General News of Tuesday, 4 July 2017

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

SC strikes out Woyome’s application; sets July 24 for oral examination

Godfred Dame, Deputy Attorney General play videoGodfred Dame, Deputy Attorney General

Supreme Court has struck out Woyome’s application for a stay of proceedings which sought to prevent the Attorney General from cross-examining him describing it as frivolous.

In a judgement read out by Justice A. Benin, he noted that Woyome’s plea was without basis and unmeritorious. He also stated that the applicant failed to give concrete reasons for which reason a stay of proceedings should be granted.

Woyome was initially scheduled to be examined on Thursday, July 29 2017 but the processes was put on hold after he submitted an application for a stay of proceedings.

GHC20,000 damages

Deputy Attorney General, Godfred Dame who was in court to represent the Attorney General prayed the court for a GHC20,000 fine as cost to the applicants for unnecessarily prolonging the duration of the case in court with the application.

Counsel for Alfred Woyome, Ken Anku appealed to the court to have mercy on his already overburdened client.

According to him even though Woyome believes he rightly deserved the money given to him, the court’s earlier ruling compels him to pay back.

He also disclosed that the application was filed in the interest of the rule of law. He pleaded with the court that admitting the GHC20,000 sanction will prevent others from testing the laws of the country.

Deputy Attorney General subsequently dropped his request for a GHC20,000 cost to the applicants.

Case adjourned to 24th July

The Court has set 24th July, 2017 as day for oral examination of businessman Alfred Woyome.

The new date was arrived at after Counsel for the embattled businessman presented a medical certificate from the 37 Military Hospital to the effect that his client, Woyome, is unwell.

According to him, the doctors advised that Woyome takes two weeks rest from work. He explained that that is why his client wasn’t present in court.

The presiding Judge therefore set Monday, July 24 as the day for the oral examination of the embattled businessman.

Background

Mr. Amidu in 2016, filed an application at the Supreme Court seeking to examine Alfred Woyome, on how he was going to pay back the money, after the Attorney General’s office under the Mahama Administration, led by the former Minister for Justice, Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong, discontinued a similar application.

In February 2017 however, Mr. Amdu withdrew his suit seeking an oral examination, explaining that the change of government and the assurance by the new Attorney General to retrieve all judgement debts wrongfully paid to individuals, had given him renewed confidence in the system.