The acquittal and discharge of businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome in the Ȼ51 million judgement debt saga does not quite make sense to Editor-in-chief of the New Crusading Guide Newspaper.
Kwaku Baako believes that the judge, Justice John Ajet – Nasam ignored some vital points that would have contributed greatly to the state’s case.
After thoroughly reading the judge’s verdict, the veteran journalist is of the view that “the High Court judgement is suspect…I’ll dare say” and that “some points raised by the judge did not make sense”.
In his view, the “judge appeared to have ignored the evidence put before him…you can say that the prosecution was sloppy, shoddy and all that but I can tell you that the evidence that was put before that judge and the closing address by the state, no matter the sloppiness, the verdict should not have gone in favour of the accused.”
Mr Baako concedes that although he has no extensive knowledge in law, “what the judge is saying to establish his case doesn’t hold water”, especially by siding with Betty Mould Iddrisu and Ebo Barton Odro that there was a contract between government and Mr Woyome, a contract secured by a incoherent approval by the Central Tender Review Board was inexplicable.
The judge’s acceptance of this and his apparent disregard of an account given by a witness from Public Procurement Board – who stipulated the exact process expected to be followed through before a contract is arrived at, is unbelievable, he added.
In his view, saying that what the expert said was “useless and a waste of the court’s time is a fundamental defect in what the judge said and it is unsustainable”, thereby constituting a defense for Woyome instead of the state.
The Ajet – Nasam judgement has failed to provide a solution to the problem and has rather become the problem, he noted.
“All the institutions of state and the people who man them appear to be failing the country [in this Woyome scandal]. I can swear that this particular high court judgement and what the judge puts out there as the basis of his acquittal and exoneration of the accused I say, is suspect”, Mr Baako averred.
He said an appeal of the High Court’s ruling is the best thing in the interest of the country and Mr Woyome and the issues he has raised concerning the Attorney General after the ruling should be totally ignored because he doubts if he [Woyome] can be trusted.
“Woyome is just wasting our ears and trying to muddy the waters and throw in some spanner into the process. I don’t trust him…nothing he says is of value to me.
“As far as I’m concerned that judgement must be subjected to appeal, even if it is the devil or satan who will initiate the appeal I will support it. I think it will be in the interest of justice.” he said.
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