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Where are the principal actors in the Woyome scandal? Martin Amidu roars

By Myjoyonline.com| Nathan Gadugah
General News Martin Amidu
JUL 22, 2013 LISTEN
Martin Amidu

Former Attorney General is astounded by attempts to rope him in as a villain in the Woyome judgement debt scandal which has rocked the nation.

Martin Amidu says if Woyome is in court today for conspiracy to commit crime, and defrauding by false pretense it is because of his vigilance.

His comments to Myjoyonline.com come shortly after Ahmed Sulemana, Acting Chief Director at the Attorney General and a prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of Woyome testified in court on Monday that Amidu had prior knowledge and approval of the payment of judgement debt to Alfred Woyome.

Sulemana, in a cross examination testified that a substantial amount of the 51 judgement debt paid to Woyome had been paid under the tenure of Martin Amidu as Attorney General. The first installment of 17, million cedis was paid under the instruction and supervision of Mrs Betty Mould Iddrisu, he noted.

But Martin Amidu told Myjoyonline.com authorization for the payment was made before he was appointed as Attorney General in 2011.

"The letters authorizing payment from the Attorney General were dated 15th November 2010 in the case of Waterville, and 9th December 2010 in the case of Woyome. The letters were each addressed by the Minister of Finance to the Accountant-General for payment. There was nothing in my handing over notes on these cases. How was I to stop payments of monies which were authorized before I was appointed to the office and nobody had even briefed me about them?" he asked.

According to him, he suspected an attempt to use him as a "scape goat" when he was asked by the Solicitor General to withdraw the case because of lack of merit, a proposal he objected.

Scuttled case?
Martin Amidu is all the more worried about the quality of prosecution by the Attorney General's department in the controversial matter.

He wondered how, the Acting Chief Director who is only in charge of purely administrative matters at the Ministry of Justice will be asked to defend the state on a matter as crucial as the Woyome scandal, when in fact the Solicitor General who was key player in the scandal could have been a better witness.

"How come that the Chief State Attorney, Samuel Nerquaye Tetteh who handled this case throughout and is still at post, not a witness? How come that the Senior State Attorney, Mr. Adadevoh who was always in Court not a witness? How come that Mrs. Afriyie-Ansah who is the Chief State Attorney handling the case in the High Court since I sought the amendment not a witness?"

He said he has made it palpably clear in a June 10, 2013 letter to the Attorney General, his displeasure about how the prosecution is conducting the case.


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