Akufo-Addo accused by Judgement Debt Commission of causing financial loss to the state

The Judgement Debt Commission headed by recently-appointed Supreme Court judge, Justice Yaw Appau, has accused Nana Akufo-Addo of helping cause financial loss to the state in the sale of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) drill ship.

The ship was sold by President John Kufuor’s New Patriotic Party(NPP) administration to defray a 19.5 million cedi judgment debt owed Societe-General Bank in 2001.

The commission accused Mr Akufo-Addo, who was Attorney-General at the time, of failing to defend the state in court – a development which the commission said led to a higher judgment debt than what Ghana would have paid.

“On the appointed date for the determination of the Corporation’s application, the Attorney-General who had taken over the conduct of the case from Bindman and Partners, failed to attend court. He again failed to draw the court’s attention to the fact that GNPC was on a settlement table with SG, notwithstanding the pendency of the matter before the court. In sum, the Attorney-General failed to make any appearance at all in the London High Court after he had written to GNPC’s external solicitors dispensing with their services as lawyers for GNPC in the case, the commission stated.

 “…this Commission holds the view that the payment of US$19.5 million instead of the US$14 million earlier on agreed, constituted financial loss to the Corporation and Ghana,” it added.