Solomon Asamoah and Prof. Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi
The Attorney General has been given July 23, 2025, to call the first of eight witnesses in the trial of former Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF), Solomon Asamoah and the erstwhile Board Chairman of the Fund, Prof. Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, who have been charged for their alleged involvement in the dissipation of state funds in the non-existent $2 million Accra Skytrain project.
This follows the completion of case management and the decision by lawyers for Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi to withdraw an application asking the court to strike out the charges for being premature.
Meanwhile, Solomon Asamoah has hired the services of a new lawyer, Victoria Barth, parting ways with Edem Nuhoho who had conducted the case at the preliminary stages.
Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi and former Chief Executive Officer of GIIF, Solomon Asamoah, have been charged for their alleged involvement in the dissipation of state funds in the non-existent $2 million Accra Skytrain project.
They have denied the charges against them and the court presided over by Justice Comfort Tasiame has admitted them to bail, and as part of the conditions, ordered them to report to the case investigator.
8 Witnesses
The Office of the Attorney General has indicated that it will be calling eight witnesses to testify against the accused persons.
Sefakor Batse, a Chief State Attorney who said this in court, stated that they have filed witness statements and attached various exhibits for the said witnesses.
Meanwhile, the prosecution has asked the court to strike out the witness statements of four witnesses previously filed and furnished on the accused persons and their lawyers.
No particular reasons were given for the withdrawal and with no objections from the defence, Justice Tasiame struck them out.
Trial
The brief facts indicate that the Accra Skytrain project was to be constructed on a Design, Build, Finance, and Operate basis.
“In the memorandum of understanding, GIIF was to be the anchor equity investor and local project development partner to the Africa Investor Holdings (Proprietary) Limited. It was further agreed in the memorandum of understanding that GIIF would conduct due diligence and develop a bankable feasibility study on the project,” it added.
A shareholder agreement was subsequently signed on January 9, 2019 between GIIF and Africa Investor Holdings Limited where the latter was to transfer 10% of its alleged 100% shares in a company styled as ‘Ai Skytrain Consortium Holdings,’ a limited liability company registered in Mauritius.
Upon their arrest, Solomon Asamoah is said to have indicated in his cautioned statement that he obtained approval of GIIF board in respect of the payment, while Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi told investigators he signed the funds transfer on the recommendation of Mr. Asamoah.
The facts added that neither of the accused persons have been able to account for the $2 million.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak