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The never-ending GhC 51 million judgment debt scandal has badly tainted the political image of President John Evans Atta Mills ahead of the 2012 elections, according to the latest Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) report. The March 2012 report of the EIU said although President Mills was swift in ordering the Economic and Organised Crimes Office (EOCO)to investigate the judgment debt payment to his embattled party financier, Alfred Woyome, �his [Mills] reputation has been badly damaged by the scandal.� Mr. Woyome, who is facing three charges of conspiracy to commit crime, defrauding by false pretense and corrupting public officials in the controversial GH�51 m judgment debt payment, is being tried alongside a Chief State Attorney of Ghana, Samuel Nerquaye-Tetteh and his wife as well as the legal director at the Ministry of Finance, Paul Asimenu. The ever popular case has been used to score political points by the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) on their political platforms resulting in a hit song dubbed �Woyome� that has engulfed the airwaves in Ghana. The EIU also forecast in its 24-page report that the December elections �are expected to be close� partly because the ruling �National Democratic Congress (NDC) [has] been harmed by intraparty squabbles.� It added: �Following the election period, whoever emerges as the victor will face a challenging policy environment as he attempts to manage the revenue and high expectations stemming from the start of production at the Jubilee oilfield. �Economic policy during the first half of the forecast period will centre on bringing down the fiscal deficit and repaying domestic arrears that have built up. However, as elections draw closer, fiscal discipline is expected to slip.�