To Call For Probe Into Payment Of Judgment Debts
Intelligence Desk Report
It has never been in doubt that some members of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), particularly, the Akyem group led by the party flagbearer, Williams Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo would have wished ex-President John Agyekum Kofi Diawuo Kufuor thrown into jail, right from day one of the President Atta Mills taking of office, following their avowed position to pay him back for causing the defeat of the party and most importantly, denying Nana Akufo-Addo the presidency.
Less than 2 weeks for the former President to fully attain his immunity status, which could shield him from any form of prosecution for official wrongdoing as enshrined in Ghana’s 1992 constitution, some leading members of the NPP are making frantic effort to ensure that he is haul before the law and dealt with, following the arbitrarily manner in which he abrogated a contract between the government of Ghana and Waterville Holdings (BVI) Limited.
The Waterville Holdings (BVI) Limited had earlier won a contract and indeed, written to commence rehabilitation works on the Accra, Kumasi and El-Wak stadia in preparation for the CAN 2000 (African Cup) tournament hosted by Ghana.
Even though, one will see the move as a way of ensuring accountability of all public officials as regards to the use of state funds, credible information picked up by The Informer over the weekend reveals otherwise.
According to the paper’s insider source, a leading member of the Akyem caucus, there is a serious plan underway with pressure soon to be mounted on National Executives of the party to hold a press conference to demand for probe by government over the payment judgment debts paid people, especially, Mr. Alfred Agbesi Woyome and his Waterville Company.
Speaking to the Informer on strict condition of anonymity for obvious reasons, the source indicated that all the noises being made by some leading members of the NPP, like Kennedy Agyepong and others, accusing government of unjustifiably paying Mr. Alfred Woyome a whopping amount of 42million Euros, a representative of the consortium (Waterville Holdings (BVI) Limited) in Ghana, is all a calculated attempt on their part to have former President Kufuor tried.
“To be honest, the focus is not on Mr. Woyome because, the Attorney General did the honorable thing by calling for out of court settlement to pay Waterville Holdings Limited, because there was a breach of agreement by the Kufuor government: And for our people to make it look as if the government of the day has done the unthinkable and resorted to attacking Mr. Woyome is absurd, when they know the root cause of the problem”, the source pointed out.
“Our people are purely up to mischief and their target, I will say without fear of contradiction, is ex-President Kufuor, because, Mr. Alfred Woyome had done nothing wrong and those leading the crusade against the payment of the said judgment debt are well aware of the consequences of their action, should the Atta Mills government decides to institute a probe into the matter”, he added.
Asked why former President Kufuor should be the target when the call is for accountability and justice, he replied ‘no’, saying some members of the party, chiefly the Akyem group thinks that it was the former President who denied their man of his ambition of becoming President in 2008, when he intentionally decided not to campaign for him, the source further added.
“Some of us know the agenda these people are pushing just to have former President Kufuor crucified before he finally assumes his immunity status as spelt out in the constitution, but have decided to use Alfred Woyome as their target. I swear, they will fail”, he conclude.
Whether the call by the NPP for probe into the payment of all the judgment settlement as revealed by our source is to haunt Kufuor or not, documents in our possession really indicated that the erstwhile NPP administration under Kufuor, indeed went contrary against the Procurement Act, hence the financial burden brought unto the state.
From Cabinet memorandum submitted by the then Minister of Education and Sports, Hon. Yaw Osafo-Marfo, it was revealed that the Shanghai company that eventually took over the Stadia rehabilitation and expansion contract never submitted any bid by 7th February, 2005 to be considered by the evaluation committee, but upon the instruction of ex-President Kufuor, it was awarded the contract for onward execution.
However, the award letter which was written to the Waterville Holdings (BVI) Limited duly signed by Hon O.B. Amoah, the then Deputy Minister to Yaw Osafo-Marfo, the sudden swap, as many documents in this paper’s possession show, smacks of corruption; and former President Kufuor and all actors who masterminded the switch of the contract need to be held liable.
Information gathered conversely, has it that the Managing Director of the Waterville Holdings Limited, has arrived in Ghana to respond to comments supposed to have been made by Mr. Kwadwo Mpiani, in which he was captured to have denied ever signing a contract with them, let alone pleading for settlement.
However, the NPP has scheduled a press conference this week to comment on the matter.