Businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome failed to show up at the Supreme Court for the second leg of his oral examination in relation to his Ghc 47.2 million debt to the state.
His counsel , Mr Osofo Buabeng, told the Supreme Court that, Woyome was absent because he was sick.
Counsel, therefore, tendered in a medical form explaining that his client had been granted a two week excuse duty by the Accra Regional Hospital [Ridge].
Meanwhile, lawyers for the businessman has filed two applications challenging the legality of the valuation of the businessman's properties and also for the court to put the oral examination on hold.
In his submission, Mr Buabeng argued that the A-G failed to seek the permission of the court in renewing the valuation execution order, which was issued on January 9, 2015, as required by law.
Rather, he said, the A-G renewed the order on January 6, 2016 without permission from the court.
According to him, the order on which the state is relying to embark on the valuation process has elapsed and hence cannot be used.
Earlier this month, the government began a valuation of Woyome’s properties in a quest to retrieve the GHs51m wrongfully paid to him.
Some security personnel and officials from the Ghana Valuation Board, were sent to the Trasacco residence of Mr. Woyome to conduct the valuation to build concrete evidence on his ability to pay the debt for his trial.
But Mr Godfred Dame, rejected the argument of Woyome's counsel; Mr Buabeng.
A Deputy Attorney General, Godfred Dame, responding to the arguments said the state’s action was based on a new order on the 6th January 2016, far different from the one being referred to by the businessman.
According to him, the January 9, 2015 order did not expire, but rather the A-G decided to go for another order on January 6, 2016.
The court, presided over by Mr Justice Anthony A Benin, will rule on the businessman's application on Friday, October 20, 2017.
Background
Mr. Woyome was paid the GHc 51 million after claiming he helped Ghana raise funds to construct stadia for the hosting of the 2008 African Cup of Nations.
However, an Auditor General’s report released in 2010, held that the amount was paid illegally to him.
Subsequently, the Supreme Court in 2014 ordered Mr. Woyome to pay back the money, after a former Attorney General, Martin Amidu, challenged the legality of the payments.
Following delays in retrieving the money, 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.
There had been previous attempts to orally examine Mr. Woyome with Mr. Amidu himself, in 2016, filed an application at the Supreme Court seeking to examine Alfred Woyome, on how he was going to pay back the money, after the Attorney General’s office under the Mahama Administration, led by the former Minister for Justice, Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong, discontinued a similar application.
In February 2017 however, Mr. Amdu withdrew his suit seeking an oral examination, explaining that the change of government and the assurance by the new Attorney General to retrieve all judgement debts wrongfully paid to individuals, had given him renewed confidence in the system.
Source: Peacefmonline.com with additional files from Daily Graphic
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Massa; This typical of the ewe /ayigbe mentality some of then think they know the law too much and can challenge the law to the end but evetually they lose ;Wyome is just playing legal games with the AG and Lawyer Dame and the AG know about these delay tricks being played by Woyome lawyers ; Woyome thinks he is clever and can mess around with the issues at stake what he does not know is that he just playing with fire and will be paying lawyers i till the matter is resolved ; either way the Court will uphold the AG 's request for oral examination and valuation of his properties ;Jon Mahama and the NDC are not in power to help him again the AG has all the time resources in the world to pursue Woyome ; besides this NPP government has contacts and intelligence and know the financial resources of Woyome ;to me eventually woyome will fall seriously ill because of stress because you never wish ill health for yourself because you are likely to get what you wish for in life ; Woyome should careful
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Can't we just go ahead and sell whatever he as left.
This rule of law is just not good for the black man....you think woyome can mess with a military govt ? How I wish the army can handle this issue,less than two days he will repay the money.
eeeiii this man woyome has powers ooo money swine he bribe the doctor to write a fake medical report for how long will he be sick we want our money ooo please go and pay so that we can use the money for development
What????