Embattled National Democratic Congress (NDC) financier, Alfred Agbesi Woyome, has taken another step to halt efforts by the state to retrieve the GH¢51.2 million he fraudulently received as judgement debt.
Lawyers for the businessman have filed another application to stay the proceedings at the Supreme Court as well as halt moves by the state to evaluate his properties.
This is not the first time Mr. Woyome is making such a move which has been described by Deputy Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame as a ploy to delay payment of the money, but “eventually, the day of reckoning will come.”
Mr Dame had begun questioning the businessman to ascertain his sources of income and how to retrieve the money.
But Mr. Woyome, in what looks like a deliberate attempt to frustrate the state in retrieving the money, has resorted to many tricks obviously to delay the payment.
Mr Woyome has so far refunded just GH¢4 million out of the GH¢51.2 million into state coffers.
Although he subsequently promised to pay the outstanding balance by quarterly instalments of GH¢5 million from April 1, 2017, he is yet to deliver on that promise.
His defence lawyers last month filed two applications, one to halt the oral examination while the other sought to declare as illegal, the writ of execution used by the state to value his assets.
Both applications were thrown out by the apex court for lack of merit, paving way for the state to move in on more of Mr. Woyome’s properties.
But the businessman, who has not been in court for three consecutive adjourned dates because he was “sick,” has thrown in another dice by filing for the stay of proceedings.
The application is expected to be heard by a panel of five judges on October 21, 2017 when the court resumes sitting.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak