A pressure group has petitioned the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to probe ex-president John Kufuor and his cabinet ministers for willfully causing financial loss to the state. The Coalition for Responsible Opposition (CROP) claims officials of the previous government flouted the procurement procedures in awarding contracts to an NDC financier Alfred Woyome leading to whopping financial loss to the state. Mr. Woyome only recently was awarded a judgement debt of ¢42 million by the court after he won a case against the state. He had sued the state under previous government for failing to award him a contract he won for the building of stadia for the CAN 2008 Nations Cup Tournament. Critics have accused the Attorney General’s Department for failing to defend the state and gleefully waiting to award the judgement debt on a silver platter to a party sympathizer, an allegation Woyome has been quick to rubbish. On Thursday, the Coalition for Responsible Opposition claims the judgement debt paid Mr. Woyome is a testament of the NPP government’s gross violation of the procurement laws of the country and must be held accountable for it. Its spokesperson Mr. Akyena Brentuo told Joy News the decision by “Mr Kufuor and his cabinet at the time to abrogate the contract for the rehabilitation of the Accra and Kumasi Stadia and the Construction of the of new stadia in Tamale, Sekondi Takoradi and Cape Coast on 22nd August 2005 was unlawful since it was duly awarded on Tuesday 9th August, 2005 by the central review board in accordance with the Procurement Act, 2005 to Vamed Engineering/Waterville, represented by Alfred Woyome.” According to him, the state through the negligence and “recklessness” of Mr. Kufuor lost a total amount of ¢100 million which would be surcharged on the consolidated fund. He said for a suffering nation like Ghana, actions like this which lead to needless loss of resources should not be countenanced and urged the EOCO to investigate the ex-president and his cabinet and bring to book. This, he noted, would be a useful lesson to all politicians to be more careful in their actions while in government. But a leading member of the NPP and a Member of Parliament for Manhyia, Mathew Opoku Prempeh has described the charge as “the most ridiculous story ever to have been contrived in Ghana.” This he alleged is “pure stealing” of the country’s scant resources. According to Opoku Prempeh the NPP did not ever award any contract to Woyome in person nor his company and wondered how- a man who has never been awarded contract could turn around, sue the state and win such a huge cost. He averred further the NDC guru did not tender in any bid whatsoever during the tendering process and challenged Woyome to name any minister under the Kufuor regime who awarded him the contract and later took it away from him. He explained however that Mr. Woyome was part of a company which tendered in its for the construction of the stadia but insisted Woyome did not own the company. He is convinced the charge by CROP is only a façade meant to crown “pure stealing and thievery” perpetrated against Ghanaians by Woyome and the government.