Court Rules Against Woyome

Attempts by the businessman, Alfred Agbesi Woyome, to stop the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) from carrying out investigations into the payment of GH�51.2 million judgement debt to him suffered a setback... ...yesterday when the Accra Fast Track High Court said it was too late to do anything to restrain EOCO. According to the court, EOCO had already concluded its investigations into the matter and submitted its report to the government, while Woyome was being prosecuted in another court over the same matter. �I am of the view that there is nothing left for this court to stop EOCO from doing. The matter should take its normal course,� Mr Justice A. K. Ofori-Atta, the judge, ruled. He added that having read the pleadings and the affidavits attached, the statements of case of the parties and submissions of their counsel, it was a well-known fact that EOCO had concluded its investigations and submitted its report and so there was nothing for the court to restrain EOCO from doing. Woyome had filed a motion on notice for interlocutory injunction against EOCO from carrying out investigations into suspected offences, including fraud, in the award and execution of contracts for the construction of stadia for CAN 2008. He had also sought an order to prevent EOCO from interfering with the High Court decision that handed him the judgement debt or publishing any report of its investigations. Although EOCO had, in its report, indicted Woyome and some present and past government officials, the court will go ahead and hear the case instituted by Woyome on its merit. Woyome�s argument had been that EOCO had no mandate to investigate the judgement of a court. At the court�s sitting yesterday, the judge said it was common knowledge that Woyome had been hauled before a criminal court and, therefore, wanted to know the effect the court�s ruling would have on the matter. At that juncture, the judge wondered what he could stop EOCO from doing, since what the action intended to curtail had already been carried out. He said under the circumstance, the court did not have jurisdiction to stop the other proceedings at the court with which it had concurrent jurisdiction. �I want you to satisfy me with anything that I should do to stop EOCO because I cannot stop it from prosecuting the applicant,� he said, and wondered how the court could stop a publication which was already in the public domain.