Attorney General serves notice of hearing on Alfred Woyome as she rubbishes Martin Amidu’s accusations

The Attorney General has served notice of hearing to embattle businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome. 

Mr Woyome was acquitted and discharged last Thursday on two counts of causing financial loss to the state and defrauding by false pretence by an Accra High Court. 

But immediately after the ruling, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Mrs Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong filed a notice of appeal. 

Meanwhile, Former Minister of Justice and Attorney General Martin Amidu has asked Mrs Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong to recue herself from the appeal against the acquittal and discharge of businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome because she will be biased towards Woyome. 

She has also compromised her impartiality for being a partner of Lithur, Brew and Co, the Law firm which litigated in a matter between Mr Woyome and Ray Smith, and Austro-Invest, which Mr Woyome was a partner. 

This was contained in a statement issued by the former Attorney General to the media. 

In a related development, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mrs Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong has denied accusations that she omitted the Supreme Court declarations that affected Austro-Invest and the then Attorney General, Mrs Betty Mould-Iddrisu, whose conduct in facilitating the payment of the over GH¢ 51 million to Alfred Agbesi Woyome was also declared unconstitutional when she filed the entry of judgment in the case. 

Mr Martin Amidu in a rejoinder to an interview granted to Graphic online by Mr Tony Lithur said after the Supreme Court unanimously decided that the purported contract that earned Woyome the judgment debt was unconstitutional, the Entry of Judgment filed by the Attorney-General, Mrs Brew Appiah-Oppong at the Supreme Court was selective. 

Mr Amidu said the Supreme Court agreed with him [Martin Amidu] and struck out the offending entry of judgment for non-compliance with the decision of the Supreme Court. 

Following from that, Mr Amidu said the perception that he got in his handling of the Constitutional cases against the Attorney General, Waterville, and Woyome/Austro-Invest was that, “the John Mahama NDC Government under its Attorney General, Mrs Brew Appiah-Opong has at every step done everything in its power to impede the success of the cases.” 

“I had made it clear to the Mills/Mahama Government as its Attorney General that no prosecution in the scam involving the over GH¢ 51 million will succeed by targeting Woyome alone without Waterville, Austro-Invest, Samuel Nerquaye-Tetteh, the Chief State Attorney whose spouse EOCO reveal had received 400,000 from Woyome while he was handling the case as an Attorney for the Government. 

But Mrs Brew Appiah-Oppong said Woyome’s lawyers opposed the entry of judgment on a completely different ground.  

She said “On that day, Woyome’s lawyers went to the court to withdraw the application but she understood Martin Amidu was there earlier to insist it should be struck out.” 

“How do we serve an entry of judgment on an entity which he says had been dissolved and which by his own statement, its name had been struck out from?” 

“I will not be moved by diversionary tactics from any quarter.” 

She said Lithur Brew was never part of the process of making the claim on government and that Austro Invest only instructed subsequently to issue the writ against Woyome and upon advice was discontinued. 

“Neither Tony Lithur or I or Lithur Brew has denied that Lithur Brew was instructed by Austro Invest in November 2011 to file/issue a writ against Woyme in respect of the GH¢ 51 million.” 

Upon his advice, she said the action was discontinued in January 2012 after more facts showed that the sum of Gh¢ 51.2 million was not lawfully due. 

Again, I have indicated all the time that I never ever handled any of these matters personally even though my Law firm did handle them,  Austro-Invest was at the request of Martin Amidu struck out of the Supreme Court Suit. 

From the date the name of Austro Invest was struck out they ceased to be parties to the suit.  

Continuing, she said judgment was subsequently given against Woyome in a review application filed by Martin Amidu. 

The Attorney General’s Department did not oppose it and indeed filed submissions to support the review application. 

The entry of judgment filed by the Department was directed specifically at recovering from Woyome the sum he had been ordered to pay by the Supreme Court. 

An application was filed by Woyome’s Lawyers to strike out the entry of judgment.

Also more pressure is mounting on the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong to resign her position for allegedly benefiting from the Woyome judgement debt.  

A Human Interest Lawyer, Maurice Ampaw believes, following the revelations of Mr. Amidu, the Attorney General is not fit to continue in her position and must resign or the President asks her to do so.  

GBC