General News of Wednesday, 15 January 2020

Source: ghananewsagency.org

‘Don’t ruin your career’ – Supreme Court advises Woyome’s laywer

Embattled businessman, Alfred Agbesi Woyome Embattled businessman, Alfred Agbesi Woyome

The Supreme Court has slapped a senior lawyer representing Alfred Agbesi Woyome, a businessman, saddled in the GHC51 million judgement debt case, with a cost of GHC5,000.

The Supreme Court had given the lawyer, Muda Ade Lawal, the option of facing the disciplinary committee of the General Legal Council or pay the cost personally.

Muda Ade Lawal, in fact, opted for the payment of the cost of which the Court asked him to pay within two weeks.

The Supreme Court was unhappy with the lawyer after it observed that a review application by Mr. Ade Lawal, for Woyome was rehashed and same had already been determined by the apex court.

“Where did you get to know that a dismissed application could be repeated? Don’t ruin your career because of this application. You have exhausted the courts here and the African Court on Human Rights and Justice and you are back. Go and check the number of lawyers who have been into this case,” the Court said.

The court had declined Woyome’s plea to pay the GHC46 million he owed the state by instalments.

Lawal then filed a review application with respect to the mode of payment by Woyome.

Lawyers for Woyome had come before the court that they were going to pay the state GHC10 million upfront and four million cedis every three months till the debt is cleared.

The apex court observed that Woyome through his numerous lawyers had made promises previously to pay the money in instalments but could not honour them.

On July 29, 2014, the Supreme Court ordered Woyome to refund the GHC51.2 million on the basis that the manner in which Woyome obtained the money from the state was unconstitutional and also the contracts between the state and Waterville Holdings limited in the construction of stadia for the CAN 2008.