The High Court has directed former Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF) Chief Executive Officer, Solomon Asamoah, and former Board Chairman, Prof. Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, to open their defence in the ongoing $2 million Sky Train case after dismissing their submission of no case to answer.
The ruling means the court is satisfied that the prosecution has presented enough evidence for the two accused persons to respond to the charges levelled against them.
The case, formally known as Republic v Asamoah & Another, relates to an alleged $2 million payment made in 2019 for the proposed Accra Sky Train project, which was never executed. The state argues that the payment was made without proper board approval and resulted in financial loss to the state.
In court proceedings, the prosecution maintained that the funds disbursed for the project could not be accounted for, while investigators and witnesses testified that the GIIF board did not approve the transaction.
Lawyers for the accused persons had previously argued that the evidence presented by the state was insufficient to warrant a defence, but the court rejected that position and ordered them to proceed with their case.
The matter will continue in court as the accused persons are expected to respond to the allegations and explain their role in the transaction.
