Alfred Agbesi Woyome granted GH¢87million bail

Tuesday, 14 February 2012 16:24

Written by ghanapolitics.net

An Accra High court yesterday granted bail to the self-acclaimed National Democratic Congress (NDC) financier, Alfred Agbesi Woyome, who is being tried for suspected fraud in the sum of GH¢54million with two sureties to be justified.

The man is being held by the police for alleged fraud in claims that led to the payment of gargantuan GH¢51million to him by the State, under the instructions of the then Attorney-General, Betty Mould-Iddrisu and Finance Minister, Dr Kwabena Duffuor.

The money was paid as judgment debt for the supposed abrogation of what Woyome himself admitted to be a non-existing contract for the construction of three stadia.

But even before he could be set free, the man who prides himself as being worth $90million, has succeeded in garnering property worth GH¢87million to meet the bail conditions.

According to his spokesperson, Benjamin Kwame Tawiah, who spoke on radio stations last night, they had managed to raise GH¢87million in landed properties to secure him the bail.

Kwame Tawiah told Citi FM that they had been able to raise about GH¢87million, but bureaucratic processes at the Lands Commission had delayed them.

'Mr. Woyome is still in custody,' Tawiah confirmed. 'We have been beaten by time. God willing first thing tomorrow [today], we'll finish with everything and secure his release. '

The properties had not been valued by valuers, he claimed.

At the time of going to press yesterday, Mr Woyome was still in police custody.

News of his bail was received with spontaneous jubilation on the Supreme Court premises by his supporters and family members, some of whom were clad in 'Free Woyome' T-shirts.

The bail was granted after the Chief State Attorney handling the case, Cynthia Lamptey, told an Accra Fast Track High Court (Financial Division) where Woyome and three alleged accomplices are standing trial over the gargantuan payouts that the state was not opposed to their bail.

The state attorney told the court, presided over by Justice John Ajet-Nassam, that they did not have a problem with the accused persons, Woyome, Samuel Nerquaye-Tetteh, a chief state attorney and Paul Asimenu, Legal Director at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning.  Mrs. Gifty Nerqyaye-Tetteh had already been granted bail at the last hearing.

However, she prayed the court to give bail in such that the accused persons would be made to report to the police at least from time to time so that they could make themselves available for trial.

The trial judge subsequently granted Woyome a GH¢54million bail with two sureties to be justified while the others were each granted bail in the sum of GH¢6,000 with two sureties, one to be justified.

In addition to that, the accused persons are to report to the police every Monday and Thursday while the trial judge said he would like to begin hearing the case as soon as possible. He adjourned the matter to February 20, 2012.

Mr Nerquaye-Tetteh, the Chief State Attorney, was said to have allegedly refused to put up a defence against Woyome in court and was reportedly bribed for his role while Paul Asimenu purportedly quoted wrong figures that paved way for Woyome to access the gargantuan money.

Mrs. Gifty Nerquaye-Tetteh, wife of the chief state attorney, into whose account the alleged GH¢400,000 bribe allegedly paid to her husband was lodged, is also before the court.

The couple was said to have been arrested at the Kotoka International Airport on its way out of the country a few weeks ago.

Woyome and Mr Nerquaye-Tetteh both pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit crime, while  the NDC financier also pleaded not guilty to defrauding by false pretences and corrupting a public officer in the person of the chief state attorney with the said GH¢400,000 (¢4billion).

The state attorney was charged with allowing himself to be corrupted but he denied any wrongdoing, while Paul Asimenu pleaded not guilty to abetting Woyome to defraud the state to the tune of GH¢51million.

Gifty, a businesswoman, was also charged with abetment of crime but she denied committing any offence.

Presenting the facts of the case, Ms Lamptey said in June 2009, Woyome made false representations to the then Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mrs. Betty Mould-Iddrisu, that he had a contract with the previous government regarding the construction of five sports stadia, which was unlawfully abrogated.

The prosecutor noted that the businessman consequently filed a writ at a High Court and claimed the state owed him GH¢41million which increased to GH¢51 million due to an accrued interest.

She said the money was paid in four tranches, adding that in June 2010, Woyome received an amount of GH¢ 17,094,493.53 and on January 27, 2011, he received GH¢10 million.

On September12, 2011, he again received GH¢14,188,987 .06.

Investigations revealed that government did not owe Woyome any money and that Nerquaye-Tetteh, who was the state attorney in charge of the case, did not go to the courtroom to contest the matter which gave Woyome the opportunity to claim all that money.

Ms Lamptey observed that an amount of GH¢400,000 was transferred into the account of Mr. Nerquaye-Tetteh's wife and noted that Mr. Asimenu on his part wrote opinions and quoted wrong figures which created conditions for Woyome to claim the money.

She said it was based on these that the accused persons were arraigned. She prayed the court to remand the accused persons as investigations were still ongoing,

According to the prosecutor, if granted bail, the accused persons could interfere with investigations.

Robertson Kpatsah, counsel for Woyome, at the last hearing date, observed that the facts presented by the state were not entirely true because whatever money was received by his client was a judgment debt but was not received through fraud.

He said his client had all the documents leading to the payment of the judgment debt and was ready to provide it to prove that it was not obtained through fraud.

He prayed the court to grant bail to his client as he had a fixed place of abode and was ready to provide sureties.

Addo Atuah, counsel for the couple, told the court that his client was innocent of the charges against him because it was not unusual for lawyers to lose cases, adding that there was nothing like conspiracy between the chief state attorney and anybody.

Kwame Boafo Akuffo, counsel for Mr. Asimenu, also said the facts were not entirely true and that at the right time, he would prove the innocence of his client.

By Fidelia Achama & Charles Takyi-Boadu