Pratt Demands Full-Scale Independent Investigations

Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr., is calling for full scale independent investigations into the circumstances surrounding how GH¢41,811,480.59 of state money was doled out in a court settlement to an alleged bankroller of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Alfred Agbesi Woyome.

He is also asking for investigations to be conducted into all judgement debts carried out in the country.

Mr Pratt was commenting on the GhC42 million judgment debt awarded Mr Woyome, and the report that the government of Ghana under President Mills in 2010, paid a total of GH¢275,917,484.25 (nearly 2.6 trillion old cedis) in judgment debts on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo Morning Show.

A High Court in 2010 ordered the State to pay an amount of nearly GH¢42 million in judgment debt to Mr. Woyome over what he describes as the illegal termination of his contract.

The NDC guru who reportedly contributed extremely generously at a recent fund-raising ceremony for the party and also funded some officials of the NDC to witness the 2010 World Cup in South Africa claims he won the huge amount squarely, because the Kufuor administration ditched him after winning the contract to execute a job in connection with the renovation of the two leading stadia in the country, and the construction of an additional two.

But reports indicate that the judgment was given in default of a defence by the Attorney General’s Department. Some critics, have therefore, accused officials of the AG’s Department of deliberately refusing to defend the state to enable Mr. Woyome win the case.

Kwesi Pratt Jnr.
A report of the Auditor-General on the Public Accounts of Ghana (Consolidated Fund for the year ended 31st December 2010), highlights 86 such cases with mind-boggling payments in respect of suits against the state.

Dr. Alfred Oko Vanderpuije’s Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) caused a loss of GH¢6,125,000 to the state in two court judgments.

Evidence is emerging that the Attorney-General is not enjoying a good ride in the courts, in respect of official actions and inactions. The repercussion of matters pertaining to the Ghana@50 celebrations brought quite a debt to be settled by the state.

On November 2, 2010, an Accra High Court handed a GH¢4,009,401.62 debt to the state in favour of Margins Groups Limited of Accra. It is in respect of “the payment of the production and distribution of Ghana@50 calendars.”

The brazen posture by police officers ended with the state at the wrong end of the law. On January 28, 2010, the state was slapped with a compensation award in respect of Daniel Mensah, who was beaten to death by four policemen at Tutuka-Oboase. GH¢35,000 was lost to the state in that episode.

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Source: Peacefmonline.com