AG must resign; she benefitted from my judgement debt- Woyome charges but…

The National Democratic Congress financier who was just acquitted and discharged in a 51 million cedis judgment debt scandal has asked the Attorney General to resign.

Alfred Woyome maintains the AG,  Mrs Marrieta Brew-Oppong is biased and unfit to be the Chief legal advisor of the president

In a statement sure to provoke another scandal, Woyome said, prior to becoming the Attorney General Mrs Marietta Brew-Oppong and her firm benefitted from the 51million cedis judgment debt he was paid in 2010.

“I find it difficult to reconcile your decision to involve yourself directly in this criminal case and notice of appeal you have authorised to be issued and served on me.

“It is a fact that you and clients received approximately $1 million equivalent in Ghana cedis from the said judgement debt you  now so much criminalise and want me jailed for,” he said in a statement.

Alfred Woyome became news in early 2010 when he was accused of defrauding the state of an amount of 51 million cedis.

He secured the judgment debt from the court with the consent of the then Attorney General Mrs Betty Mould Iddrisu after he accused the erstwhile Kufuor administration of illegally abrogating a contract he entered into, to help raise funding for the construction of stadia for the CAN 2008 Nations Cup.

An Auditor General’s report issued in 2010 described the payment to Woyome as illegal and recommended that efforts be taken to retrieve the money from him.

He was later arrested and charged with two counts of causing financial loss to the state and defrauding the state by false pretence.

After years of legal battle in which critics accused the prosecution of withholding vital information from the court and also leaking same to Woyome, the accused person was acquitted and discharged.

Justice John Ajet-Nasam said the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond every reasonable doubt.

He was convinced the prosecution was shoddy in its job.

A day after the verdict was given, the Attorney General gave a notice of appeal describing the judge’s verdict as perverse.

But that singular action has left Woyome angry.

In a statement headlined: “Demand for your resignation/stepping aside as an Attorney General of the Republic of Ghana in the case of the Republic Vrs Alfred Woyome (Suit No FTRM 115/12)” Alfred Woyome said the Attorney General should not have gotten herself involved in the matter.

He said even though the case has travelled well over three years the AG has failed to make a case against him.

Woyome said the government showed bad faith by attempting to set aside the payment .

Having benefitted from the 51 million cedis, Woyome said Mrs Marrieta Brew Oppong is biased as well as compromised and should not remain the Attorney General, at least for this case.

But the Attorney General has dismissed the claim. In an interview with Joy News Mrs Marrieta Brew Oppong said the claims are false and of no value.

She has also refused to resign.

Full statement of Woyome is reproduced below:

“Inasmuch as I’m not against the decision of the state to appeal, I’m particularly against your conduct and public utterances during the trial and after the judgment,” Woyome said in his letter.

He added: “I find it difficult to reconcile your decision to involve yourself directly in this criminal case and notice of appeal you have authorised to be issued and served on me.

“It is a fact that you and your clients received approximately $1 million equivalent in Ghana cedis from the said judgment debt you now so much criminalise and want me jailed for. The cedi equivalent was GH¢1,474,393.00 through an Agricultural Development Bank cheque number 727324 dated 06/10/11 in the joint names of Ray and Ingeborg Smith.

“My confusion is as a result of your insistence that the fruit from the judgment debt from a court of competent jurisdiction, in fact a judgment debt is criminal, you are a beneficiary of that fruit which you are seeking so hard to taint.

“It is my firm believe that another Attorney General should be the one pursuing this issue further since you are wearing a bias lens in making decisions concerning this case.”

“I further believe that with this bias lens you cannot properly and fairly advice the Government of Ghana on this issue of exercising the constitutional right of Attorney General as stated in Article 88 of the 1992 Constitution vis-à-vis my right under the same constitution of the Republic as a citizen.

“I’m humbly appealing to you to step aside or resign totally as attorney general for another person to pursue the appeal in the interest of justice,” Woyome concluded.