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The African Court on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) has ordered Ghana to suspend all efforts to retrieve the GH₵51.2 million judgement debt paid to businessman, Mr Alfred Agbesi Woyome, until the court determines an appeal filed by the businessman.

Woyome had filed an application at the ACHPR in response to the Supreme Court’s judgement on July 29, 2014 that ordered him to pay the GH₵51.2 million on the grounds that he got the money out of unconstitutional and invalid contracts between the state and Waterville Holdings Limited in 2006 for the construction of stadia for CAN 2008.

He prayed the ACHPR to halt all processes seeking to execute the Supreme Court’s July 29, 2014 judgement until his case was determined by the African Court.

In a unanimous ruling on November 24, 2017, the 11-member panel ordered Ghana to suspend the seizure of any property belonging to the businessman, “take all appropriate measures to maintain the status quo and avoid the property being sold’’ until the case was determined.

Per the ruling, “the court finds that the situation raised in the present application is of extreme gravity and urgency on the basis that should the applicant’s property be attached and sold to recover the 51, 283, 480.59 the applicant would suffer irreparable harm if the application on the merits is decided in his favour…”

They further ordered Ghana to report to it within 15 days “from the date of receipt of this order on measures taken to implement this order’’.