The beleaguered National Democratic Congress (NDC) bankroller, Alfred Agbesi Woyome, yesterday ended his cross-examination in-chief led by his counsel, Osafo Boabeng, with a disclosure that the GH¢ 51.28 million he received was known to former President John Evans Atta-Mills, former Chief of Staff and the former Attorney-General (A-G) Betty Mould-Iddrisu, because they were involved in the whole process.
He told an Accra Financial Court presided over by John Najet-Assam – where he is on trial for defrauding by false pretences – that he obtained the money through a consent judgment given by a court of competent jurisdiction.
He said he met with some consultants called BIC Construction, J. A. Essamuah and the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) headed by Magnus Rex Danquah, Betty as well as Waterville to review his bid.
He said after the meeting with Betty he met his lawyers and it was agreed that Waterville should present their case differently.
The NDC financier also noted that his claims were verified by the consultants and the LOC who concluded that he had a genuine case.
According to him, the assertion by the State that he did not deserve any money was incorrect because he spent a lot of money and resources by putting up offices in some European cities and deserved to be paid.
Late President John Mills
Woyome tendered a document on a Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Ghana and Shanghai Construction to support his claim that the money used in the construction of the Essipong and Tamale stadia cost more than Government had disclosed.
The chief state attorney, Mrs. Yvonne Obuobisa, objected to the tendering of the document.
Justice Najet-Assam stated that the State never objected when documents from the A-G’s Department were being tendered so they had no right to complain when the suspect tendered documents from any other source.
The judge said once Woyome had given evidence that claims by government officials that the Shanghai list cost less than what he (Woyome) was offering them, there was the need for the document to be tendered.
Woyome ended his evidence by saying that there were proposals by the former Chief of Staff, Kwadwo Mpiani to evaluate the work of Vamed Engineering and pay them, which he had not told the court of.
Under cross-examination by Mrs. Obuobisa, the accused person said he was an international businessman of repute, a retired diplomat who had business interest in Ghana, Togo and other African countries as well as in the United States and Europe.
The case has been adjourned to July 10, 2014.
By Fidelia Achama
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