African Court hears Woyome's human rights case (LIVE VIDEO)

The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights has started the hearing of the case between Ghana and businessman, Mr Alfred Agbesi Woyome in Arusha, Tanzania.

Mr Woyome is represented at the court by Mr Osafo-Buabeng and Reynolds Twumasi whilst Ghana is represented by Mr Godfred Yeboah Dame, Deputy Attorney General and Mrs Dorothy Afriyie Ansah, a Chief State Attorney.

Watch proceedings at the court in the video below

Background

Mr Alfred Agbesi Woyome applied to the court arguing that his human rights were being trampled upon by Ghana in relation to the case in which he sued Ghana for abrogating a financial engineering services contract and was paid Gh₵51.2million.

The Ghana Supreme Court later ruled that there was no contract between Woyome and Ghana therefore ordered that he should refund the money.

But according to Mr Woyome, by not respecting the terms of the agreement, Ghana violated his rights and therefore he wants the African Court to help protect his human rights.

The African Court on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) in Tanzania, has asked Ghana to suspend all efforts to retrieve the GH₵51.2 million judgement debt paid to Woyome, until the court determines an appeal filed by him.

In a unanimous ruling on November 24, 2017, the 11-member panel ordered Ghana to suspend the seizure of any property belonging to the businessman, “take all appropriate measures to maintain the status quo and avoid the property being sold’’ until the case was determined.

Alfred Agbesi Woyome proceeded to the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights when government began a valuation of his properties in an attempt to retrieve GH₵51.2 million paid to him in a judgement debt.

The African Court is a continental court established by African countries to ensure the protection of human and peoples’ rights in Africa. It complements and reinforces the functions of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights.

The African Court was established by virtue of Article one of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Establishment of an African Court, (the Protocol) which was adopted by Member States of the then Organization of African Unity (OAU) in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, in June 1998. The Protocol came into force on January 25, 2004.