The State has filed a motion seeking an abridgment of time
The State has filed a motion seeking an abridgment of time to hear an application filed by Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, the second accused person, in the Skytrain trial.
On June 24, Prof. Akumfi filed a motion seeking the court to strike out the charge sheet, referring to the Supreme Court, or stay proceedings on grounds of substantive prematurity.
Dr. Justice Srem-Sai, the Deputy Attorney General, is praying the court to abridge the time for hearing Prof. Akumfi’s motion to July 3, 2025, instead of the original date of July 9, 2025.
He said the Attorney General’s office had already filed an affidavit in opposition to Prof. Akumfi’s motion.
In an affidavit in support of the motion, Dr. SSrem-Sai said Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi’s motion was filed in bad faith to delay proceedings.
He said the distant return date of July 9, 2025, would occasion an unreasonable delay in the trial, which was contrary to the constitutional command for a speedy trial.
He argued that abridging the time to July 3, 2025, would not occasion any miscarriage of justice to Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi, as he would have been fully prepared to move the motion.
Prof Ameyaw-Akumfi is standing trial alongside Solomon Asamoah, a former CEO of GIIF has been charged with willfully causing financial loss to the State, intentional dissipation of public funds, and conspiracy to commit a crime.
They pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
The former Board Chairman of GIIF was granted a bail sum of GH¢10 million with two sureties, one of whom is to be justified with landed property based in Greater Accra.
The accused is to deposit his passport and all other travel documents at the court and report to the Police.
Mr Asamoah was earlier granted a GH₵15 million bail with two sureties, all to be justified with a registered land or property located in the Greater Accra Region.
The sureties were to deposit copies of their Ghana cards and digital addresses at the Registry of the Court.
He is to deposit his two passports (Ghana & United Kingdom) at the Registry and report to the Police every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday until the determination of the case.
The charges were filed under Section 23(1) and Section 179A(3)(a) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), relating to a two-million-dollar payment made in 2019 to the Bank Account of the Africa Investor Holdings Limited in Mauritius.
The amount was for the feasibility studies for the development of an urban sky train system in Accra, a project that was never started.
The State said the payment was made in February 2019 without the necessary board approval for either the share acquisition or the disbursement of the funds.
It said investigations had revealed that the decision to release the funds was made without due process.
Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi reportedly told investigators during his caution statement that he authorised the transfer based on a recommendation from the former Chief Executive Officer.
However, the accused persons have not been able to account for the missing two million dollars.
The Accra SkyTrain project was a proposed elevated light rail system aimed at reducing traffic congestion and air pollution in Accra, Ghana’s capital.
In 2018, the Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with AiSky Train Consortium of South Africa.
Following the completion of a feasibility study, in November 2019 the parties signed a build–operate–transfer concession agreement.
The company was to develop the system at an estimated cost of $2.6 billion with a capacity of 10,000 passengers/hour/direction.
It had a scope of 194 km, 5 lines (4 radial, 1 loop) with Aeromovel (fully automated, elevated) but it had some significant hurdles, though specific details are not provided.
The case has been adjourned to July 3, 2025, for a hearing of the motion filed by Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi.
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