Woyome fallout; minority says it will not rest until...
The minority group in parliament says they will not rest until they get the bottom of the payment of nearly GHS60 million judgment debts to Alfred Woyome, a businessman with links to the ruling NDC.
The MPs who have not stated their next line of action have turned the heat on President John Evans Atta Mills. They say the president may be deeply involved in the payment but perhaps fell short of advancing impeachment proceedings.
They feel such a huge sum of money cannot be paid from state coffers to an individual without the express knowledge of the president. They believe that the president’s comments in the heat of the controversy further gives him out as an active participant in the schemes that ensured the payment of 58 million old cedis to Mr. Woyome.
They are baffled by President Mills’ U-turn on the publication of a full report on the two ministries cited in the case and describe it as “weird and shameful.”
Minority leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu quoted the audit report for the year ended December 31, 2010 as saying that GHS41 million had already been paid by the time that the Attorney General had filed for a stay of prosecution.
He noted that GHS 17 million which was paid on September 2010 was the payment which brought the total settlement to GHS 58 million. He accused the AG and the Finance Minister who made the payments of having knowledge of the matter although they had been sanctioned against making the payment by the office of the president.
Even though the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) has been commissioned to probe the matter, the minority say they are not confident that it can impartially investigate the issue.
The minority leader, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, therefore proposed for the institutionalization of an independent body to probe the matter.
“For membership of such a body, we suggest one of our most distinguished judges, whether active or retired to chair. The Ghana Bar Association, Institute of Chartered Accountants will nominate a representative each and we could have two nominations from the Institute of Surveyors and the Institute of Architects. Now since Parliament is the foremost institution charged with overseeing the Executive, Parliament must be strengthened to concurrently investigate the nuances of this saga in a very diligent and scrutinized manner. The truth must be established.”
Former Attorney General and MP for Esikado-Ketan, Joe Gartey, says there are too many proofs to confirm that the government is involved in the Woyome payout.
“When the President says that he wants to know whether there was a breach, he already has the answer. His attorney general has said per the letter there was contract. So if there was no contract there should be no breach and if there was no breach there should not have been any payment. Our evidence is the evidence of the Attorney General.”
If the president is found to have supported the payment of the monies to Mr. Woyome and deemed to have acted against the laws of the land, he could be removed from office through impeachment proceedings. However the minority say they are not interest in this process for now.
The Minority MPs also did not state their next line of action but said they would not rest until they get to the bottom of the matter.
By: Aisha Ibrahim, e.tv Ghana
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