A member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) legal team, Abraham Amaliba, says the embattled businessman, Alfred Agbesi Woyome, also has a right to make a living despite finding himself at the center of the controversial GHC51million judgment debt saga.
To him, once the NDC financier has not been found criminally guilty for receiving the GH?51million judgment debt, he is entitled to do legitimate business with the government.
On Friday, November 25, 2016, OccupyGhana, a pressure group believed to be aligned with the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), raised alarm over an alleged GH?35million contract entered into by the government and Woyome.
The government, the pressure group further alleged, entered into the secret lucrative deal with the embattled businessman through one of his companies, Anator Holding Company Limited.
OccupyGhana in a statement said Anator Holding is one of the companies that has filed an interpleader suit, claiming to be the owner of two of Woyome’s properties that the government has finally managed to attach in the execution of the GHC51 million judgment debt.
In the view of the pressure group, there exists a framework agreement dated December 21, 2015, between the Government of Ghana and Anator Holding Company Limited for the latter to develop deep seaports, including, industrial parks and green townships in the West African nation.
The said agreement, according to the group, is signed by Woyome as the Executive Chairman of Anator Holding Company Limited, and then Minister for Transport, Dzifa Aku Attivor.
But Abraham Amaliba discussing the matter on TV3, Saturday, November 26, 2016, said the fact that Woyome has agreed to refund the GH?51million means he’s guilty of committing a crime and therefore must be allowed to do business with the government.
Woyome, Amaliba noted, must also “eat” since he is a Ghanaian.
“People are of the view that because Woyome has to pay GHC51 million to the State and because government is following Woyome for the money, then the State should not even consider listening to Woyome or have any business transaction with Woyome, Why? The criminal process that was activated to prosecute Woyome for fraud collapsed at the High Court and Court of Appeal. So, as we speak now, Woyome is not a criminal because he’s gone through the process. Woyome is a Ghanaian citizen who is entitled to do business,” he argued.
He added “I would have cried foul if people can point to this framework agreement and say once again a fraudulent thing is about to happen. But to make it to look like so long as the NDC is in power, Woyome should not do business with the government is for me trying to say that Woyome should not eat again as a Ghanaian until this government is out of power.
So, the hue and cry that another contract has been entered into with Woyome at the blind side of Ghanaians should stop.”
He defined a framework agreement as an agreement in which the two parties are required to sit down to set out the terms of a contract which may be awarded or not.
A framework agreement, he added, is not a final contract which may be awarded or not.
“No monies are paid during this period. So, as at now no monies have been paid to Woyome. With framework agreement, its legal consequences are not binding,” he noted.
Commenting further, he said once the NDC financier has not been found guilty, he cannot be blacklisted.
So, let’s be careful because Woyome has not been found guilty and people cannot be saying that he should be blacklisted. He has not been found criminally guilty. He has indicated that he will pay this money and he is paying them. So, he is entitled to do legitimate business.