Woyome could face further criminal charges over judgement debt

Businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome could be facing fresh criminal charges for collusion with the now-defunct UT Bank in a bid to halt the sale of assets to defray a the GHc 51 million debt to the state.

This is after, the Supreme Court gave the Attorney General’s office permission to sell properties belonging to the businessman, Alfred Woyome to offset the judgment debt.

After the court’s judgment, Deputy Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame told pressmen the judgment was clear on the fact “Woyome attempted to collude with a bank to prevent the execution of the government against him.”

“To me, it’s an act that the state can take him on in terms of criminal prosecution and what have you. Clearly, this is something that I will consider prosecuting him for,” Mr. Dame said.

The Deputy Attorney General added that “to me, it holds a lot of significance for accountability and the rule of law, that indeed, you cannot pillage the state of funds and resort to all manner of tactics just to avoid the satisfaction of the judgment debt given against you.”

The receivers of defunct UT Bank had argued that some of the properties identified by the state for sale belong to the bank.

Lawyers of the defunct UT Bank said Mr. Woyome used the properties as collateral for loans at the bank which he failed to repay.

A company owned by Mr. Woyome, Anator Holding Limited was cited by the state as being a major beneficiary of the GHc 51 million judgment debt.

According to an affidavit filed by the state, Anator Holdings received at least 14 transfers from the wrongful judgment debt meant for the company of which Mr. Woyome is the sole owner.

But Anator Holdings has filed the ultimately unsuccessful suit at the apex court arguing that the quarry belongs to it and not Mr. Woyome.

The properties earmarked for sale include two executive buildings of the businessman, the office complex of Anator Holdings, a company owned by Mr. Woyome, and two other residential buildings at Caprice and Abelemkpe all amounting to GHc 20 million.

In 2014, the Supreme Court ordered Mr. Woyome to pay back the judgment debt after former Attorney General and now Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu challenged the legality of the payment of the judgment debt.

Following delays in retrieving the money, the Supreme Court judges unanimously granted the Attorney-General clearance to execute the court’s judgment ordering Mr. Woyome to refund the cash to the state.

 

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