Abodakpi’s case adjourned to Dec 16

THE Fast Track High Court in Accra has adjourned to December 16 the case in which Daniel Abodakpi and Victor Selormey are being tried for their alleged involvement in the Science and Technology Park/Valley case.

This was after further cross-examination of Mr Philip Baffour Awuah, chartered accountant and a prosecution witness, by Mr Charles Hayibor, counsel for Abodakpi.

Abodakpi, former Minister of Trade and Industry, and Selormey, former Deputy Minister of Finance, are being tried on seven counts of conspiracy to commit crime, defrauding by false pretences and wilfully causing a total loss of ?2.73 billion to the state.

They have pleaded not guilty and the court, presided over by Mr Justice S. T. Farkye, an Appeal Court judge, sitting as an additional High Court judge, has granted each of them a self-recognisance bail in the sum of ?3 billion.

Witness told the court that he could not contact the accused persons during the auditing exercise because they were no longer in office.

Asked by counsel if he stated in his audit report that he could not contact the accused persons during the auditing exercise, witness replied in the negative. Witness also said that he did not furnish the accused persons with the audit report.

Witness disagreed with a suggestion by counsel that he did a “jaundiced” audit report. The court did not accept a copy of a loan agreement between Ghana and Saudi Arabia, which did not bear the signature of a witness, which the defence wanted to tender to prove that not all agreements are witnessed.

At the last sitting on November 18, witness said that during the audit exercise, it was found that in August, 2000, Selormey authorised the Prudential Bank and ECOBANK to transfer $100,000 each into the local account of Dr Frederick Owusu Boadu as payment for feasibility studies carried out in respect of the project.

Witness said that the Prudential Bank replied that it could not effect the transfer due to financial constraints, while ECOBANK effected the transfer.

According to Mr Awuah, the document, purported to be a contract between the Ministry of Trade and Dr Boadu, did not have a witness.

Witness said that the Gateway Secretariat also had no knowledge of the project. Asked by the defence if he was specifically assigned by the Auditor General to carry out the assignment, witness said that it was at the instance of the “National Security Office”.