Gov’t laughs off Woyome’s last hope in Africa court
Government has said it is not worried by an expected judgment from an Africa Court of Human Rights where businessman, Alfred Agbesi Woyome, wants to block the state’s sale of his assets.
Deputy Attorney-General, Godfred Dame, said any outcome of the judgment won’t change the course of government in selling off the assets to defray a GHS51.2 million debt he owes the state.
Alfred Agbesi Woyome has just lost a case at the Supreme Court which has given the government the green light to sell off some of his identified assets valued GHS20 million.
He had in 2017 sued the government at the African Court on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) in Tanzania, alleging that his human rights are being violated in the attempt to seize his properties.
The debt he owes arose out of a Supreme Court order to retrieve the GHS51.2 million it said was illegally paid the businessman in 2009.
He had obtained a judgement debt because the government had agreed with the abrogation of a financial engineering services contract to build some stadia for Africa’s biggest football competition, CAN 2008.
It would later emerge at the Supreme Court that he had no contract.
Since 2014, the state has only been able to collect GHS4 million.
Woyome obtained a ruling from the Africa court in November 2017 where an 11-member panel ordered government attempt to seize his assets be suspended until the case is determined.
The court is expected to make a determination on Friday, June 27, 2019, in Arusha, Tanzania.
The Deputy Attorney-General responding to a JoyNews question posed by court reporter, Joseph Ackah-Blay, said he “expects the [decision] to go in our favour.”
He expressed surprise that the court in Arusha had still not delivered judgment on a case he defended some 18 months ago.
Mr Dame explained his defence that the matter at stake had nothing to do with human rights but is rather a constitutional matter, an area which is the sole preserve of the Supreme Court of Ghana.
“I do not think any court whatsoever can give any ruling to override the Supreme Court of Ghana’s decision.”
“I am not bothered at all even if the Africa court were to give any adverse ruling unreasonably, it is something that will not be enforceable in Ghana” he emphasised on the supremacy of Ghana’s laws on constitutional matters.
Meanwhile, the government is set to complete processes to put up three properties up for auction next week, he said.
