$2m Skytrain trial: former CEO to call first witness

The former Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Infrastructure and Investment Fund (GIIF), Mr Solomon Asamoah, who is accused of causing $2 million financial loss to the state in the purchase of a Skytrain, is set to call his first witness to testify in the ongoing trial.

His co-accused, Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, the former Board Chairman of GIIF, would then invite his witnesses for cross-examination by state prosecutors.

Case Management Conference commenced on Monday and would be completed on Thursday, October 22.

The Supreme Court had already given the greenlight for the continuation of the case at the High Court, Accra, after it dismissed two applications—a certiorari and prohibition—to stop the trial and quash the entire criminal proceedings against them.

Mr Asamoah and Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi are currently on bail for allegedly causing financial loss to the state for approving payment of $2 million to a South African company without board approval.

On July 2, the High Court dismissed submissions of no case filed by the accused and directed them to, within 21 days, file their respective defences.

At the expiration of the 21 days, none of the accused filed their defence.

On July 30, the court gave the accused another 21 days within which to file their defences.

The court then adjourned to Monday, August 24, to conduct a case management conference for the defence, but the accused again failed to file their defence, prompting the court to give them a further extension to Wednesday, September 23, to file their defence.

The prosecution’s case is premised on the claim that the SkyTrain project did not receive approval from the GIIF board, the body responsible for the fund’s actions, omissions and liabilities.

Asamoah and Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi are facing six counts in all. Asamoah alone faces a separate charge of wilfully causing financial loss to the Republic, while Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi alone faces the same charge.

The two are further charged with conspiracy to commit a crime, namely intentional dissipation of public funds, with each again facing an individual charge of intentional dissipation of public funds, accounting for counts five and six on the charge sheet filed by the Attorney-General.

The prosecution, led by the Deputy Attorney-General, Dr Justice Srem-Sai, called three witnesses to support its case.

A former GIIF board member, Yaw Odame-Darkwa, told the court the board did not approve the transaction. He said a document in which Asamoah informed the board that “following the approval by the board, the sum of $2 million be invested in the SkyTrain project with GIIF as the anchor investor in return for a 10 per cent stake” was merely an update to the board and not an approval.

A former Board Secretary of the fund, Kofi Boakye, also told the court the board did not approve the SkyTrain project.

A staff officer of the National Intelligence Bureau, Francis Aboagye, who led investigations into the matter, corroborated the testimonies of the first two witnesses.

Counsel for the accused, Victoria Barth and Yaw Acheampong Boafo, had prayed the court to dismiss the case, arguing that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against their clients.

BY MALIK SULLEMANA

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