An obviously incensed Editor in chief of the Crusading Guide Newspaper Kweku Baako Jnr says the new GHC35 million Woyome scandal is hard to digest, an assault on the sensibilities of the citizens and ought not to have been allowed to happen.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Newsfile program Saturday, Mr Baako said if government persons had applied a bit of “common sense” they would have known that dealing with Alfred Woyome for the second time, at the time they have, is not only an insult to the conscience of citizens but a display of “arrogance of power and politics of impunity.”
His comments come shortly after a new scandal broke which links controversial business man Alfred Woyome to a “confidential” but a lucrative GHC35million contract with government to provide financial engineering for a deep sea project.
Mr Woyome is already involved in a GHC51.2 million judgment debt scandal, an amount he unconstitutionally received in 2010 from the state and has lulled in paying back despite a Supreme Court order for him to do so.
Occupy Ghana, the pressure group that uncovered the latest Woyome scandal said it is appalled that government would engage Woyome in yet another lucrative transaction despite the experience in the 51.2 million judgment debt scandal.
The Deep Sea project, is fronted by Anator Holdings, a company which has Woyome playing a dual role as the Executive Chair and financial engineer.
“The Agreement is signed by Woyome as Executive Chairman of Anator Holding Company Limited, and the then Minister for Transport, Dzifa Aku Attivor.
That Agreement was entered into on the basis of a non-binding scantily drafted Memorandum of Understanding entered into between the same Woyome company and the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority on the same subject on 28th August 2015. The Framework Agreement with Ghana is expressed to have been entered into so that Woyome’s company can raise an initial financing of US$8.5M just for feasibility studies.
In other words, Woyome is relying on the country’s goodwill to raise financing for a sweetheart deal that he has entered into with the GPHA and is possibly shopping around banks all over the world for money, on the back of this agreement,” Occupy Ghana said.
Interestingly, Occupy Ghana averred it is this same company which is standing in the way of the state retrieving the 51.2 million cedis having gone to court to plead that assets owned by Woyome which the state wanted to sell to recover the judgment debt is owned by them and not Woyome.
Discussing the matter on Newsfile, a livid Malik Kweku Baako Jnr said even though neither Alfred Woyome nor his company has been found guilty yet of any acts of fraud, officers of government ought to have been careful in dealing with him.
“Until this gentleman purges himself of the liabilities, any government official must be careful in dealing with him.
“His failure to redeem his liabilities does not make him or his companies a credible person or entity to deal with,” he stated.
A major crusader against the ¢51.2 million judgment debt to Woyome, Kweku Baako Jnr said having read through the new deep sea port agreement, he can say the agreement bears a certain level of resemblance to the Woyome, Waterville agreement which was used to plunder the country’s resources.
“What is wrong with us?” he asked. “I find this indigestible. It is an assault on our sensibilities, it ought not to have happened.
“Some common sense, some vigilance will tell you that the man and his companies are not credible entities to deal with at this time,” he averred.
But a member of the NDC Godwin Edudzie Tamakloe who was also on the panel said Anator holding is a company distinct from the person of Alfred Woyome.
He argued the company has not been outlawed from doing business and finds it strange how anyone will be raising issues against the Deep Sea project.
He confirmed that an MOU has been signed but not a dime has been paid by the government.
“There is nothing wrong with the state dealing with Anator,” he stated adding no adverse findings have been made against it.
Join GhanaStar.com to receive daily email alerts of breaking news in Ghana. GhanaStar.com is your source for all Ghana News. Get the latest Ghana news, breaking news, sports, politics, entertainment and more about Ghana, Africa and beyond.
