Selormey's Sentence Reduced

Accra, June 16, GNA - The Court of Appeal on Monday dismissed an appeal filed by Victor Selormey, former Deputy Finance Minister, against his conviction and sentence but reduced his sentence from eight to six years.

When an Accra Fast Track Court last December 10 found Selormey guilty on two counts of defrauding the state by false pretences and wilfully causing financial loss to the state, it sentenced him to four years on each count to run consecutively.

This in effect meant that Selormey was jailed for eight years.

Sitting on his appeal on Monday, the three-member panel of the Court of Appeal presided over by Mrs Justice Sophia Adinyira ruled that it was enhancing the sentence on both counts to six years, but that they were to run concurrently.

This in law meant that, even though the court dismissed his appeal as being unmeritorious, by enhancing the sentence to six years on each of t! he two counts, by making them to run concurrently, it had in effect reduced the sentence from eight to six years.

The two other panel members on Selormey's appeal were Mr Justice R.T Ayinakwa and Mr Justice E.K Piasare.

Mr Johnny Quarshie-Idun and Mr Barima Manu represented Selormey.

The Fast Track Court presided over by Mr Justice Sam Glenn Badoo sentenced Selormey to eight years' imprisonment with hard labour when he was found guilty on the two counts of defrauding by false pretences and wilfully causing financial loss of an amount of 1.2975 million dollars to the state.

In addition, Selormey was to pay a fine of 10 million cedis each on the two counts and in default serve additional 12 months.

The court ordered that the state should take civil action to recover the amount from Selormey and Dr Frederick Owusu Boadu of Leebda Corporation in Texas in the United States (US).

Mr Justice Baddoo, an Appeal Court Judge, who sat as an additional High Court Judge, in his summing up said the defence put up by Selormey did not give answer to the charges against him.

The court said the CD-ROM and a contract do! cument, which he signed with Dr Boadu for provision of consultancy services, "was intended to throw dust into the eyes of the court".

The court said there was enough evidence that there was no contract signed between the Ministry of Finance and Leebda for the provision of consultancy services for the Court Computerisation Project of the Judicial Service.

Mr Justice Baddoo said it was on record that no work was done in respect of the contract, which Selormey signed with Dr Boadu and added that the CD-ROM was never mentioned in the contract.

"Selormey's defence that the CD-ROM was produced as a result of the contract cannot, therefore, be reasonably probable."