‘Govt to retrieve money paid to Waterville’

Alhaji Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed briefing the media at the Flagstaff House in AccraThe government says it is determined to retrieve all monies received by Waterville Holdings (BVI) as directed by the Supreme Court.

Besides, the government said it would continue to pursue cases of alleged wrongful payment of money as judgement debts to individuals and organisations.

A Deputy Minister of Information and Media Relations, Mr Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, stated this yesterday when he answered questions on the Supreme Court ruling regarding the payment of judgement debt, at a media briefing at the Flagstaff House, Kanda in Accra.

The Supreme Court on June 14, 2013 ordered construction firm Waterville Holdings (BVI) Limited to refund all moneys paid to it by the Ghana Government on the premise that it had no valid and constitutional contractual agreement with the government.

The company is expected to refund 25 million Euros it received from the government following the court’s unanimous judgement that the said contract between the government and Waterville was unconstitutional because it had contravened Article 181 (5) of the 1992

Constitution which requires that such contracts be put before Parliament for approval.

The court agreed with the plaintiff, Mr Martin Amidu, a former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, that the contract was an international business or economic transaction under Article 181 (5) of the 1992 Constitution that could only have become operative and binding on the government of Ghana after it had been laid before and approved by Parliament.

Shitting attention to last Sunday’s fire outbreak at the Kumasi Central Market, Mr Murtala said the affected traders would also benefit from the GH¢2million fund announced by President John Dramani Mahama.

Story: Musah Yahaya Jafaru / Daily Graphic