Minority in parliament are scheduled to stage a press conference today, which is aimed at raising allegations over what the NPP refer as default in payment of a GH?42m judgment debt to Alfred Woyome Agbesi.
Among other things, the minority will seek to continue throwing accusations against the NDC government for allegedly dolling out monies to Alfred Woyome.
Contrary to the assertion by some NPP operatives including the former Chief of staff under the Kufuor administration that they had never had any acquaintance with the NPP, as far as the CAN2008 stadia contracts were concerned, documents cited by The Republic indicates otherwise.
Hon. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, former deputy Minister of Finance had on May, 2005 written to Exim Bank, Washington, DC, Bank Austria Creditanstalt AG and Raiffeisen Zentral Bank Osterreich AG asking them to assist Alfred Woyome and Vamed Engineering GBbH & Co. KG to conclude the loan deal on the CAN 2008 stadia renovation and construction.
The letter which was copied to all the related ministries reads; “The Ministry is aware of a meeting going to take place between you on one part, Mr. Alfred Woyome and Vamed Engineering GmbH & Co. KG. on the other part, about a concessional loan for the attached projects, proposed by Vamed Engineering”.
“We wish to state thus, VAMED Engineering Gmbh & Co. KG. and Mr. Alfred Woyome should be assisted to conclude the loan deal and a term sheet presented to this Ministry for consideration” the letter continued.
Meanwhile with regard to concerns that Alfred Woyome had no capacity to make any claiy for a consultancy fee on the €1.2 billion Euros credit facility, the Republic has cited a letter written by Waterville to the Attorney General on 20 April 2010 in which Waterville explained the involvement of Mr. Woyome in raising of the credit facility.
“The letter stated that Waterville and Mpowpak worked together with Mr. Woyome when VAMED ENGINEERING transferred their right for the projects in Ghana, as per their letter dated 1st July 2005, to Waterville that replied same day” the letter stated
“Waterville and Mr. Woyome set up offices in Wien-Austria and Washington DC-USA, in addition to the existing office in Italy and Switzerland”
the letter noted that the claim for Mr. Woyome to the Government of Ghan is in respect of financial engineering purposely structured for the CAN 2008 while the Waterville’s claim was in respect of the work done at site and other costs sustained for a total amount of Euro 21, 880,256,59.
According to an insider information, the minority in their bid to divert attention from the issue of causing financial lost to the state are seeking to accuse the NDC government and its officials particularly the former Atorney General Betty Mould – Iddrisu for paying moneys to Mr. Woyome without any due diligence.
The minority sought to impute that, Madam Betty Mould Idrisu, whose meticulousness had rather saved the country over GH100million has acted against the interest of the state.
In a twist of fact to suit their strange claims, the Minority seeks to portray that, the former Attorney General had issued an order for the payment to be made before entry of judgment.
According to a document in the grips of The Republic, the AG scheduled a meeting with Alfred Woyome and his solicitors having realized that, the claim for two percent (2%) of the total value of the project that is to be paid to Mr. Woyome and Austro Invest, was in order, with regard to the breach of agreement by the Government of Ghana.
The AG in view of the fact that, the government did not have a case in the matter between them and Mr. Woyome, had engaged in negotiations to settle the matter in order to avoid more cost.
In pursuit of this, the AG advised the Minister of Finance & Economic Planning, per letters dated 28th and 29th respectively to go ahead and make payment to Mr. Woyome and Astro Invest as their claim is legitimate.
The document revealed that, Mr. Woyome initiated legal action against the Attorney General and the Ministry of Finance and obtained judgment on 24th May 2010, in view of their failure to pay the negotiated amount of GH ?41,811,480.59.
The court had slapped a total judgment debt of GH?105, 565,548,24 inclusive of interest and cost on the state, but AG indicated to Mr. Woyome and his solicitors that, the judgment debt was far in excess and that the Government of Ghana was not in position to pay the judgment debt.
Mrs. Betty Mould- Iddrisu insisted that judgment has been entered by the court and the government was not in the position to pay the amount ordered by the court
She indulged Mr. Woyome and Astro Invest, to accept the amount negotiated earlier.
Following negotiations, the solicitors for Alfred Woyome indicated that they were prepared to accept payment of amount of GH 41, 811, 480.59, based on the two percent (2%) that was originally agreed.