Eugene Baffoe-Bonnie
The Office of the Attorney General (AG) has filed more documents which it intends to rely on in the trial of Eugene Baffoe-Bonnie, former Board Chairman of the National Communications Authority (NCA) and three other former board members, as well as a businessman accused of allegedly causing financial loss to the state.
The AG had earlier filed documents it intended to rely on based on the Supreme Court interpretation which ruled that the prosecution must disclose all documents it intends to rely on and those it will not rely on for the trial in order to provide accused persons a better chance to defend themselves.
The state has so far called five prosecution witnesses to testify in the matter which has been before an Accra High Court since December 2017.
The state was expected to call a new witness yesterday in the person of the case investigator to tell the court the investigations conducted in the matter and the findings the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) had come up with.
But the court presided over by Justice Eric Kyei Baffuor had to adjourn the matter because the AG’s Office had filed some other documents which were not part of the earlier disclosures.
The adjournment is to allow the accused persons and their lawyers ample time to study the documents filed by the state so that they can prepare their defense per the Supreme Court ruling on the interpretation of Article 19 clauses 2 E and G.
Meanwhile, the court has ordered the AG to furnish the accused persons with some documents they have requested, which they say is crucial to their defense.
Samuel Codjoe, counsel for Nana Owusu Ensaw, in his prayer for the release of the documents for his client, told the court that in the course of investigations by BNI, his client released some documents to the investigative body but they were never returned to him.
He said these documents include a Huawei contract document, a contract for the construction of school, as well as GCB Bank statement.
Reindolf Twumasi Ankrah, counsel for George Derek Oppong, also prayed the court to order the AG to release documents including copies evidencing correspondences between the manufacturers of the Pegasus equipment and Ecobank which he says are in the possession of the BNI.
Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Yvonne Attakora-Obuobisa said she would contact the BNI for the documents as well as any other documents that have not been released.
Hearing continues on February 21, 2019.
The immediate past Board Chairman of the NCA, Eugene Baffoe-Bonnie, together with William Mathew Tetteh Tevie, former Director General of the NCA; Nana Owusu Ensaw; Alhaji Salifu Mimina Osman, a former National Security Coordinator on the NCA Board as well as a private businessman, George Derek Oppong, Director of Infraloks Development Limited (IDL), have been accused of conspiring to, and successfully causing financial loss to the state.
They are being tried for allegedly creating, looting and sharing a staggering $4 million among themselves under the guise of procuring a Cyber Surveillance System which they claimed was to be used for anti-terrorism activities in the country.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak