Woyome re-arrested on fresh charges

An embattled businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome, who was set free this morning, has been re-arrested and leveled with two fresh charges.

He has been charged with defrauding by false pretense and causing financial loss to the State to the tune of GhC 51 million.

Mr. Woyome, who appeared calm in court, pleaded not guilty to all two charges. The judge ruled he should no longer report to the police.

His bail bond in the previous criminal case was used to substitute for the fresh charges.

The other persons involved in the case have all been discharged as the State Prosecutors filed a Nolle Prosequi on Tuesday morning – indicating that they are not interested in continuing the prosecution of the case.

Woyome, heavily touted as the financier of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) was standing trial with a former Chief State Attorney, Samuel Nerquaye-Tetteh, who was facing two counts of conspiracy and corrupting a public officer, the Director of Legal Services of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Paul Asimenu, and Gifty Nerquaye-Tetteh, Nerquaye-Tetteh’s wife, each facing one count of abetment of crime.

They all pleaded not guilty to the charges. Nerquaye-Tetteh and Asimenu were granted bail in the sum of GH¢6,000 each, with two sureties each. Mrs. Nerquaye-Tetteh was on a GH¢5,000 bail.

They were accused of wrongdoing in a controversial GhC 51 million judgment debt payment to Mr. Woyome.

Their arrest and subsequent prosecution followed an investigation by the Economic and Organised Crimes Office’s (EOCO) investigative report. The report indicted them including some past government officials under the Kufuor administration over a stadium rehabilitation and construction contract prior to the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations held in Ghana.

Mr. Woyome was accused in the report to have doctored official documents and colluded with officials to milk the State of that whopping sum, but he has vehemently denied any wrongdoing.

By Kent Mensah & Martin Asiedu-Dartey/Citifmonline.com/Ghana

Posted by admin on Jun 5 2012. Filed under Breaking News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry