Woyome's Case Adjourned To March 5

The Financial Division of the Accra Fast Track High Court Monday adjourned to March 5, 2012 the case involving Alfred Agbesi Woyome and three others for their role in the payment of GH�51.2 million judgement debt to Woyome. Woyome is standing trial alongside Samuel Nerquaye-Tetteh, a Chief State Attorney; Paul Asimenu, the Director of Legal Services at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, and Mrs Gifty Nerquaye-Tetteh, Nerquaye-Tetteh�s wife. Mrs Nerquaye-Tetteh has been granted bail in the sum of GH�500,000 with two sureties and also ordered to report herself to the police twice a week. Woyome has pleaded not guilty to three counts of conspiracy, defrauding by false pretence and corrupting a public officer and has been granted bail in the sum of GH�20 million with three sureties to be justified. Nerquaye-Tetteh has been charged with two counts of conspiracy and corruption of a public officer and has pleaded not guilty to the offence, while his wife faces one count of abetment of crime. Asimenu, on the other hand, has pleaded not guilty to one count of abetment of crime. Nerquaye-Tetteh and Asimenu have also been granted bail in the sum of GH�6,000 each, with two sureties each, one each to be justified. A Chief State Attorney, Ms Cynthia Lamptey, told the court Monday that the prosecution was studying several documents, while there was the likelihood to call more witnesses to testify. She, therefore, prayed for an adjournment and her request was upheld by the court. Nerquaye-Tetteh and his wife were lucky to have arrived in court because the court had issued a bench warrant for their arrest for not being in court. When the case was called, they had not arrived and the bench warrant was issued. But they later turned up and their counsel prayed the court to revoke the order. The facts of the case are that in 2009, Woyome made a false representation to the then Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mrs Betty Mould-Iddrisu, stating that he had a contract with the Government of Ghana regarding the construction of sports stadia for CAN 2008 but that the contract had unlawfully been abrogated. According to the prosecution, Woyome subsequently filed a writ at the High Court, claiming he was owed GH�41 million and interest of GH�10.2 million, bringing the total to GH�51.2 million. The prosecution said moneys paid were GH�17.9 million in February 2010, GH�10 million on January 27, 2011, GH�10 million on April 18, 2011 and GH�14.1 million on September 12, 2011. It said investigations showed that the government did not owe Woyome any money, while Nerquaye-Tetteh failed to go to court to defend the action Woyome had instituted against the state. It further pointed out that Woyome had transferred GH�400,000 into Mrs Nerquaye-Tetteh�s account. Investigations also revealed that as the director of Legal Services, Asimenu had written opinions and quoted wrong figures, as well as given information, which created conditions for Woyome to be paid money which was not due him (Woyome).