THE CROSS-EXAMINATION of businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome has been adjourned to October 27, 2014 after the principal state attorney, Mathew Amponsah had informed the court that his outfit did not get the last two records of proceedings.
This was after the case resumed from a long break due to the legal vacation but had to be adjourned to enable the state attorneys to have access to the recordings.
The trial judge in the case at the Financial Division of the Fast Track High Court, Justice John Najet-Assam, has also been transferred to the Cocoa Affairs Court.
This development came to light when a court clerk at the Fast Track High Court, Financial Division, where the trial was ongoing told followers of the case about the new development.
The new courtroom was filled with relatives, family members and sympathizers to give support to the embattled businessman facing trial for allegedly defrauding the state by false pretence.
At the last adjourned date, Mrs Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa, who took over the cross-examination from her colleague, Mathew Amponsah sought to find out from the accused if he had put in a tender bid in his personal capacity- he replied in the negative saying �my name was not on the bid, as is normally done in this case.�
According to him, he did that on behalf of a consortium, adding that he was in charge of raising funds for the Essipong and Tamale stadia projects, while the technical aspect of the tender was handled by Waterville.
Mr. Woyome could not provide the exact date he submitted his bid, when asked by the state attorney, explaining that unless he checked it out. He also told the court the requirement of the bid was proof of secured funding and detailed architectural drawing.
Mrs Obuobisa asked Woyome to explain what the exact conditions were, to which he stated that the former Deputy Minister for Education, Youth and Sports, O.B. Amoah, wrote a letter to all the bidders stating so.
He also explained that when government asks for proof of secured funding, and it is accepted, it means the money is for the government.
The accused was shown a letter on May 4, 2014, which he agreed was written before he submitted the bid, but stated that that was the time he had funded the Local Organizing Committee and added that organizations wanted to sue government, but he paid them off to stop them from taking such an action.
He added that there was a separate contract earlier which had been abrogated by the government, and noted that the said letter was addressed to Exim Bank and Bank of Austria, among others.
Mr. Woyome told the court also that the letter was meant to say that the government was aware of the meeting between the organization and him.
Mr. Woyome has been accused of putting in fraudulent claims to defraud the state to the tune of GH�51.2m. He is facing two counts of causing financial lost to the state and defrauding the state by false pretense.
He has denied the claims and is arguing that he received the money after the commercial court had ruled in his favour in 2010.
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