Lieutenant Colonel Larry Gbevlo-Lartey,Former National Security Coordinator for NDC
Former National Security Coordinator under the erstwhile National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration, Lieutenant Colonel Larry Gbevlo-Lartey has made a mockery of the government for the termination of an agreement between the Government of Ghana (GoG) and Ghana Power Generation Company (GPGC) which has resulted in a $170 million judgement debt.
The government has come under fire for failing to challenge the verdict of the UK-based tribunal since the Attorney General’s Department should have been seen challenging the decision.
It is for this reason that Gbevlo-Lartey has mocked the Attorney General who before rising to his new post was seen winning cases for the government.
In a Facebook post, the retired military man and politician who is known for using fictional characters-Esi and Adubea- to ask questions that bother on national issues sarcastically wrote: “This $170M judgement debt case, they should have sent it to Supreme court or?
Adobea is seen answering ” like 7-0 or?”
The verdict
A three-member arbitration tribunal chaired by John Beechey, a former President of the International Criminal Court’s Court of Arbitration, and co-chaired by Prof Albert Fiadjoe, a Ghanaian academic, sided with the power producer and awarded a judgement debt of almost US$170 million against the state, following the termination the contract.
According to British law, the government had 28 days to challenge the tribunal’s decision but only made an appearance three days to the expiration of the deadline to ask for a 56-day extension.
However, the court set March 8, 2021, for the Government to file the processes to challenge the Tribunal’s decision in January. But again, the government went to sleep until April 1, 2021, before filing.
Another British law firm, Volterra Fietta, that the government had instructed to begin the process explained that the new Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, had only been sworn in on March 5, and the firm received the directive to represent Ghana 10 days later.
But ruling on the matter on June 8, 2021, the court had no sympathies. It said the excuses were unreasonable and “intrinsically weak.”
Gbevlo-Lartey’s post seems to suggest that the Attorney General, who most Ghanaians have tagged as ‘Local Champion’ would have won the case if the matter was sent to the Supreme Court.
Most Ghanaians are of the view that the confidence in the Judicial Service in Ghana is fast dwindling, following the verdict of the Supreme Court on the 2020 election petition.