FORMER Attorney General Martin Amidu has revealed that the Mahama-led NDC government has no plans to recover the GH¢51million fraudulently doled out to Alfred Woyome, adding that the only chance available to retrieve the money is for Ghanaians to vote out President Mahama at the December 7 polls.
The leading anti-corruption crusader says even though he is a loyal member of the govering NDC, he cannot “in good conscience and in defence of the Constitution support its Presidential candidate to continue leading the looting of the public purse.”
He, however, says he will support most of his party’s parliamentary candidates “who have shown honesty and integrity to the Constitution” to win their seats.
According to Mr Amidu, voting for a new president “is the only way out for Ghanaians to stand up for their Constitutional rights and to retrieve the unconstitutional monies created, looted and shared by this Government with its political party supporters who are now unconstitutional judgment debtors to the Republic.”
In a statement issued yesterday, Mr Amidu stressed: “I am a senior and foundation member of the NDC, the Governing party. But I am compelled to put Ghana First and to defend the 1992 Constitution by saying that the only way Ghanaians can have the Woyome/Austro-Invest joint loot refunded is to change the Government that created, looted and shared the loot with them during the Presidential elections this year.”
The former A-G expressed the hope that a new Government would prosecute Mr Woyome under Article 2(3) and (4) of the 1992 Constitution for High Crime should he delay any further in refunding the unconstitutional loot, adding: “The new Government will also enforce the Waterville judgment debt of over Euro 47million loot or prosecute it for High Crime.”
According to Mr Amidu, all the charades the government is putting out to create the impression that it wants to retrieve the loot is for the purposes of the electioneering campaign, warning that the biggest injustice and mistake Ghanaians would do to themselves is vote to retain President Mahama and his government in office.
“Does the Ghana Government believe us to be so easily fooled that they concoct Woyome part payments of the judgment debt as smoke and mirrors for their election campaign?” he queried.
Mr Amidu added: “The people of Ghana should demand to know from Government how its Attorney General can – in enforcing the order of the Supreme Court for Woyome to refund the unconstitutional payments made to Woyome to the Republic of Ghana – accept a cheque of GHC4, 000,000.00 drawn by Woyome dated 4th November 2016 in favour of the Economic and Organized Crime Office as part payment of the monies ordered by the Court to be refunded.”
He insisted that the so-called cheque drawn by Mr Woyome in favour of the Economic and Organized Crime Office, which was not a party to the action or the judgment creditor, cannot be a cheque in part payment of the unconstitutional monies ordered by the Court to be refunded to the Republic.
“The acceptance of the Economic and Organized Crime Office cheque by the Attorney General and the deception of the public by the Attorney General that it is part payment for the refund ordered by the Court brings into question the competence of the Attorney General and the Government in pursuit of the interest of the Republic,” the former A-G stated.
According to Mr Amidu, the whole scheme appeared to have been cooked up to defeat his application for leave to examine Mr Woyome orally on oath, which was granted by the Supreme Court last Wednesday.
“In the hurry of the Government and Woyome to defeat my application they could not even cover their tracks with a cheque drawn on the Ministry of Finance or the Accountant-General as custodian of the consolidated fund. The cheque could also have been drawn on the Registrar of the Supreme Court and paid into court for the Republic,” he noted.
In the view of the leading anti-corruption crusader, the foregoing constitutes clear evidence that the A-G and the Government are determined to kill the non-refund of the judgment debt as an election issue “by cooking up the deceptive cheque and receipt to allow the status quo to continue.”
He stressed: “They are purposefully deceiving the electorate that efforts are being made to retrieve the unconstitutional loot by Woyome jointly with Austro-Invest, the client of Lithur-Brew and Co, a law firm in which the Attorney General was a partner. The law firm is also the President’s personal lawyer.”
Mr Amidu’s message for Ghanaians is simple and straightforward: “Fellow patriotic citizens, I fought for two long years for justice for the Constitution and for all of us and the Supreme Court eventually vindicated the public’s interest by ordering the refund of the unconstitutional loot to the Republic of Ghana. Unfortunately, the Government as the leading looter has put obstacles in our way in enforcing the orders of the Court. Fellow citizens, help me in the name of the Constitution to retrieve your money that was looted by voting for a new President. Let us protect our Constitutional rights and not be hoodwinked by electioneering ploys. Let us get our GHC51, 283, 483. 59 back.
Defend the 1992 Constitution by voting for a new President on 7th December 2016 to get our money back. God bless Ghana and put Ghana First!”