setting aside the order of the judge granting the opportunity to Mr. Amidu to orally examine Woyome.
By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson
jeffdegraft44@yahoo.com