<<Print>>

Embattled businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome, says he is not the least perturbed by last Friday�s ruling of the Supreme Court, where nine justices unanimously ruled that Waterville Holdings Limited should return the over �25million it obtained illegally from the state. Contrary to suggestions by pundits that the High Court could potentially take a cue from the Supreme Court decision and order Mr. Woyome to cough up the over GH�51.2million controversial judgment debt paid to him by the erstwhile John Evans Atta Mills� National Democratic Congress (NDC) government, Mr Woyome said he was hopeful of a vindication in his trial. �We are a happy people because we�ve gone there and there is a clear decision that my transaction with government was not international business. That�s clear, so we are happy,� he told DAILY GUIDE on Tuesday. Even though he appeared to put on a bold face, the NDC financier reminisced the blow that had been inflicted on Waterville. Mr. Woyome contended that he indeed carried out a series of financial transactions for the John Agyekum Kufuor�s New Patriotic Party (NPP) government in 2006 to deserve the claims he got from the government even though he conceded that he had no contract with the State. �The issue is that; did I work�, did the government engage me to do work for them? Do we have evidence of all those in form of letters, in form of other things? If that is the issue, did I bring the product, or did I create the product that they needed? Yes, I created those products,� he told Daily Guide. He gave a hint that even if the High Court�s decision did not go the way he expected, he may explore his options in the Appeal Court. �I have always said that I have faith in the judiciary, it does not mean that everybody in the judiciary is a saint, that�s why there are checks and balances and appellate system. The government has option to appeal; I have option to appeal so we would exploit the legal avenues.� According to Mr. Woyome, he got into an arrangement with the then NPP government in an ambitious plan to secure over �1.2billion to initiate a comprehensive sports tourism enclave. But just after he had expended his time and resources to secure the funds, the Kufuor government cancelled the arrangement and forfeited the funds, hence his claims. �Did they give me government money to pay the persons that helped me throughout? Did anybody fund any portion, including the partners and the other foreign companies that I brought in?� The beleaguered businessman and bankroller of the NDC asked. There is no evidence of Woyome bringing a dime onto the table. The eventual payment of GH��51.2million claims have arguably become Ghana�s longest running financial scandal which has drawn intense public interest and angst. The scandal has been raging for almost two years now. Two High Courts are currently trying Mr Woyome with both civil and criminal charges on the scandalous GH�51.2million judgment debt. Between 2009 and 2011, Waterville and Mr Woyome were paid the infamous claims by the Atta Mills government, resulting in a plethora of legal suits. The Ruling The Supreme Court�s order followed arguments before it by a former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Martin Amidu, that neither Waterville nor businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome, who also obtained similar payments, had a valid contract with the state to warrant the payments. The justices, in a unanimous decision, ruled that the money paid Waterville in the judgment debt scandal was illegal and must be refunded. They granted six of the 15 reliefs sought by Mr Amidu and only stayed a verdict on parts of the reliefs concerning Mr. Woyome on �jurisdictional grounds� and stayed a verdict on the issue to do with the payment to Woyome because that was before the High Court.