PRESS RELEASE

TO BE RELEASED IMMEDIATELY

06/01/2012,Accra - The Team of Popular Youth(TOPY) would like to commend and applaud President John Evans Atta Mills and the NDC government for showing early signals in responding to the interim Report by the Economic and Organised Crime Office(EOCO) concerning the infamous judgement debt issue. We highly commend the fact that for the first time in the history of Ghana, a president has not issued a white paper to give to the public the castle’s own version and verdict of an investigation, but rather for the sake of transparency, allowed immediate publication of the report. We also believe without any shred of doubt that the arrest/invitation of Mr. Alfred Agbesi Woyome by the CID following the advice received by the president from the Attorney General is an ample demonstration of the president’s respect for the rule of law, justice, good governance and all the virtuous attributes he has proven since 2009 beyond all reasonable doubts that Ghana has been placed in an honest hand.

It would be recalled that TOPY presented a petition to President John Evans Atta Mills to support his action of initiating proper legal process meant to punish those who may be found culpable by EOCO’s Report and to possibly retrieve any monies lost to the state through these judgement debts. Today, the members of this organisation wish to thank the President for answering their call and to appeal to the agitating supporters of Mr. Woyome to exercise restraint and give the rule of law a chance.

Apparently, the fears expressed in our petition to the president has been confirmed now by the EOCO’s Interim Report. We expressed the fear that it was possible that criminals may have found judgement debts another decoy to cleverly misappropriate state funds to individuals and companies in order to benefit from ‘kick backs’ for masterminding the looting. The sheer dereliction of duty by civil servants to protect the Ghanaian tax payer has been a deliberate underhand dealings that goes on at the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). The time has now come for the security services and EOCO to focus their efforts on the employees of the MDAs in order to flush out of the system corrupt and self seeking individuals who contribute deliberately to the loss of monies to the state almost on daily bases. This report has also exposed the rot, corruption, double standard and cover-up practices that characterised some projects under the erstwhile NPP administration led by Ex-President Kufour. This deserves a thorough probe. TOPY hereby decries the NPP’s disrespect for the rule of law and their refusal to assist in the on-going investigations. It is rather unfortunate that the NPP has decided to incite the youth of Ghana to become militants, perhaps to unlawfully resist the wheel of justice that is grinding slowly towards the corrupt ones amongst them. We agree with Nana Akufo Addo that the 2012 election must be based on integrity against corruption, and though more attributes would be examined, Ghanaians who are keenly watching the developments on the justice front shall be the best judges. We believe that President Mills has proven yet another case and Ghana can only be better under his lawful, humble, peaceful and transparent governance.

The Team of Popular Youth (TOPY) is an independent corporate youth organisation that believes in the principles of social democracy with a vision of strengthening the capacity of the youth in Ghana to play an active role in effecting a positive social, cultural, political and environmental change that will benefit the Ghanaian society. TOPY aims at empowering the youth for a BETTER GHANA.

Thank you.

CONTACTS: Marcus Garvin Adampah –0243564536/0203838464

Stephen Kenneth Nakujah –0244662684/0266434310