Kwabena Adu-Boahene
The prosecution’s third witness in the trial of former Director-General of National Signals Bureau (NSB), Kwabena Adu-Boahene and his wife, Angela Adjei-Boateng, has told the court that her duties at Advantage Solutions Limited, a company belonging to the couple, did not border on criminal activities.
The witness, Mildred Donkor, who was a Director of the company and some others, confirmed to the court that the company, which has been charged alongside the couple, had been in operation since 2018, and had “a number of employees” who were paid monthly remuneration.
Mr. Adu-Boahene and his wife, Angela Adjei-Boateng have been charged for allegedly stealing a total of GH¢49.1 million from the state under the guise of purchasing a cybersecurity equipment for the state.
The two, as well as Advantage Solutions Limited, are facing a total of 11 counts of conspiracy to commit crime, stealing, using public office for profit, money laundering and causing financial loss to the state.
The prosecution’s brief fact allege that Adu-Boahene and his wife ran an elaborate criminal enterprise using Advantage Solutions Limited as conduit through which the stolen funds were laundered.
Mildred Odonkor, who was initially charged by the Attorney General but later converted into a witness, admitted under cross-examination by Samuel Atta Akyea, counsel for the accused, that there was nothing criminal about her duties while acting as Director of the companies.
Mr. Atta Akyea, in his bid to establish that Advantage Solutions was a legally incorporated entity, got the witness to admit that it had a number of employees who were paid monthly salaries and their SSNIT and Tier 2 and 3 pensions paid regularly.
“Indeed, the pensions of these employees were also paid every month, not so?” Mr. Atta Akyea asked.
“Yes, my Lord,” the witness responded while clarifying that “the salaries counsel is talking about as being paid to Advantage staff earlier on, I said A1 and A2 (Adu-Boahene and Madam Adjei-Boateng) had other companies that I listed as Vertex Properties and co., of which their salaries were paid through Advantage Solutions.
“You regularly processed some of these payments as part of your role,” the lawyer further asked. “Yes,” the witness answered, adding that “I said I was not given any specific role but counsel said my role were; I want to say I was doing it because I was asked to do it.”
Mr. Atta Akyea then asked the witness, “And what you were doing was not criminal at all. Was it?” The witness responded “No, it wasn’t criminal.”
Traumatic Experience
Madam Donkor also admitted under cross-examination that her invitation and subsequent interrogation by officers of Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) was a traumatic experience, given the fact that it was her first brush with the law.
This was after she earlier admitted that at the time she had to report to EOCO she was nursing a baby but had no option but to report to EOCO offices with her little daughter, adding, “my husband was there to sit with the baby during interrogations.”
As a result of the traumatic experience, she also admitted seeking counselling from the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Ghana, Rev. Stephen Wengam.
The case has been adjourned to today for further cross-examination of the witness.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak