Judgment debt has become very common in the lexicon of politicians, social commentators, serial callers and the general public in recent times. It is as if this is the first time government is paying judgment debt. And as is to be expected the society is polarised on the payment of a judgment debt to Mr Alfred Abesi Woyome, said to be a National Democratic Congress (NDC) financier. Supporters of the NDC defend the payment by the government to Mr Woyome while opposition supporters cry foul over the payment and have called for the prosecution of Mr Woyome. As the debate rages on as to who has wronged the state, majority of the people are confused about the real state of affairs and who has caused financial loss to the state. Various pro-political groups have entered the fray demanding that this person or the other be made liable for the ‘gargantuan’ loss to the state. Already some casualties have been recorded. Mr Martin Amidu was fired as the Attorney General and Minister of Justice by the President for misconduct while Mrs Betty Mould-Iddrisu resigned as Minister of Education in the wake of the furore that greeted the payment. It is not clear whether the loss of cabinet portfolio by the two leading NDC personalities had anything to do with the payment of the judgment debt to Mr Woyome but it will not be out of place to suggest that the present circumstances of the two cannot be said to be unrelated to the Woyome saga. The firing of the former Attorney General and the resignation of the former Education Minister will not calm nerves over the payment of the judgment debt. Presently, the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) is investigating the matter although functionaries of the erstwhile Kufuor administration that had something to do with the award of contract for the construction of the Ohene Djan Sports Stadium, the Baba Yara Sports Stadium and El-Wak Sports Stadium have refused to co-operate with EOCO and proceeded to court to challenge the mandate of EOCO. Furthermore, two demonstrations have already hit the streets of Accra in support of Woyome and also against the payment to him. The question on the lips of many observers is that will the payment of the judgment debt claim other causalities? Last week the Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG) and another political grouping called on the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr Kwabena Duffuor to resign for his role in the payment of the judgment debt to Mr Woyome. In February 2010, Mr Woyome petitioned the government of Ghana to pay him an amount of 22,129,411.74 as professional fees for financial engineering executed towards sourcing money from Bank Austria for the Cup of Africa Nations 2008 stadia construction and associated projects. Correspondence making the rounds included those authored by Mr Woyome chronicling the processes he went through to secure the ‘contract’. Other documents also state contrary position to the claims by Mr Woyome and this position are canvassed mostly by minority groups. The worry is that someone should tell us the truth about the on-going Woyome saga. It is not my intention to cast doubt on the issues being raised by the parties in dispute but as a concerned citizen it is my expectation that the truth will emerge to bring a closure to the saga and allow us to concentrate on the task of nation building. Also, the Finance Minister has been accused of paying about GH¢58 million to Mr Woyome in 2010 when the evidence is to the contrary. A report carried in the Daily Graphic of January 14, 2012 quoted the Auditor General as saying that as per its report to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament, GH¢17 million was paid to Mr Woyome in 2010. Perhaps, those opposed to the payment of the money to Mr Woyome want to give everybody associated with the payment a bad name in order to hang them. If that was not the case one was at a loss as to why they want to implicate Dr Duffuor in this transaction. Those who have been privileged to lay hands on the numerous documentation on the tender for the construction of the stadia should be honest in commenting on their commentaries for after all, our elders say that “se woannyi maye a ensei me din” to wit if you will not commend or praise me do not tarnish my reputation. By now the commentators should have been informed about the role of Dr Duffuor to avoid payments that will be questioned by the auditors. On April 12, 2009, Dr Duffuor wrote to the then Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mrs Betty Mould-Iddrisu to clarify certain issues concerning the settlement of claims relating to the rehabilitation of the Ohene Djan, Baba Yara and El Wak Sports stadia. The correspondence from the Finance Minister to then Attorney General said that the ministry has in its possession a petition from Mr Woyome in which he made a claim of two per cent of the total value of the project and that one per cent was for Austro-Invest and one per cent for Woyome. The letter from Dr Duffuor states in part that “Our Accounts Office has raised a query on the supporting documentation of the claim. For audit purposes they require clarity and evidence on whether the claim is being made by the consortium that won the bid to conduct the financial engineering led by Mr Woyome jointly or separately. Kindly advice on the implication of this agreement and also provide us with any further documentation that substantiates Mr Woyome’s claim”. In response, the Attorney General said among other things that “The claim for two per cent of the total value of the project that Mr Woyome and Austro-Investment financially engineered which they have agreed should be paid to Mr Woyome is therefore in order, hence my recommendation that you authorise payment of the amount due. Your Ministry may, however, negotiate with Mr Woyome regarding the modalities for the payment of the amount due him”. Subsequent to this, the Attorney General again wrote to the Finance Minister in May 2010 saying that “In view of our failure to pay the negotiated amount of GH¢41,811,480.59, Mr Woyome initiated legal action against the Attorney General and the Ministry of Finance and obtained judgment on May 24, 2010”. It was gathered that the solicitors of Mr Woyome said that because they were compelled to take legal action to enforce what was due them, they would take in addition to the judgment debt half of the interest rounded to €5 million and cost. In effect, the solicitors of Woyome were insisting on the payment of the judgment debt of GH¢41,811,480.59, half of the amount of interest at €11,600,289.44 rounded to €5,000,000.00 and cost of GH¢25,000.00. The Attorney-General then advised that, “It is still my position that we pay Mr Woyome and Austro-Invest the negotiated amount of GH¢41,811,480.59”. Following the directive by the President to all those involved in the Woyome saga this year, the Finance Minister wrote to the Presidency explaining the circumstances leading to the payment. The Finance Minister’s correspondence stated among other matters that “In early 2010, the Honorable Attorney General informed his Ministry of a petition filed by Mr Woyome for payment of compensation for the cost of financial engineering on mobilisation of funds for the staging of the CAN 2008 football tournament.” It added that the Attorney General subsequently told the Ministry that a settlement had been reached with Mr Woyome and requested the Ministry to pay two per cent of the amount claimed (€1,106,470,587.00). Following the Ministry of Finance’s insistence for clarification from the Attorney General Mr Woyome was said to have gone to court to obtain judgment on May 24, 2010 in the sum of GH¢41,811,480.59 plus interest of Euro 5 million (GH¢9,447,000.00) and cost of GH¢25,000.00, giving a total of GH¢51,28,480.59. Base on the judgment obtained by Mr Woyome, the state had no option but to take steps to settle the debt although the Attorney General went to court to set aside the ruling but failed. Again towards the end of 2010, a pre-trial settlement conference had taken place and an understanding reached that the parties should attempt an out of court settlement. Furthermore, the Attorney General asked the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning to honour the terms of settlement including the balance of GH¢34,188,987.06. The Ministry of Finance then recognising the heavy financial burden on the public finances, negotiated a phased payment of the debt instalment. This was fullly settled between January 2011 and September 2011. According to the Ministry of Finance the breakdown of the instalment payment are outlined thus, January 27, 2011; GH¢10,000,000.00, April 8, 2011; GH¢10,000,000.00, and September 12, 2011; GH¢14,188,987.06 totalling GH¢34,188,987.06. Could Dr Duffuor, our Finance Minister refuse to pay Mr Woyome based on the order by the court? This will certainly amount to contempt of court. Going forward, it will be prudent for Dr Duffuor to make a public declaration on the Woyome saga to set minds at ease. For now public opinion appears to hold the view that all ministers of state involved in the issue are guilty no matter the explanation offered by the government. Those bent on crucifying the Ministers should explain to Ghanaians what their advice will be if a court of competent jurisdiction ordered them to pay a judgment debt. For now, it will be good for everybody to hold his or her peace and await the enquiry into the matter by the court and EOCO. But where are you, Dr Duffuor? Further explanation will be needed from you to provide the public with a better understanding of the issues surrounding the payment of the judgment debt. We should also not make mountain out of a mole hill, although, I concede that the use of public funds should be a subject for open discussions. Dr Duffuor is a man of little words but takes major actions as can be noticed by his handling of the economy which was on its knees at the time the Mils administration took office in January 2009. It is said that Dr Duffuor does not receive emoluments for his stewardship but he has not spoken publicly about this show of patriotism. Dr Duffuor, your silence is loud for comfort because if Ghanaians will not praise you for your good work, you have the responsibility to blow your own horn. That way you can prevent the situation where those who will not praise you, will also not assassinate your character or ruin your reputation built over years of dedicated public service as an astute banker rising to become the Governor of the Bank of Ghana in the 1990s. It is also important to caution commentators against impugning the motives of all those involved in the Woyome saga. Unless wrong doing can be established, it will be dangerous to call our Ministers of State names just on account of thier involvement in the payment of the judgment debt. These are fine and distinguished personalities who have paid their due to mother Ghana Maybe we are at this stage because of the exercise of indiscretion not only by some members of the NDC administration but also some personalities in the Kufuor government. That cannot be a criminal offence for goodness sake. A certain trend is again rearing its ugly head during this period and that is the tendency to paint our political opponents in bad light. I can bet my last pesewa that if Mr Woyome has not been perceived as an NDC financer, this matter would not have assumed the present ‘gargantuan’ proportion. This is not healthy for our public discourse. Let us remember that comments are free but facts sacred.