Machines Fail As A-G Storms Woyome Trial

Mrs Marietta Brew Appiah-Opong, Minister for Justice and Attorney General

Mrs. Marietta Brew Appiah-Opong, newly appointed Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, accompanied by the Solicitor-General, Mrs. Ama Gasie, made her maiden appearance in court yesterday to lead the State in the trial of Alfred Agbesi Woyome, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) financier, who is being tried for fraudulently receiving GH¢51.28million as judgment debt from the state.

However, a few minutes after hearing started at the Fast Track High Court, Financial Division, the recording machines failed to work, prompting the trial judge, Justice John Najet-Assam, to ask for the trial to be halted.

Woyome is facing two counts of defrauding by false pretence and causing financial loss to the state after receiving GH¢51.2 million as judgment debt.

Lionel Van Lare Dosoo, a former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, and one of the two chairmen who did a presentation when the nation won the bid for Confederation of African Football (CAN) 2008, was giving evidence, led by Cynthia Lamptey, acting Director for Public Prosecutions (DPP), when the machines failed to work.

In his evidence, which lasted less than ten minutes, the witness said he was also Chairman of the Local Organising Committee and a sub-committee which was tasked to ascertain the financial viability of Vamed Engineering and Epipherm which had bid to reconstruct the four stadia for CAN 2008.

He also stated that they were tasked to confirm their credibility and to take proposals from both companies.

When Ms Lamptey asked the witness whether or not any money came from the Bank of Austria, Osafo Boabeng, counsel for Mr Woyome, raised an objection on the grounds that the question was a leading question.

It was at this juncture that the judge complained that the machines had broken down for the third time and he wanted everything said to be recorded so he adjourned the matter.

The case has been adjourned to March 5, 2013.
The former Head of Aid and Debt Management at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MOFEP), Yvonne Quansah, last December testified at the trial and said that no money came from the Bank of Austria which Woyome was seeking funds for the construction and rehabilitation of the stadia for Confederation of African Cup (CAN) 2008.

The witness told the court that she and some other officials at the Ministry of Finance were assigned to manage the debt of Ghana.

She said she got to know the accused person in 2005 through a project facility, adding that she was part of a committee tasked to analyse financial projects for the construction and rehabilitation of stadia for CAN 2008.

The witness said at the end of their sitting, they prepared a report for the ministry and noted that they analysed two companies in the report and chose Vamed Engineering.

Furthermore, she stated that the Bank of Austria was to be the financier of Vamed, which was represented by Woyome.

Woyome has pleaded not guilty to causing financial loss to the state and defrauding by false pretences.

The case has been adjourned for six consecutive times because the prosecution had failed to produce witnesses.

Four prosecution witnesses have so far testified in the case including the Deputy Head of the Legal Department at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Mrs. Mangowa Ghanney and a former Minister of Finance, Yaw Osafo Maafo.

The rest are former Deputy Minister of Finance, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu and Yvonne Quansah.

By Fidelia Achama