Settle Debt or Face Sale of Properties – Chief Justice Tells Woyome

Chief Justice Anin Yeboah has advised embattled businessman, Alfred Woyome, to settle his GHS47 million debt owed to the state, to avoid the sale of his properties.

“If you have the money, pay for your properties be released back to you,” Justice Anin Yeboah said.

The Chief Justice made the comment during the hearing of an application by the Attorney General seeking clearance from the court for the State to take over Mr. Woyome’s properties instead of selling them.

The AG’s application follows request from the National Security for the transfer of some properties belonging to Alfred Woyome to state, to offset his debt to the state.

The properties as captured in a letter from National Security Minister, Kan Dapaah include two mansions at Trassaco Estate, a house at Kpehe where he resides, an office complex of Anator Holdings, a residential building at Abelemkpe and a stone quarry in the Eastern Region including its plants and equipment.

The case was adjourned to 24th of June due to the unavailability of the lawyer of Alfred Woyome.

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The Supreme Court, on July 29, 2014, ordered Mr Woyome to refund GH¢51.2 million to the state on grounds that he got the money out of unconstitutional and invalid contracts between the state and Waterville Holdings Limited in 2006 for the construction of stadia for CAN 2008.

It was the view of the court that the contracts upon which Mr Woyome made and received the claim were in contravention of Article 181 (5) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, which required such contracts to be laid before and approved by Parliament.

The case leading to the Supreme Court decision was initiated by Mr Martin Amidu, the current Special Prosecutor, in his capacity as a citizen of Ghana.

The Supreme Court gave the Attorney General permission to sell properties belonging to Mr. Woyome to offset part of the GHS47 million he owes the state.

Following delays in retrieving the money, the 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.

The ruling followed claims made by the Receivers of defunct UT Bank that some of the properties identified by the State for sale was theirs.

According to the lawyers of the defunct UT Bank, Mr. Woyome used the said properties as collateral for loans at the bank which he failed to pay back.