Opinions of Friday, 3 February 2012

Columnist: Lakpor, Juliet

A Shameful EOCO Interim Report – Juliet Lakpor

- The Legality of the EOCO’s Issuance of the so-called Interim Report is in question

- EOCO’s introduction of the amount of GHS 400,000.00 given to Mrs. Nerquaye-Tetteh with no clarification as to what might have been the purpose for the transfer of this money smacks of an ulterior motive: EOCO claimed to have found, from the Bank Statement, that this amount had been transferred to Mrs. Nerquaye-Tetteh. EOCO then left the Statement hanging. Did the EOCO not find it necessary to question Alfred Woyome on what this payment was for? Did the EOCO not find it necessary to question the recipient mentioned on the purpose for this payment? The EOCO Report does not show any effort on its part to investigate this particular payment…and yet, their Report just mentions the payment without giving any indication of an attempt to interrogate the purpose for the payment of this money.

- By the manner in which EOCO, from their own report, handled their discovery of the transfer of money from Alfred Woyome, it is obvious that the EOCO only put this information in their report out of mischief and in an irresponsible attempt to criminalize Alfred Woyome. EOCO must be ashamed of itself!

- Again, Mr. Nerquaye-Tetteh, reportedly left the case [citing the reason that he had been part of previous discussions and negotiations relating to the matter and did not believe that it would be appropriate for him to continue with the case] in August 2010. The transfer to Mrs. Nerquaye-Tetteh was made in June 2011, 10 clear months after he had left the case. Then again, the person who took over the case from Nerquaye-Tetteh was not even mentioned in the report. If Alfred Woyome wanted to influence anyone in his favour, would it not have been a better strategy for him to influence the one who was working on the case…and who worked on the case right up till the very end? In the long run, Cecil Adadevoh, who had taken up the case after Nerquaye-Tetteh, wrote an opinion stating that the matter could no longer be prosecuted.

- Yet again, if Alfred Woyome sought to bribe anyone, would he be so foolish and naïve such as to transfer money for this purpose from his personal bank account to the beneficiary of the alleged bribe?

- A Consent judgment, awarded by a court of competent jurisdiction, was granted to Mr. Alfred Woyome; it is strange that EOCO can proceed with a matter of this nature which has been already determined by a court of competent jurisdiction. EOCO, by their contention raised in the report, have sought to impeach the judgment/ruling of a court of competent jurisdiction

- From his posture and his willingness to cooperate with the EOCO, Alfred Woyome must be very confidence of his being clean and innocent.

- The EOCO Report is an Interim one [a draft, at best] and they were in such a haste to make this Draft Report public. How revealing of their intent!

- Alfred Woyome has sued EOCO on the grounds that they have no locus to investigate the matter and has also placed an interlocutory injunction on EOCO from carrying out any further investigations on this matter. It is shocking to see that, in spite of the writs filed against the EOCO only this last Tuesday, they have gone on to issue this report!

- The EOCO’s tone in their Interim Report is not surprising; Alfred Woyome has taken them to court; the Attorney-General has also taken Alfred Woyome to court: Even before the EOCO could come out with their report, the Attorney-General’s department is already in court challenging the payment of the judgment debt; EOCO, being an appendage of the Attorney-General’s department, can only make an attempt to make their case look sweet.

- EOCO were supposed to investigate all judgment debts paid from January 7, 2009 till September 2010 [within the period of the NDC administration’s being in power]; and yet their report specifically targets only the judgment debt relating to the construction of stadia for CAN 2008…what happened to the other several Judgment debts paid?

- EOCO decided to rely on only documents that they had sighted without taking the trouble to thoroughly probe these documents with all interested parties, especially with Alfred Woyome who had willingly offered himself to the EOCO to provide information.

- In any case, Alfred Woyome is already in Court with the EOCO, and his Communications team, together with his Legal team, should they remain focused, shall argue a winning case

Source: Juliet Lakpor email: Julietlakpor1964@gamil.com