Yoni Kolendi (Left), Musah Ahmed (Middle) and Addo Tuah
The trial judge in the case of The Republic vrs Alfred Agbesi Woyome has described the National Democratic Congress (NDC) financier who is standing trial for defrauding the state to the tune of GH¢51.2 million as “a great man”.
This was after Robertson Kpatsah, counsel for Woyome, admitted before the court presided over Justice Ajet-Nassam that with the quantum of GH¢54 million bail bond with two sureties, “we could not just get any surety to justify the bail condition with this kind of money”.
However, the judge read out counsel’s own statement to him in which he said they had more than enough sureties for the bail and noted that the statement impressed him so much that “I said wow that’s a great man”.
After the intervention of three additional lawyers who pleaded with the court for the amount involved to be reduced, Woyome was granted bail in the sum of GH¢20 million, with three sureties to be justified, by the Accra Fast Track High Court.
Counsel for Woyome prayed the court to review the amount because it was not the aim of the court to give an amount which could not be raised to secure Woyome his freedom, adding that the accused person was not in the country but flew in to stand trial, meaning he was a responsible person who would not abscond.
However, when the judge asked if he could produce evidence to the effect that he flew in, he said he could not do so and the judge advised counsel not to talk about it.
Again, when Kpatsah mentioned the possibility of depositing the passport of the accused person, the judge stated that he did not believe passports could prevent people from leaving the jurisdiction.
Lawyers Musah Ahmed, Yoni Kulendi and Addo Atuah each added his voice to plead with the court to review the bail conditions of Woyome who they said had a civil case pending and would not abscond.
They said it was not the case that the amount was excessive, adding that it was the inability to raise the amount which made them to return to court and pray the court for a review as Woyome was still languishing behind bars.
According to them, they believed the bail condition was not harsh but they also knew that it was not the intention of the judge to give the bail condition in such a manner as to keep the accused person in perpetual custody.
In addition, they said the innocence of an accused person was presumed, till he was proved otherwise and observed that the alleged offence of the accused person was not non-bailable.
They consequently prayed the court to review the bail condition as to allow the NDC financier to breathe some air of freedom.
Cynthia Lamptey, the chief state attorney in the case, said she was opposed to the bail application because the bail condition was fair and not excessive.
She said usually when granting bail to an accused person, the court usually took into consideration the amount and gave a little above the figure so the amount was just a little over the GH¢51million he allegedly took from the state.
According to her, depositing of passport was not a guarantee that a person would not abscond when bailed and consequently prayed the court to dismiss the application.
The NDC bankroller, in the company of his counsel, on Wednesday stormed the court which granted him bail for a review of the bail conditions as they could not find anybody in Ghana with that amount to support him.
This is contrary to reports by persons close to him that he had succeeded in garnering property worth GH¢87million to meet the bail conditions.
Woyome is being held by the police for alleged fraud that led to the payment of GH¢51million to him by the State under the instructions of the then Attorney-General, Betty Mould-Iddrisu and Finance Minister, Dr Kwabena Duffuor. The money was paid as judgement debt for the supposed abrogation of what Woyome admitted to be a non-existing contract for the construction of three stadia.
The bail was granted after the Chief State Attorney handling the case, Cynthia Lamptey, told an Accra Fast Track High Court (Financial Division) where Woyome and three alleged accomplices are standing trial over the payouts, that the state was not opposed to bail.
The state attorney told the court that they did not have a problem with the accused persons- Woyome, Samuel Nerquaye-Tetteh, a chief state attorney and Paul Asimenu, Legal Director at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning. Mrs. Gifty Nerqyaye-Tetteh had already been granted bail at the last hearing.
Woyome and Mr Nerquaye-Tetteh both pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit a crime while the NDC financier also pleaded not guilty to fraud by false pretences and corrupting a public officer in the person of the chief state attorney with the said GH¢400,000 (¢4billion).
The state attorney was charged with allowing himself to be corrupted but he denied any wrongdoing while Paul Asimenu pleaded not guilty to abetting Woyome to defraud the state to the tune of GH¢51million.
By Fidelia Achama
