Sherry Ayittey to be set free?

...Star Witness Gone For Good

Former Managing Director of the Ghana Rubber Estates Limited (GREL) and star witness in the case involving the National Treasurer of the 31st December Womens Movement (DWM), Ms Sherry Ayittey and three others, who is believed to be currently out of town may not come back. His failure to turn up in court on Monday to continue with his cross-examination led to the adjournment of the case to October 16, 2002. But whereas prosecution say they have not been able to make contact with him, Mr. Lee Ocrah, wife of Saterieh Ocran, fourth accused in the case and a Member of the DWM appears to be privy to the whereabouts of the former GREL Boss.

He told journalists after the court’s sitting on Monday that Mr Popelar had gone to his home country and might not come back after all. Mr Popelar, he confidently said, has sold all his property in Takoradi where he lived with his Ghanaian wife. The Swiss made his intention to travel known to the Fast Track Court at its sitting in February when he explained that his wife and children were all in Europe and there was the need to visit them.

If there should be an iota of truth in the allegation by Mr. Ocran, then the prosecution would be hard pressed to prove its case relying only on Dr Alfred Owusu Banafo, a key figure in the case. Scores of people who called the Evening News office suspected foul play after the publication of a first story that the case has been adjourned due to the Prosecution’s inability to trace Mr. Popelar.

Others however were of the opinion that he could be brought back through the collaboration of INTERPOL. But the question begging an answer is whether a witness in any case could be forced or arrested to come and testify if they felt otherwise.

Mr. Popelar in his evidence back in February said that GREL was at the verge of collapse in 1998 when he arrived in the country as a Financial Controller. He said that the company was however bailed out by the French government through a loan facility. He said sometime in 1998, there were two advertisements in the Ghanaian Times on the divestiture of GREL.

Based on that, the Societe Industrielle Plantation Hevea (SIPH) expressed interest by writing to the Divestiture Implementation Committee but SIPH did not receive any response. Consequently, its President Alain Docut visited Ghana in 1994 and met with Mr. P. V. Obeng, former Presidential Advisor to express their interest.

Mr. Popelar made startling revelation about falsifying GREL account records to take away billions of cedis to the DWM to influence it in the divestiture of GREL. He said some of the monies were paid by him directly to Sherry Ayittey and others through Dr Banafo in whose accounts in Austria 150,000 pounds was paid to the NGO.