Nana Addo to challenge judgment debt report
The 2016 Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has decided to challenge the findings made against him by the Judgement Debt Commission.
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Counsel for Nana Addo, Nana Asante Bediatuo told Accra based Citi FM on Monday that they have written to the Presidency for them to be furnished with a certified copy of the report so as to enable them seek redress in court without delay.
The report of the Judgement Debt Commission, which was headed by newly appointed Supreme Court Judge, Justice Yaw Apau was yet to published but some media houses have been serializing leaked copies of it.
Nana Addo, according to the reports has been accused of causing financial loss to the state in the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) drill ship scandal.
The ship was sold by the Kufuor administration to defray a $19.5 million judgment debt owed Societe-General Bank in 2001 at a time Nana Akufo-Addo was the Attorney General.
The report stated that Nana Addo’s failure to effectively defend the state led to the judgment debt.
“This Commission holds the view that the payment of US$19.5 million instead of the US$14 million earlier on agreed, constituted a financial loss to the Corporation and Ghana.”
The Justice Apau Commission, during its public hearings did not invite Nana Akufo-Addo to testify before it.
Therefore according to his counsel, Nana Asante Bediatuo, their option was to seek redress in the court.
Nana Bediatuo told Citi FM that they have written to the Commission to provide them with a copy of the official report for cross examination and explained that the decision has become necessary because the leaked report might not “actually be the proper one.”
He further pointed out that Nana Addo was not enthused about the report, especially when “there were some innuendo to that effect that he did not perform his work well and that led to financial loss of the state.”
“Nothing was said about the reason for debt and how it came about and so forth,” Nana Bediatuo stated.
“If indeed that investigation had been done, there will be no need to cast aspersions on people such as Nana Addo.”
According to him, Nana Akufo-Addo had expressed his willingness to help “ the Commission with its investigations, and arrive at its findings” but it failed to do so, and “went ahead to make scandalous allegations and findings against his client.”
“Anytime an accusation is made against anybody, that person should be given an opportunity to be heard. That principle of justice is something that you cannot depart from.”
credit: Citi FM