The Deputy Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr Justice Srem-Sai, has disclosed that the prosecution has closed its case in the ongoing trial involving former officials of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF) over the controversial Sky Train project.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Dr Srem-Sai said the prosecution had concluded proceedings against former GIIF Chief Executive Officer, Solomon Asamoah, and former Board Chairman, Prof. Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi.
The two are standing trial for allegedly authorising the payment of $2 million to a foreign company in connection with the proposed Sky Train project without the necessary board and other approvals.
“The money cannot be found,” the Deputy Attorney General stated.
Following the close of the prosecution’s case, lawyers for the accused persons applied to the court to file a submission of no case to answer.
In legal terms, the application argues that the prosecution has failed to present sufficient evidence to warrant the accused persons opening their defence.
The court granted the request and directed the defence to file its submissions by June 8.
If the court upholds the submission, the accused persons could be acquitted and discharged without being required to present evidence in their defence.
However, if the court rules that the prosecution has established a prima facie case, the accused persons will be ordered to open their defence before the court proceeds to determine the matter.
The Sky Train case relates to a proposed urban rail transport project announced under the previous administration and has become one of the major cases linked to concerns over the management of public funds.
