RE: GH¢51m refund: Nobody is buying Woyome's properties – Kan Dapaah

What is going on in Ghana, the land of my birth? Upon all the thievery inflicted on Ghana by Alfred Agbesi Woyome and his accomplices in the NDC party, he is still having the last laugh. No wonder that black Africans are always seen and treated as subhuman by our superior white contemporaries and mocked as people without the ability and capability of managing our own affairs.

Let me try to inform the Ghanaian public of two incidents where for some reasons, the then governments disposed of the assets of some individuals to defray either the debt they were alleged to owe Ghana, or simply to seize their assets for having acquired them fraudulently through embezzlement of public funds and state assets.

I am putting out this publication to enlighten Ghanaians on the issue of the unwillingness of Ghanaians to buy Alfred Agbesi Woyome's confiscated properties if the content of the underlying web link read on Ghanaweb under their General News of Wednesday, 27 May 2020, is nothing but the absolute truth, although I could not find it on Modernghana.com and Breakingnewsgh.com when I crosschecked.

https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/GH-51m-refund-Nobody-is-buying-Woyome-s-properties-Kan-Dapaah-963445

Firstly, the National Liberation Council (NLC) military government that overthrew the Convention People's Party (CPP) of the late ex-President Dr Kwame Nkrumah in February 1966, confiscated three properties (houses) belonging to the late Krobo Adusei (Hon). Krobo Adusei was the Member of Parliament for then Sekyere East Constituency (Kumawu, Asokore & Effiduase). His house in Accra, and two in Kumawu were seized on the claim that he had acquired them through embezzlement of state funds, thus, fraudulently.

When the Supreme Military Council government led by then Colonel Ignatius Kutu Acheampong took over the reins of government in 1972 by overthrowing the Progress Party (PP) government of the late Prime Minister Dr Kofi Abrefa Busia, they gave the houses back to Krobo Adusei (Hon).

Krobo Adusei (Hon) being a smart politician but probably crafty, sold off the three houses to Mr Castro Amoako of Speedy Variety printing press (Accra), for about 3 million Cedis in those days. It was a huge money in those days. Krobo Adusei (Hon) was smart and crafty in the sense that he could foresee that in future, another government could come to confiscate the properties again hence quickly disposing them off.

Truly, when the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) military government of Flt Lt J. J. Rawlings overthrew the Supreme Military Council II (SMC II) in 1979, it had sought to seize the three houses from Krobo Adusei (II) again. However, it turned out that the houses were no longer his but Mr Amoako's. Rawlings' hands were tied. He could not seize the legitimately purchased properties of a private individual, thus, Mr Castro Amoako, although the original owner was Krobo Adusei (Hon).

The court did accept that Krobo Adusei had the right to sell the properties since they had legitimately been returned to him by a government, and Castro also bought genuine properties at the time of purchasing them. As we speak, the houses belong to Mr Castro Amoako, once a fellow Asiampa resident of Kumawu-Bodomase origin.

Rawlings' AFRC government could not lay hands on Krobo Adusei's three houses why because they were no longer his, he had sold them. However, when they were seized by the NLC government and were maintained for the government of Ghana use, the SMC government could easily revert the ownership to Krobo Adusei. This is because it cost nothing to anyone to give the properties back to Krobo Adusei.

Secondly, the same Flt Lt J. J. Rawlings during his Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) military government, illegally compounded the factory, International Tobacco Ghana Ltd (ITG), belonging to the late Mr Benjamin Amponsah Mensah (B. A. Mensah), my Kumawu compatriot and father-in-law by extension of the Akan extended family where I am married to the daughter of his senior brother.

I am applying the words or phrase "illegally compounded" here why because, whatever monetary charges and penalties preferred against him, Mr. B. A. Mensah was ready to pay it. He even presented a cheque to pay twice what the PNDC government claimed he owed, including penalty charges but the cheque was turned down. He again presented a cheque to the tune of three times what the government through the Internal Revenue Authority claimed he owed but it was again rejected on the grounds that "an order from above" has instructed them not to accept any monetary payment from him but to confiscate the property to the state.

Former President Jerry John Rawlings is still alive and he can testify to this. Was the late P. V. Obeng, in the Rawlings' PNDC government, not alleged to have been instrumental in the confiscation of ITG? When the factory was seized, it was given to Rawlings' cousin and tribesmen. They mismanaged it and finally it was sold to a foreigner.

Mr Essiful, you could please chip in here to elaborate on it, although I have lost contact with you for the past one year.

There was a huge expectation that since the factory was seized illegally, and Mr B. A. Mensah being a founding member and a major financier of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), his factory would be given back to him when former President John Agyekum Kufour and his NPP government took over the reins of government in 2000. However, the expectation of Kumawuman citizens and many an NPP member, rather turned out to be a great sorrow and disbelief. The factory was never returned to Mr B. A. Mensah. His hopes and that of many a Kumawuman citizens were dashed because the factory had been sold to a private person or company so the government getting it back was not easy at all. If the government needed it back to be given to its original owner, the government should buy it back from its foreign owner. Was the owner ready to sell it back to Ghana government and if yes, at what price?

I don't want to go into the details of the factory but for the fact that it had been sold by the PNDC government, it could never come back to Mr B. A. Mensah. If it was still in the possession of the government, it could easily have been released back to Mr. B. A. Mensah.

In conclusion, if Alfred Agbesi Woyome's genuinely confiscated properties are sold to a private individual or company, never will any future government, be it NDC or whoever, able to give them back to him unless the government buys them back from their new owners and if only they are willing to sell them back to the government. However, if they are to be maintained by the government, any future NDC government can easily release them back to Alfred Agbesi Woyome same as the SMC I government gave Krobo Adusei's (Hon) houses to him only for him to be smart and quick enough to sell them, pocket and use the money.

It was because of Rawlings seeing Krobo Adusei as having duped the nation that his government arrested, prosecuted and jailed him. At his trial, Krobo Adusei said Jesus was his lawyer when asked by the judge who was representing him in court as his lawyer. I stand to be corrected here.

I am quickly putting out this publication following the content of the above web link, especially on the following statement, quote, " However, in a letter signed by Mr Kan Dapaah addressed to the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice with reference to the order by the Supreme Court, the Minister stated that: “The auctioneer tasked with auctioning the properties has indicated his inability to successfully execute the task because potential buyers are afraid, amongst other reasons, that the properties may be restored to Mr Woyome by the state in the future. It continued that due to this, “it has been decided that the properties be surrendered to the state to obviate the need for an auction and called on the AG to “take the necessary steps to have the above decision effected”, and unquote.

I cannot force anyone to buy the properties but I can assure the general Ghanaian public by the two cited cases that once they buy the properties, no government, let alone Alfred Agbesi Woyome, can take them back from them.

Why is Alfred Agbesi Woyome, the 21st Century award-winning swindler in Ghana, not being tried and jailed for criminal offence apart from the seizure of his properties which are not even enough to defray the money he has duped Ghana of? Oh, cry my beloved country!

Rockson Adofo

Thursday, May 28, 2020