Witness in Quality Grain case apologizes

Mr Ernest Asiedu Amoa-Awuah of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, on Tuesday apologized to the court for an earlier evidence in which he had claimed that the letters containing his findings about Quality Grain Company in the United States, which were addressed to some of the accused persons got to them.

This was after he admitted during cross-examination that he was not in a position to have known whether or not the letters actually got to them even though they were mailed and dispatched from the foreign Affairs Ministry.

He also apologized for assuming in his evidence for the prosecution, that Kwesi Ahwoi and Dr Samuel Dapaah, both accused persons, were actually at post as the Chief executive of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre and Chief Director of the ministry of Food and Agriculture respectively at the time the letters were sent and addressed to them.

Mr Amoa-Awuah rendered the apologies after concluding his evidence for the prosecution and was being cross-examined by the defence at Tuesday’s sitting on the Quality Grain Company trial.

Two former Ministers of Agriculture and Finance, Ibrahim Adam and Kwame Peprah, are being tried together with four senior public officials, including Nana Ato Dadzie, former Chief of Staff of the Office of the President, and Dr George Yankey, a former director at the Ministry of Finance.

They are facing charges of conspiracy and causing financial loss of 22 million dollars and ?3 billion to the state.

The accused persons have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Counsel for Dr Dapaah had submitted that his client was neither the acting Chief Director technically nor had he held that post at the time the witness claimed to have sent the letters.

Counsel also submitted that the witness never carried out any findings or wrote any report on the Quality Grain Company in the United States.

Mr Amoa-Awuah contended that he was not aware that Dr Dapaah, had never held the post of acting Chief Director technically at the Ministry of Agriculture, since the letter was addressed to the acting Chief Director.

He, however, insisted that he (Amoa-Awuah) conducted a research on Quality Grain and also wrote a report on the findings, which he sent through the Foreign Affairs Ministry to various Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

Counsel for Kwesi Ahwoi also submitted that his client was not employed at the GIPC in 1992 when the letters were purported to have been sent to the centre, stating that Kwesi Ahwoi was employed in 1994.

Mr Amoa-Awuah apologized for the wrong assertion.