Order To Freeze Woyome Bank Accounts & Assets Granted

The Financial Division of the Accra High Court yesterday granted the motion filed by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) for an order to freeze financial assets of the embattled business tycoon, Mr. Alfred Agbesi Woyome, over the GHC51.2 million judgement debt scandals. The Economic and Organized Crime Office [EOCO] had some time ago filed a motion at the financial division High Court seeking to freeze all the bank accounts and financial assets of Woyome, the man at the centre at the centre of the GHC51.2million judgement debt saga. The court had earlier in January this year, granted an order to EOCO to freeze Woyome�s account at the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB), but the office was now seeking a review of that order to freeze all his financial assets and bank accounts. In his ruling, the presiding judge, Mr. Justice Bright Mensah, held that the application was proper before the court and that the court has nothing to doubt the legality of the application. He said the applicant the EOCO is a constitutional body that has been vested with the powers to conduct investigation into all financial crimes committed against the state and to take steps in recovering such monies. According to the judge, upon studying the application the court had reached a reasonable conclusion that there were sufficient grounds to grant the application freezing all accounts and any other financial assets belonging Mr. Woyome would assist in recovering the GH51.2million to then state. The judge stated that the application brought to the court sought to free the bank accounts of the respondent, Mr. Woyome who has been in another court facing crime in relation to financial loss to the state, which lies within the mandate of EOCO. Justice Mensah who cited several law authorities to buttress the ruling further held that the respondent also failed to respond also failed to respond to the averments in the affidavit by the applicant which therefore leads the court to conclude that there was no objection or defence to the application and therefore accordingly granted the motion for the freezing of the accounts.