The Government of Ghana (GOG) has been given 30 days by the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) to respond to a case brought before it by businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome in which he is demanding a minimum of 100 million euros from the GOG for human right abuses!
Deep Throat sources within the Attorney-General’s Department have told the Daily Post that the Attorney-General, Gloria Akufo, was served yesterday by the ICC via DHL. An electronic version of the case has also been served on her.
The ICC in the notice served the A-G explained that Mr. Woyome who is being represented by Benjamin G Chew, Andrew Zimmitti and Rory E Adams of MANATT, PHELPS & PHILLIPS, of Washington DC in the United States of America filed the case at the ICC against the GOG on March 20, 2017.
“Pursuant to Article 4(2) of the ICC Rules of Arbitration (‘’Rules’’) in force as of 1 March 2017, this arbitration commenced on that date” the ICC said. The ICC added that “Your answer to the Request (‘’Answer’’) is due within 30 days from the day following your receipt of this correspondence (Article 5 (1)).
The ICC went on to demand 5 copies of Ghana’s response together with an electronic version, reminding the GOG that “If any of the parties refuses or fails to take part in the arbitration at any stage thereof, the arbitration will proceed notwithstanding such refusal or failure (Article 6(8)).
According to the ICC, the arbitration will take place in London in the United Kingdom and English will be the language in which it will be conducted.
“The amount in dispute currently is partially quantified at US$107,367,000 (i.e. EUR 100,000,000)” the ICC stated.
Mr. Alfred Woyome decided to go to the ICC after the Supreme Court of Ghana ordered him to pay back to government an amount of GH ¢51.2 million paid him by the GOG as judgment debt. This is in spite of the ruling of an Accra High Court which said he was innocent of charges of fraud and causing financial loss against the state brought against him by the GOG in respect of a judgment debt paid to him. The ruling of the High Court was unanimously upheld by the Court of Appeals where the Attorney-General, not satisfied with the ruling of the High Court, dragged the case to. The three Appeals Court judges, in unanimously endorsing the ruling of the High Court made it emphatically clear that the businessman deserved the money he was paid. Nevertheless, the Supreme Court, citing certain provisions in the constitution of Ghana says the contract for which Woyome was paid was null and void because the contract did not receive parliamentary approval. It therefore ordered him to pay back the GH 51.2 million.
Already, Waterville too is before the ICC against the GOG after the Supreme Court of Ghana, citing same constitutional provision ordered it to return US$25 million to the government which it was paid for contract executed.
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