Betty Mould Iddrisu
The
Convention People’s Party (CPP) is calling for criminal charges against former
Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Betty Mould Iddrisu, for her
involvement in the payment of GH¢51.2 million as judgment debt to businessman
Alfred Agbesi Woyome.
The
party also wants some other former appointees of the opposition National
Democratic Congress (NDC) who, somehow, facilitated the erroneous payment to
the businessman to be investigated.
It
said the then Minister for Finance, Dr. Kwabena Duffuor; former Deputy Attorney
General, Ebo Barton Oduro; and one Neequaye Tetteh of the Ministry of Finance
must be probed.
The
CPP’s call comes in the wake of the Supreme Court order to the state to go ahead
and sell some four properties of the beleaguered businessman to defray the
debt.
The
properties include three residential properties – two at Trassaco Valley and
one at Accra Newtown, as well as a quarry at Mamfe in the Eastern Region.
The
properties, according to Deputy Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, were
estimated to cost at least GH¢20 million.
The
state has also said it has discovered two more properties belonging to the
businessman and will take steps to sell them off.
Self-defence
Betty
Mould-Iddrisu has insisted that she did not err in authorising the payment of
GH¢51.2 million to the NDC financier.
The
Supreme Court in July 2014 ordered Mr. Woyome to pay back the huge amount to
the government following a suit filed by Betty’s successor, Martin Amidu, now
the Special Prosecutor, but the order fell on deaf ears.
“The
CPP wishes to state that the retrieval of the money would be meaningless if the
officers of state who deliberately, conscientiously and dutifully participated
in the state loot are not brought to justice. Then Minister for Finance, Dr.
Kwabena Duffour; Minister of Justice and A-G, Betty Mould Iddrisu; her Deputy,
Ebo Barton Oduro; and Neequaye Tetteh, formerly of the Ministry of Finance,
must be made to dance to the same adowa.
“It
was through their willful negligence, willful participation or a combination of
the two that made this unarmed broad-day robbery of the powerful state of Ghana
possible. The state must go after them or risk serving any lesson to
individuals entrusted with the power of the state who tend to abuse it,” a
statement signed by CPP’s acting General Secretary, James Kwabena Bomfeh noted.
The statement further recognized Deputy Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, for his sterling capacity in pursuing the matter of retrieving the money.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak
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