Amidu, Woyome to slug it out during oral examination, but Woyome says he is being persecuted by Supreme Court

With 20 days to Ghana’s 2016 general elections, the news media was dominated by the brouhaha surrounding the payment of judgement debt by the state to the businessman Alfred Woyome and the Supreme Court’s decision to allow Martin Amidu to orally cross-examine him in court on Thursday 24^th November, 2016.

The Daily Graphic, Daily Statesman, the Daily Guide, the Daily Searchlight, the Ghanaian Times, Chronicle, New Crusading Guide and the Today reported on the Supreme Court (SC) ruling to Martin Amidu to orally examine businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome. According to these papers, the SC has given the go ahead for the anti-corruption crusader and the former Attorney General and the Minister of Jusctice, Mr Martin Amidu, to cross examine Alfred Woyome with regards to his alleged fraudulent acts which led the payment of GHC 51 million to him by the State. Mr Amidu’s decision to file a writ to cross-examine Alfred Woyome followed a move by the Attorney General to discontinue oral examination of Mr. Woyome.

Other stories in some of the dailies are as follows: The Ghanaian Times with the headline “NPP plotting to cause mayhem in Volta region - Anyidoho” reports that the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) of plotting to cause mayhem in the Volta Region ahead of next month’s general elections. The party claimed the biggest opposition party has planned to prevent Ghanaians living in Togo from crossing the borders to vote on December 7.

“PNC launches 55-page Manifesto” is also a headlines in the Daily Graphic. According to the story the flagbearer of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Dr. Edward Mahama, yesterday launched the party’s manifesto for the 2016 elections in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region, with a pledge to fight corruption in the system if elected president on December 7, 2016. Dubbed: “New Beginning, New Deal and New Force”, the 55-page document provides a three-pronged approach for the PNC to deal with the crisis confronting the nation and restore its dignity for it to compete socio-economically among sovereign nations.

“CJ unveils manual on election adjudication” is also reported in the Daily Graphic. According to the story the Judicial Service yesterday launched a book on election adjudication, with a declaration by the Chief Justice, Mrs. Justice Georgina Theodora Wood that the judiciary was adequately prepared to meet its constitutional obligation in the upcoming general election. According to her, the judiciary, as custodians and “guardians of the rule of law”, was ready to “guide the nation to peaceful, orderly and credible election”.

The Ghanaian Lens with its headline “Supreme Court (SC) orders Amidu to expunge lies … & vindicates Omane Boamah” reports that the SC has ordered former Attorney General, Martin Amidu, to expunge from his affidavit, the depositions about the president ordering incumbent Attorney General, Mrs. Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong, not to orally examine Alfred Woyome. The SC Wednesday granted the application by Martin Amidu to examine Woyome on how he utilized the GHC 51.2 million judgement debt wrongfully paid by the state.

This headline in the Daily Guide “NPP blows Gov’t cover over GHC 450m scandal” states that the NPP yesterday alleged a dubious deal between the government of Ghana and waste management company Zoomlion Ghana Limited. At a press conference in Accra, policy advisor to the party, Boakye Agyarko, made shocking revelations of how the government and for that matter, president Mahama, has committed to pay a whopping GHC 448.2million purported to be management services fees to the company, although there is no contractual agreement with the state.

Click on this link to read more stories