Deputy Attorney General Godfred Dame has disclosed that the state is considering fresh criminal charges against businessman, Alfred Agbesi Woyome.
Addressing the press after the Apex court has ruled for the sale of Woyome's properties valued ¢20 million, the Deputy Attorney General said the state will press criminal charges against the businessman for colluding with a defunct bank to stop the sale of his assets.
"...the case where collusion and the court having so found that Woyome attempted to collude with the banks to prevent ...... against him, to me it even an act that the state can take him on in terms of criminal prosecution, clearly this is something I will consider prosecuting him for...."Â
Woyome had been stonewalling the state’s attempt to sell off properties worth ¢20m of the remainder of his 51.2m debt.
In nearly five years, he had paid only 4million of this debt.
But Woyome had argued in court through his legal counsel, the properties did not belong to him but to the receiver of the defunct bank.
The receiver claimed it owns the properties due to the businessman’s failure to repay a loan, a position the state vehemently disagrees with.
Deputy Attorney-General insisted there is collusion to prevent the state from rightfully selling off the properties.
He explained nine months after the bank had allegedly bought the property, the businessman used the same as collateral to secure a loan in excess of GH₵9million from the bank.
Supreme Court orders sale of Woyome's properties valued at ¢20m
The Supreme Court has ordered the Attorney-General to sell properties of Ghanaian business guru Alfred Woyome to defray a ¢51.2m debt he owes the state.
Assets to be sold include two houses at Trassaco Estate, a house at Kpehe, a stone quarry, plants and equipment at the stone quarry.
According to the Deputy Attorney-General, Mr Godfred Yeboah Dame, the value to be realised from the sale is GH¢20 million.
It took Ghana nearly five years to retrieve ¢14m from Woyome after the Supreme Court ordered him in 2014 to refund a ¢51.2m judgement debt payment he received in 2009.
The court said it was wrongfully paid him. The ruling by the Supreme Court presided over by Justice Bennin on Thursday, June 27, 2019, was long coming.
The apex court held on to its judgment in January 2019 after an application made by lawyers for the businessman seeking a review of an earlier Supreme court decision that said the court could determine whether the disputed properties belong to Woyome or the defunct UT bank.
The Supreme Court has now ruled, the claim by Woyome that the properties did not belong to him but the defunct bank is a sham.
Justice Benin awarded cost of 60,000 cedis each against receivers of UT Bank and Anator holdings which is owned by Woyome.
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