The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has clarified that the Trafigura judgment debt is not a new development, emphasizing that no recent US court ruling has been made against Ghana.
Mr. Dame explained, that recent reports about the award in question date back to 2021. Since then, the government has been responsible for the payment and has been making efforts to fulfil this obligation.
According to him, the company’s recent move to seek enforcement orders in other jurisdictions is due to the government’s incomplete payment, not because of a new judgment or ruling from any court or tribunal.
“This award was given way back in 2021, and the government since then has had the obligation to pay, and indeed they have been making efforts to pay. It is the failure to exhaust payment which has led to the company seeking enforcement orders in other jurisdictions. It is not the case where there has been a new judgment or a fresh award given by any court or any tribunal anywhere.”
He further dispelled misconceptions that a new judgment debt had been issued.
“The notion circulating today that another judgment debt or a new US court ruling has been issued against the government of Ghana is incorrect. No US court has issued a new judgment. The enforcement order is tied to the failure to fully pay a judgment debt awarded in January 2021.”
The Attorney General’s clarification follows reports indicating that a District of Columbia Court in the United States had ordered the Ghanaian government to pay over $111 million, including post-judgment interest after a Motion of Judgment was granted in favour of the Ghana Power Generation Company (GPGC).
