ICC throws out Woyome case; fails minimum requirement test

The International Court of Arbitration has thrown out a case business man Alfred Agbesie Woyome filed against the government of Ghana.

His case did not meet the preliminary requirements needed for a thorough investigation and adjudication.

In a ruling released, Thursday, a copy of which has been intercepted by Myjoyonline.com, the ICC said in part “the international Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce decided that this arbitration will not proceed “Article 6(4) and fixed the ICC administrative expenses at US$ 5,000.00, which is covered by the non-refundable payment already made by the claimant.”

Article 6(4) says “The arbitration shall proceed if and to the extent that the Court is prima facie satisfied that an arbitration agreement under the Rules may exist.”

Woyome is sweating to refund a 51 million cedis cash he fraudulently took from the government of Ghana under the late president John Mills in 2010.

He was paid the money in three tranches of 17 million cedis after he sued government for an abrogation of contract.

According to the business man, he had a contract with the erstwhile Kufuor administration to build stadia for the CAN 2008 tournament. However, he claimed that contract was illegally abrogated.

The claims by Mr Woyome were denied vehemently by functionaries of the then Kufuor government.

He filed the suit in 2009, a year after the NPP government had left office and under the NDC government, a government he is known to have financed to power. He won a judgement debt case.

The Attorney General, Betty Mould Iddrisu  at the time had failed to defend the state and Woyome was handed default judgement.

Even when the court instructed that only one tranche of 17 million be paid to Woyome until his case is exhausted, the Attorney General at the time Betty Mould Iddrisu is reported to have paid all the three tranches.

Betty Mould resigned but his successor Martin Amidu who filed a case of fraud against Woyome and demanded a refund of the money was dismissed by the late president John Mills.

As a citizen of Ghana, Amidu proceeded to the Supreme Court challenged the payment to Woyome and demanded a refund.

The court upheld the arguments and instructed Woyome to refund same in 2014.

More than three years after the instruction, Woyome is yet to fully honour his obligation to the state.

Instead, he filed a suit at the ICC insisting he had a case against the government of the Ghana. He filed the case on March 17, 2017.

Since then he has been in an out of court explaining how he expended the 51 million cedis why it has taken him too long to rfefund the amount.

On August 3, Woyome’s biggest hope of protecting what is left of the amount he took in 2010, which is the ICC case against government, has also disspitated with a ruling he will not be happy about.

It remains to be seen where he will go next.

Source:Myjoyonline.com