NPP is now a ‘judgement debt government’

A leading member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Tema East Constituency of the Greater Accra Region, Mr. David Agyemang, has characterized the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government as a “judgment debt government.

In a write-up responding to Ghana’s incurrence of another US$78million after it lost at arbitration in London following the termination of a Gas Supply Agreement with West Africa Gas Limited, Mr. Agyemang pointed out that the loss is extra evidence that the country’s Attorney General lacks competence.

“From borrowing to pay salaries, this government’s incompetence has entered a new dimension – judgment debts. Folks, we have a quintessential judgment debt government on our hands in Ghana,” Mr. Agyemang wrote.

He added, “the rate at which we are losing in courts and incurring judgment debts clearly show that our Attorney General is sleeping on the job too. Godfred Dame is becoming a judgment debt Attorney General.”

Mr. Agyemang’s take follows the government, within days losing two arbitrations over the termination of contracts with Independent Power Producers (IPPs) in international courts of arbitration.

On Thursday, it emerged that Ghana had been slapped with a US$78million judgment by the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) over the termination of the country’s Gas Supply Agreement with Nigerian company, West Africa Gas Limited (BVI).

And revelation of WAGL’s huge judgment debt comes even as conversation about an earlier US$170million judgment was awarded against Ghana by London Commercial Court of international arbitration in the country’s contract abrogation case with Ghana Power Generation Company (GPGC).

According to David Agyemang the string of judgment debts shows that the government has now become a danger to the public purse.

“If you come into office promising to protect the public purse but all we see is incurring judgment debts for us, it means that you the government yourself have become a danger to the public purse that you promised to defend,” he wrote.

Mr. Agyemang said the current state of affairs is unacceptable from the government of a party which made a gospel out of the Woyome judgment debt saga. “Alfred Agbesi Woyome was paid GHC51million which was about US$16million at the time and the NPP berated the Mills and Mahama government like angels. Today you are paying up to ten times what was paid Woyome. You have become the grandfather of the evil you pontificated against.”