JUST IN: Alfred Woyome loses his case at African Court (VIDEO)

Embattled businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome has lost his case at the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights in Tanzania.

The court unanimously dismissed his case against the Republic of Ghana.

The court said Woyome’s right to non-discrimination, right to equalilty before the law, equal protection before the law and his right to be heard by an impartial tribunal had all not been violated.

Background

Woyome filed a case at the African Court on Human and People’s Rights in Tanzania in 2017, a day after his petition at the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) was thrown out.

His lawyers claimed that their decision to go to the Court is in respect of an abuse of the human rights of his client.

Woyome argued that a Supreme Court judge Justice Dotse had made some personal remarks against him when he brought the controversial judgment debt saga to the Supreme court for constitutional intepretation and therefore his rights were violated.

Justice Dotse made personal opinion on a non-constitutional matter when he stated Mr Woyome had “entered into an alliance to create, loot and share the resources of this country as if a brigade had been set up for such an enterprise.”

That comment in July 2014 went viral.

Woyome alleged at the African court in May 2018, that this comment denied him the right to be heard by an impartial tribunal as he lost the constitutional case at the Supreme Court.

He pointed to the guarantees of this right as stated under Article 7 of the African Charter, a document which forms the basis of the African Court of Human and Peoples’ Right.

But the African Court ruling on this matter said Justice Dotse although he wrote the lead judgment on the constitutional matter, he was only one of the 11 judges.

“The court is of the opinion that a single judges’s remarks cannot be considered sufficient to taint the entire bench. Furthermore, the applicant has not illustrated how the judge’s remarks at the ordinary bench later influenced the decision of the review bench”

The Arusha-based court also found that the “the applicant has not demonstrated or substantiated how he has been discriminated against or treated differently” under Article 2 and 3 of the Charter.

The judge,also said it could not heed to the applicant’s request for reparations because no violation had been established. “The issue of reparation does not arise” she said.

”Consequently, the applicant’s prayer for reparation is dismissed”, the court said and also decided not to award cost to any party.

Supreme Court ruling

The Supreme Court of Ghana on June 27, 2019 ordered the Attorney-General to sell properties of Ghanaian business guru Alfred Woyome to defray a ¢51.2m debt he owes the state.

The Supreme Court said the ¢51.2m judgement debt was wrongfully paid him in 2009.

Assets to be sold include two houses at Trassaco Estate, a house at Kpehe, a stone quarry, plants and equipment at the stone quarry.

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• JUST IN: Alfred Woyome loses his case at African Court (VIDEO)
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