Dr Kwabena Duffour
The state has added to the charges against Dr Kwabena Duffour former Minister of Finance and Governor of the Bank of Ghana, and eight others for their alleged roles leading to the collapse of Unibank Limited (a commercial bank).
The accused were initially facing 68 charges but those charges were increased on Thursday to 71.
The state led by Yvonne Atakorah Obuobisah, Director for Public Prosecution (DPP) prayed an Accra High Court that the old charges against the accused should be dropped while new ones were read out to them.
The court therefore read out the charges which included falsification of a Unibank account, conspiracy and defrauding by false pretences.
The initial charges of 68 included, fraudulent breach of trust, money laundering, dishonesty receiving and falsification of accounts, and conspiracy to commit crime.
Dr Kwabena Duffour, Hoda Holdings Limited, Johnson Pandit Asiama, Kwabena Duffour II, Below Nyarko Dadzie-Dennis, Elsie Dansoa Kyereh, Jeffery Amon, Benjamin Ofori, and Kwadwo Opoku Okoh were all admitted to their former bail of a Gh¢60,000,000, with three sureties each, two of whom must be justified for each accused.
The court presided over by Justice Bright Mensah, adjourned the matter to July 16 and 17, for Case Management Conference.
This was after the defence lawyers have prayed the court to give them ample time to peruse the voluminous documents filed by the state.
The accused have been accused of misappropriating some GH¢5.7 billion leading to the fall of Unibank in 2017.
GNA