STATESMAN OPINION: Ghanaians Should Not Reward NDC�s �Create, Loot And Share�

The Attorney General’s decision to discontinue the Alfred Woyome case confirms only one thing: the Mahama government cannot be trusted to retrieve the GHC51 million judgment debt wrongfully paid the businessman.

Development following the Supreme Court’s ruling in 2014, ordering Mr Woyome to refund the monies paid him clearly show that the lackadaisical disposition of the AG has been influenced by President Mahama and the NDC government.

Like many well-meaning and discerning Ghanaians, we at the Daily Statesman are, however, not surprised at the decision by President Mahama and his government shield Mr Woyome from coughing back the money paid him under bizarre circumstances.

After all, a former Attorney-General Martin Amidu, who had shown a clear commitment to retrieve the money, was dismissed by the NDC government.

Mr Amidu’s persistent criticism of the corrupt practices that had engulfed the Mahama administration and his accusations that President Mahama and his government were shielding cronies who had engaged in corrupt acts have been largely confirm by the A-G’s decision to discontinue the Woyome case.

The disposition of the AG leaves more questions than answers in this Woyome case and as stated by OccupyGhana in their statement on Wednesday, November 1, “the timing of the request makes it sinister, suspecting that the A-G’s request has been necessitated by a threat issued by the businessman that he would reveal all the individuals who benefited from the judgment.”

We know that had the process been allowed to go on, Mr Woyome would have been compelled to reveal the names of all persons who benefited from the money fraudulently paid him.

But President Mahama and the NDC, sensing how the effect might damage the fortunes of the party in the upcoming elections, ostensibly, decided to put pressure on the A-G to chicken out of the case.

It is clear that this government and its Attorney-General are either scared of Mr Woyome or do not have the moral courage to pursue him for our money.

President Mahama’s fight against corruption has been appalling, to say the least, and this was confirmed by one of the nine-member panel who ruled on the Woyome case, Justice Jones Dotse. He described the GH¢51.2million dole-out to Mr Woyome as a carefully orchestrated plan by some individuals, companies and lawyers to engage in “create, loot and share” enterprise.

Justice Dotse’s observation was trumpeted some time ago by the founder of the NDC, Flt. Lt. JJ Rawlings, who insisted that the A-G presented a poor case just to protect some people in government.

A senior NDC official, Tony Aidoo, also wondered why the NDC government could not ensure refund of dubious judgment debts with the same alacrity as it doled out the taxpayers’ monies.

The Mahama government has made it clear that it is not ready to fight corruption, which remains the major bane of the nation’s development. In this election year, let us all join hands and say a big no to corruption. Let’s arise for change because ‘create, loot and share’ cannot be rewarded.