Law lecturer at a loss at why Woyome was charged with causing financial loss to state

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Parent Category: Justice & Security

Category: Law Reports

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06 June 2012

Law lecturer at a loss at why Woyome was charged with causing financial loss to state

A Senior Law Lecturer at the Faculty of Law of the University of Ghana, Dr Domnic Ayine is curious as to why embattled businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome has been charged with causing financial loss to the state since he is not a public official.

Mr Woyome was on Tuesday discharged of previous charges against him. He was rearrested and charged with defrauding the state by false pretense and causing financial loss to the state.

But Dr Ayine, who was speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show Wednesday, said “unless the law has been amended, the charge was meant for public officials who acted in a manner that caused financial loss to the state.”

He, therefore, wondered why Woyome had been slapped with that charge since he is a private citizen of the country.

The law lecturer however stated that “I would have to revisit the Statutes to find out whether there is any basis for that charge.”

Prosecutors say the charge was applied because Mr Woyome's act caused the state a loss.

Meanwhile Dr George Kpessa White, a Political Science Lecturer at the University of Ghana, added that unless opposition parties articulate options of dealing with the prosecution of Mr Woyome, government’s handling of the issue may not have negative political implications.

He suggested that government puts up a well resourced longer legal team to prosecute the matter and sanction a public education to explain the processes in the prosecution to Ghanaians since they have huge interest in the matter.

This, he said, will assure the people that the Attorney General's Department is not engaging in “a gimmick or game to delay the matter as much as possible.”

“We need to make sure due diligence is done to make sure that what the public is interested in, which is get the money back or get some form of justice as far as this case is concerned is achieved.”

Lecturer at the Institute of Professional Studies (IPS), Mr Godwin Adagewine concurred, saying: “it is politically wise that at least the public is given sufficient information as to what government is doing, as to what legitimate challenges government is facing…without necessarily giving information that may prejudice the proceedings” in court.

From: Dorcas Efe Mensah/Myjoyonline.com