General News of Thursday, 1 March 2012

Source: Daily Guide

Woyome Grabs ¢1bn Land

Evidence has emerged about some of the payments made by the self-acclaimed financier of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Alfred Agbesi Woyome, to known political figures including former Deputy Minister of Education and Sports, Osei Bonsu Amoah.

Documents available to Daily Guide indicate that Mr Woyome had taken possession of 20 plots of land bought from the Chief of Kitase, near Aburi, Nana Kwasi Ankrah III, at the cost of GH¢100,000 (¢1billion), through OB Amoah, who was acting as the representative of the chief.

Mr Woyome is yet to finish the payments but had moved on to the land, digging boreholes for his intended water business.

Nana Kwasi Ankrah had received over GH¢70,000 from Woyome as part payments for the land while the chief continued to prepare the documents covering the 20 plots.

Mr Amoah, the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Aburi-Nsawam constituency in the Eastern Region, was recently arrested and detained overnight on the allegation that he received an amount of GH¢75, 000 from Mr Woyome who is being investigated by the police for allegedly defrauding the State.

The police CID is yet to prefer any charges against Mr Amoah.

Daily Guide has stumbled on some documents detailing the land transaction between Woyome’s company, Anator Holding Company Limited, East Legon, Accra and the Kitase chief. All the documents are copied to OB Amoah.

Some of the documents also captured the essence of the money paid to Mr Amoah. The Aburi Nsawam MP received the money on behalf of Nana Kwasi Ankrah for a land for the water project Woyome purchased from the chief using Anator Holding Limited.

In one of such correspondences dated March 21, 2011, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Anator Holding, Kojo Mattah, wrote to the MP in which he referred to a meeting on March 8, 2011, noting, “At the meeting, it was agreed that Anator Holding Company Limited will make a payment of GH¢10, 000 as payment for two plots of land offered for sale by Nana Kwasi Ankrah, pending the completion and execution of title deeds in respect of the said land.”

He attached copies of documents given to the company by the chief in support of his ownership of the land and sent it to the MP.

Mr Mattah asked the MP, who is a lawyer by profession, to “please offer a written legal opinion of the attached” and also pleaded with him to conduct a search at the Lands Department to ascertain the validity of the documents on the land which included a site plan, indenture, court judgment and a letter of confirmation.

OB Amoah said he put in the search request for Woyome’s company in a letter dated April 4, 2011 on the letterhead of his law firm, Legal Allies Company Limited and sent it to the Eastern Regional Lands Commission in Koforidua.

The results were communicated back to him on April 15, 2011 and signed by the Assistant Lands Officer, Osei Owusu Peprah.

In another letter dated May 19, 2011, the Chief of Kitase, Nana Kwasi Ankrah, dully acknowledged receipt of an amount of GH¢40, 000 from OB Amoah, stating, “I have received from Hon. O.B Amoah the sum of Forty Thousand Ghana Cedis as an agent for Anator Holding, being the purchase of a piece of land for Anator Holding situated at Kitase/Peduase in Akuapim South district in the Eastern Region of the Republic of Ghana on this day 19/05/2011”.

Earlier, the chief had also acknowledged the receipt of GH¢20,000 as part payment for the said land on May 5, 2011.

This goes to confirm that OB Amoah indeed received some monies from Woyome and his company, Anator Holding, for onward payment to the Chief of Kitase for the purchase of land for the water project.

According to Woyome, what was stalling the full operation of the water company was the inability to get full documents for the acquisition.

“It is just that the absence of a conveyance and proof of the title in our name is stalling all our efforts in applying for various permits to start the factory we intend building on the land.

We have placed an order for equipment and we must, as of necessity, avoid the situation where the equipment will arrive when we do not have a factory building ready for their installation. “It is in this regard that we are appealing to you to treat as urgent the matter needing your attention for the conveyance of the land to us,” a letter dated June 24, 2011 and signed by Kojo Mattah said.

Mr Mattah, until recently the CEO of Anator Holding, is said to have been relieved of his position.