Calls for Betty Mould’s arrest “baseless” – Ato Dadzie

It is “baseless” to prosecute former Attorney General Betty Mould-Iddrisu over the Ghc51.2 million judgement debt paid businessman Alfred Woyome, her legal team has argued.

According to Nana Ato Dadzie, who is the lead counsel for the under fire National Democratic Congress (NDC) national executive, the ex-principal legal advisor of the government “committed no crime” and cannot be held liable for the judgement debt.

“This is a democracy; everybody can have a say – both lawyers and non-lawyers, people who have read the judgment, people who have not read the judgment, people who understand law, people who do not understand law, knowledgeable lawyers and lawyers who are even deliberately distorting facts and the law – they are all making their comments,” Dadzie told Accra-based Citi FM.

Mrs Mould-Iddrisu and her deputy Mr Ebo Barton-Oduro paid Ghc51.2 million as judgement debt to Woyome for an illegally terminated contract he had with the Government.

Mrs Mould-Iddrisu ordered the payment of the money in full, despite a directive by the Court for the money to be paid in three installments, while Mr Barton-Odro argued that the state did not put up a defence at the time because the state had a bad case.

An Accra High Court on Thursday acquitted and discharged Mr Woyome of charges concerning causing financial loss to the state and defrauding by false pretences.

Deputy Attorney General Dr Dominic Ayineh has hinted the Ministry of Justice is considering charging Mould-Iddrisu and Barton-Odro, but no definite official decision has yet been taken on that consideration.