Woyome's judgement debt dominates questions at President Mills media interaction
President John Evans Atta Mills has held his third interaction with editors and senior journalists at the seat of government with the controversial judgment debt payment to businessman, Alfred Woyome dominating issues raised by the media.
President Mills may have held his final media encounter depending on the outcome of the 2012 general elections. The glamor that characterized the annual media meeting showed signs of fading as notable senior members of the fraternity stayed away from the 2012 edition.
Kwesi Pratt Jnr and Kweku Baako Jnr, both vocal members of the media were conspicuously missing. Also absent was host of Peace Fm Kokrokoo Morning Show, Kwame Sefa Kayi who also brought some spark in last year's edition.
Overall, there was a decent attendance by other journalists and when the ball was in motion, the president was at his usual best, mixing comic, wit and evasiveness to deal with the questions from the nation's finest media hands.
Repeatedly, President Mills was bombarded with issues relating to the controversy over the payment of judgment debt to Alfred Woyome. In many cases, the president sounded very evasive – with an alibi that the matter is under investigation by the Economic & Organised Crime Office (EOCO), formerly the Serious Fraud Office. But he finally had to respond to minority allegations that he personally ordered the payment of the money to Mr. Woyome.
He explained that, he could not have been so irresponsible to direct his Finance Minister to pay such a whopping amount of money to one person while the masses suffer due to inadequate infrastructure and basic amenities.
“How can I be so criminal-minded, so irresponsible to say give 58 million to any person ...when I know the plight of our people?”
According to him, it is not the practice for him as president to order his finance minister to make any payment. He further went on to say that the minister of finance did not need his permission to pay any judgment debt, especially when it had been captured in the budget.
“I know it is criminal, irresponsible, the height of naivety for a president to call his minister of finance and say pay this man this…"
Other issues that journalists quizzed the president on were his relationship with the former President Rawlings and his family which many believe has suffered some serious setbacks.
The recent removal of subsidy on petroleum products, the stalled STX housing project, the President's health, the Electoral Commission's budget for elections 2012 and the government's relationship with Kosmos energy were some issues which were of interest to the media.
By: Fred Smith, e.tv Ghana
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