Woyome Saga Smells Of A Conspiracy To Dupe Ghana – Kweku Baako

The Editor-In-Chief of the New Crusading Guide Newspaper, Malik Kwaku Baako, has minced no words in describing the GH¢52 million judgement debt paid to NDC financier Alfred Agbesi Woyome and the ongoing controversy surrounding the payment as “smelling of a conspiracy” by Woyome and Waterville to dupe the country.

He has also expressed his disappointment at the response or reaction given by President John Evans Mills regarding the controversial payment.

President Mills has been accused of virtually jumping to the defence of the beleaguered NDC guru in the on-going saga after stating in a recent interview that he (Mills) was not out to embarrass beneficiaries of judgment debts.

“When this case first broke, I was in the US and I ordered the two ministries involved, at the Attorney General’s Department and the Finance Ministry, to give me a report, a report which I wanted to be published so that the world would know what happened. But upon further thought, I thought that the issue is not whether the amount was paid, who paid it…. First of all, who incurred the liability?...I would want to tell the beneficiaries that I am not out to embarrass them -- NO…We have to find out who incurred the liability because if the court awarded the judgement or awarded the cost, whatever it is, it’s a way of saying that the beneficiary is entitled to it…Now, who made it possible for that beneficiary to be entitled to that amount?” President Mills told Radio Gold last December.

But contributing to discussions on Joy FM’s Newsfile program, Kweku Baako said he finds the president’s response to the whole issue “intriguing”.

To him, there was no liability in the Woyome case because the former Deputy Consul of Austria did not have any contract with the state.

“The president’s point about who incurred the liability; I find that very intriguing, it wasn’t an accurate response to the problem. There was no liability in the Woyome case because he didn’t have a contract with the state and even if there was any liability for Woyome, it should have gone to Waterville to pay and there is an indication that Waterville said they’ve paid him,” he said.

The Senior Journalist opined that “the whole saga smells of a conspiracy because there was even a case of disagreement between the two entities, Woyome and Waterville, with each challenging the other’s claims but they ended up compromising and coming up with something”.

Mr. Baako also raised issues of concerns regarding the directives to the Economic and Organized Crimes Office (EOCO) to investigate the Woyome saga. He pointed out that even though in principle he does not contest the constitutional integrity or legal mandate of EOCO, he has no confidence in their ability to "interrogate" issues fairly.

“I do not contest the constitutional integrity or the legal mandate of EOCO in principle but my problem with this EOCO as presently composed or led has been its practices in recent times; its behaviour like an unchained octopus, running to territories, uncharted territories creating problems. I developed a certain cynicism towards them especially during the GFA and IOC brouhaha and I do not want to sound like a hypocrite but at this stage, my confidence in EOCO’s ability to interrogate issues fairly is a bit suspicious,” Kweku Baako said.

In a related development, the embattled NDC financier has threatened to haul Mr Baako, New Patriotic Party head of Communications, Nana Akomea, and Samson Lardy Ayenini, host of Newsfile, to court for making disparaging remarks about him (Woyome).

Lawyers of Woyome sent a text message to Mr Ayenini whiles the programme was on-going about the legal threat. The message read: “We have been instructed by our client to send yourself, Kweku Baako and Akomea to court [this] coming week for the false claims that my client has conspired to dupe Ghana-Lawyers of Woyome.”