FTC fixes Tsatsu's case for January 11

Accra, Dec. 21, GNA - A Fast Track Court in Accra on Tuesday fixed January 11 for mentioning, in the case in which Tsatsu Tsikata, Former Chief Executive of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), is charged with wilfully causing financial loss of 2.3 billion cedis to the State.
He is also charged with another count of "intentionally misapplying public property, contrary to Section 1(2) of the Public Property Protection Decree 1977 (SMCD140)". He has denied the charges. Tsatsu had been admitted to a 700 million-cedi self-recognisance bail.
The Trial Judge, Mrs Justice Henrietta Abban, Appeal Court Judge with additional responsibility as a High Court Judge, did not assign any reason for the adjournment.
The Former Chief Executive of GNPC and his legal team made up of Professor E.V.O. Dankwa and Major R. S. Agbenotor (rtd.) were present, while the State Attorneys were absent from Court.
The Court is to rule whether the Defence should continue to come to the Court to take a new date or it should wait until the Supreme Courts rules on an appeal the Defence had filed against an Appeal Court order asking Tsikata to go back to FTC to open his defence or go ahead with case.
The Defence case was that since the FTC could not hear the case, while the review for submission of no case and stay of proceedings was before the Supreme Court, it was being overburdened to come to the Court only to take a new date.
In March 2003, the FTC over-ruled the submission of no case Tsatsu filed and ordered that he should open his defence.
Tsatsu then filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal in November 2003, which was it dismissed on the grounds that it lacked merit and, therefore, ordered him to go back to the FTC to open his defence.
He then filed an appeal at the Supreme Court to challenge the Appeal Court's ruling. He is also seeking a relief from the Supreme Court to quash that decision and order, and to uphold his submission of "no case".