General News of Saturday, 19 November 2016

Source: todaygh.com

Woyome’s payment to EOCO ‘cooked’ story - Amidu

Mr. Martin Amidu, Former Attorney General Mr. Martin Amidu, Former Attorney General

In the wake of reports in the media that Mr. Alfred Agbesi Woyome has paid GHc4 million out of the total sum to government, former Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Mr. Martin Amidu believes that “the whole scheme appears to have been cooked to defeat my application for leave to examine Woyome orally on oath.”

“I say with all the strength at my disposal that a cheque drawn by Woyome in favour of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), which was not a party to the action or the judgment creditor, could not be a cheque in part payment of the unconstitutional monies ordered by the court to be refunded to the Republic.

The acceptance of the EOCO’s cheque by the Attorney General and the deception of the public by the Attorney General that it is part payment for the refund ordered by the Court brings into question the competence of the Attorney General and the Government in pursuit of the interest of the Republic,” he added.

Mr. Amidu wondered if the government believed Ghanaians would be so easily fooled that they concocted Woyome part payments of the judgment debt as smoke and mirrors for their election campaign.

In this regard he urged of Ghanaians to demand from government how its Attorney General can – in enforcing the order of the Supreme Court for Woyome to refund the unconstitutional payments made to him to the Republic of Ghana – accept a cheque of GHC4,000,000.00 drawn by Woyome dated 4th November, 2016 in favour of the EOCO as part payment of the monies ordered by the court to be refunded.

According to Mr. Amidu, the current Attorney General accepted the EOCO’s cheque from Woyome and gave a receipt acknowledging the payment “as part payment for the Judgment Debt of GHC51, 283,483.59.”

“I say with all the strength at my disposal that a cheque drawn by Woyome in favour of the Economic and Organised Crime Office, which was not a party to the action or the judgment creditor, cannot be a cheque in part payment of the unconstitutional monies ordered by the court to be refunded to the Republic.

The acceptance of the Economic and Organised Crime Office cheque by the Attorney General and the deception of the public by the Attorney General that it is part payment for the refund ordered by the Court brings into question the competence of the Attorney General and the Government in pursuit of the interest of the Republic”, he averred.

The whole scheme, according to the former Attorney General, appeared to have been cooked to defeat “my application for leave to examine Woyome orally on oath.