FBI Investigated Quality Grain ...

....Star Witness Tells Fast Track Court

Mr Theophilus Cudjoe, witness for the prosecution in the on-going Quality Grain trial, yesterday told the Fast Track Court that in the course of his investigations into the case, it came to his knowledge that in 1999 the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) of the United States had investigated the company and its Chief Executive, Mrs Julian Cotton.

Cudjoe told the court that through the assistance of the FBI, he obtained a loan agreement of the Quality Grain company and other documents which were duly covered and certified.

He said apart from his personal investigation, he had contacted other investigative agencies for assistance on the Quality Grain case.

The defence team vehemently protested when the witness pulled out a massive volume of documents from a box beside him in a bid to tender them in evidence.

The grounds of the protestation by the defence team was that the prosecution was treating them unfairly by not giving them copies of documents they wanted to tender in advance for them to study.

The defence contended that Article 19 of the 1992 Constitution stipulates that every accused person must be given sufficient time to prepare his defence.

They explained that it was essential for them to study every document before they were admitted ,contending that the time given them in court was not sufficient enough for them to study those voluminous documents.

However, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr. Osafo Sampong, said that legally he was not bound to give copies of his documents to the defence team in advance, explaining that the accused persons are facing a summary trial and not one on indictment where prosecution is obliged by law to make all relevant documents in the case available to the defence.

The court presided over by Justice Kwame Afreh urged the prosecution to make copies of the documents available to the defence .

He then adjourned the case to Thursday for the prosecution to make copies of the voluminous FBI report available to the defence team.

Those on trial are Mr. Ibrahim Adam, Dr. Samuel Dapaah , former Director of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture , Kwame Peprah former Minister of Finance , Dr George Sipa Yankey, Nana Ato Dadzie, former Chief of Staff and Kwasi Ahwoi, Chief Executive of the Ghana Promotion Centre.

Meanwhile the former deputy Minister of Finance, Victor Selormey dissatisfied with the Court of Appeal ruling, has proceeded to the Supreme Court to challenge the Court of Appeal decision.

One of the counsel for Selormey, Mr. Kwaku Baah, yesterday formally announced this new development to the court, saying that notice of the appeal has been filed at the Supreme Court.

He, however, agreed with the trial Court Judge, Justice Samuel Baddoo, that the defence team has erred by filing the stay of proceedings at the Court of Appeal which he said was a wrong forum.

Counsel, therefore, prayed the court for a short adjournment "to put our house in order," he said .

Justice Baddoo adjourned the case to October 16, saying that when a person is standing trial he must be given every opportunity to defence himself.

Selormey is accused of transferring 1.2 million dollars to Dr. Fredrick Boadu of Leebda Corporation in Texas in the United States.