A prosecution witness in the ongoing Sky Train trial has confirmed and tendered multiple email exchanges involving members of the Board and Investment Committee of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF), which repeatedly referenced the Accra Sky Train project.

This came despite his earlier testimony that the project was discussed only once at board level.

According to a TV3 news report, Yaw Odame-Darkwa, a former GIIF board member and chair of its Audit Committee, produced the emails during the fourth day of cross-examination at the High Court in Accra.

This followed a court directive requiring him to retrieve, authenticate and submit the correspondence.

Sky Train Case: AG first witness ordered to produce 16 emails

On the third day of cross-examination, Odame-Darkwa, who is appearing as a prosecution witness, was permitted to verify emails presented to him by counsel for the first accused, who challenged his claim that the project had been introduced only once to the board.

After reviewing the documents, the witness confirmed the authenticity of at least 16 emails exchanged between July and September 2018 among board and Investment Committee members.

The emails, many accompanied by attachments, meeting agendas and investment memoranda, were admitted into evidence without objection.

Several of the emails made specific reference to the Accra Sky Train project and were circulated ahead of scheduled Investment Committee meetings, alongside other GIIF projects including the Safari Hotel, Woodfields Tank Farm and Mahama Hotel.

Also admitted into evidence were minutes from an Investment Committee meeting held on July 31, 2018, which recorded a presentation on the Sky Train Monorail Project.

The minutes indicated that committee members expressed support for the project but requested additional information before any recommendation could be forwarded to the GIIF Board.

During cross-examination on December 15, Odame-Darkwa acknowledged that he could not confirm whether a subsequent Investment Committee meeting scheduled for September 28, 2018, actually took place.

He further admitted that he did not review Investment Committee minutes before giving statements to investigators at the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) in March 2025 or before submitting his witness statement to the court.

Nonetheless, the witness maintained that the Investment Committee never formally recommended the Sky Train project to the Board, insisting that this position was consistent with the minutes tendered in court.

The court also admitted into evidence excerpts from the 2021 Auditor-General’s report on GIIF and the Fund’s 2019 audited financial statements. These documents confirmed Odame-Darkwa’s role as Audit Committee chair at the time and carried the signatures of the former Board Chair and Chief Executive Officer.

The trial involves former GIIF Board Chair Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi and former Chief Executive Officer Solomon Asamoah, who are facing charges including causing financial loss to the state and dissipation of public funds over a US$2 million payment made for the Sky Train project.

Prosecutors contend that the payment was made without board approval and that no work was carried out.

AK/AM