Quality Grain case continues

Mr Joseph G Amamoo, a former Financial and Fiscal Policy Adviser at the Ministry of Finance, on Wednesday said sometime early last year, he advised the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) to prepare evaluation report on the Quality Grain Company to determine whether it was viable or a liability.

He said he gave the advice when the SFO was investigating Ibrahim Adam, former Minister of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) and four others on their role in approving loans for the company to establish a rice project at Aveyime in the Volta Region.

Mr Amamoo was giving evidence for Adam, first accused person in the Quality Grain trial, who is charged with conspiring with four others to wilfully cause financial loss to the state by getting the government to guarantee loans for the company without parliamentary approval.

Witness told the Fast Track Court (FTC) that he accompanied Adam to the SFO, where the Deputy Director in charge of Investigations, Mr Theophilus Cudjoe said he was investigating a matter of financial loss involving the company.

Mr Amamoo said it was at this stage that he suggested that an evaluation report should be prepared on the project before it could be determined whether it was a loss.

He said Mr Cudjoe allegedly told him that he would "make sure Adam and Kwame Peprah, (the third accused) were put in prison".

In cross-examination, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Mr Osafo Sampong asked him if he enquired from the SFO whether an evaluation report had been prepared, witness replied in the negative.

In an answer to a question, Mr Amamoo said he knew Mr Cudjoe was investigating the matter and that he was not a judge to determine whether those being investigated should be jailed

Witness said he did not know how the loans were approved for the company. However, all loans guaranteed by the government were prepared for the information of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Mr Amamoo said anything to the contrary attracted sanctions. Other accused persons are, Kwame Peprah, former Finance Minister, Dr Samuel Dapaah, Dr George Yankey and Nana Ato Dadzie, all former senior public officers.

They have all pleaded not guilty and each of them is on a self-recognisance bail. Hearing continues on Thursday, January 10.