Woyome released on bail

February 18, 2012 (Front page)

ALFRED Agbesi Woyome, the businessman at the centre of the GH¢51.2 million judgement debt saga, was yesterday released on bail, following his ability to meet reviewed bail conditions set out by the Financial Division of the Fast Track High Court.
The bail was reviewed from GH¢54 million with two sureties to be justified to GH¢20 million with three sureties to be justified.
Woyome, according to one of his lawyers, Alhaji Musah Ahmed, got home around 6 p.m. yesterday to rejoin his family after spending 336 hours in lawful custody.
Alhaji Ahmed explained that the justification provided was more than GH¢20 million.
Counsel stated that sureties for Woyome had to go through vigorous processes of having documents tendered to be authenticated at the Lands Commission and other relevant government agencies.
He said a valuation report was produced for all the three sureties before Woyome was allowed to go home.
Woyome has been in custody since February 3, 2012 after he was picked up by armed security men in traffic around 1 p.m. for questioning on the circumstances leading to the award of GH¢51.2 million judgement debt to him.
He was remanded on February 6, 2012 and granted bail in the sum of GH¢54 million with two sureties to be justified on February 13, 2012 but he could not meet the bail terms.
Following that, his lawyers applied for a review of the bail.
The court, presided over by Mr Justice John Ajet-Nasam, reviewed the bail conditions after two lawyers had assisted one of Woyome’s lawyers, Mr Robertson Kpatsa, to submit the application for variation of the earlier bail.
At the court’s sitting on Thursday, Mr Addo Atuah and Mr Yonny Kulendi, lawyers for Nerquaye-Tetteh and his wife and Asimenu, had put up lucid and compelling arguments which convinced the trial judge to reduce the GH¢54 million with two sureties to be justified bail condition to GH¢20 million with three sureties to be justified.