Mills Letter In Court

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Parent Category: Justice & Security

Created on Wednesday, 03 July 2013 00:00

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Mills Letter In Court

THE LAWYER For Alfred Agbesi Woyome yesterday at an Accra Fast Track High Court, Financial Division, presented a letter written by Ebo Barton- Odro, Deputy Speaker of Parliament, addressed to the late President Evans Atta Mills justifying the payment of GH¢51.2million to Woyome.

Osarfo Buabeng, the lawyer, while cross-examining the Acting Chief Director of the Ministry of Justice and Attorney-General, Ahmed Suleiman, tendered the letter through the witness.

According to the letter, Barton-Odro, the then deputy Attorney-General, while justifying the payment, stated that the Attorney-General never hurried in entering settlement agreement with Woyome.

However, counsel did not proceed further with the issues in the letter when the matter was adjourned to July 2013.

Earlier, the witness completed his evidence in chief stating that Woyome obtained a default judgment of GH¢105million when he went to court to fight the decision of the Ministry of Finance to reverse the payment of his two per cent fee agreed upon.

The amount included the interest and cost as a result of delay in payment.

Mr Suleiman stated that when the then AG, Betty Mould Idrissu, was served with the judgment, she decided to negotiate with the lawyers of the accused and they agreed that Woyome maintained the original claim of GH¢41,811,480.59 with an interest of GH¢9,447, 00 and additional GH¢25,000 totalling GH¢51.283, 480.59 million.

After the negotiation, the AG, reportedly through a letter, communicated the outcome to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning for payment.

According to the witness, the Ministry of Finance also negotiated with the lawyers on the mode of payment in which it was agreed that the amount should be paid in three equal installments on July 1, by the end of July and August 2010.

The mode of payment was communicated to the lawyers of the accused.

However, while in the process of paying the first installment, the AG, according to the witness, by a motion went to the High Court to have the default judgment set aside but it was dismissed.

Again the AG, who felt that there was no basis for the payment, reportedly further filed a writ with an accompanied statement of case.

The court, according to the witness, granted it in parts by ordering the AG to pay only the first installment of GH¢17, 094483.53 and an order for Woyome to sign an undertaking to refund the money, if he lost the case.

Mr Suleiman also stated that the AG communicated by letter the judgment of the court to the Finance Ministry and the latter also wrote to the Controller and Accountant General to pay the amount through Woyome’s bank at the ADB house.

The witness informed the court that while the case was pending, some negotiations went on between the parties and the remaining amount of GH¢ 34,188,987.06 was paid to Woyome.

Source: Mary Anane & Samira Yahaya