AG petitioned over bribery allegations against Sunyani-based State Attorney

A Techiman-based businessman has petitioned the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Gloria Akuffo, over alleged illicit activities of a Sunyani-based State Attorney.

The petitioner, who is the Director of Evame Motors Ghana Limited, a motor bicycle dealer in the Brong Ahafo Region, Kwadwo Adjei, is accusing a State Attorney, Theophilus Appoh, of soliciting over fifty thousand Ghana Cedis (GHC50,000) from him under the pretext of helping him to win a criminal case pending before the Wenchi High Court.

The petition is over a case titled: the Republic versus Jacob Adongo and two others which is pending before the Wench High Court.

The complainant who is also the petitioner has been given the Power of Attorney by Societe Evame in neighbouring Togo to prosecute Jacob Adongo, an alleged brother of a former deputy minister for justice (name withheld) under the erstwhile Mahama administration, and one Alhassan Issahaku, for allegedly making away with several motor bicycles belonging to the company.

The petition, dated July 4, 2017 headlined: “Petition to Re-assign a Criminal Case, The Republic VRS Jacob Adongo and Alhassan Issahaku Pending Before His Lordship Justice Sarpong At Wenchi High Court From Mr. Theophilus Appoh of Your Sunyani Office To a Different Attorney,” was addressed to the Minister of Justice and Attorney -General.

A copy of the petition intercepted by Today reads: “I am a businessman who works with Evame Motors Ghana Limited, an international company, with its headquarters in Lome-Togo and deals in motor bikes and spare parts.”

…I am resident in Dwomor, a suburb of Techiman, and the above mentioned accused persons also based in Techiman were agents of the company.

The petition explained that in 2012, the Managing Director of the company, Mr. Emile Meta, sent an internal auditor of the company to Techiman to audit activities of the two accused persons regarding stocks they had received.

According to the petition, in the middle of the exercise the auditor discovered that an amount of GHC100,000.00 was missing which the accused persons could not account for.

The petition said the matter was reported to the police and the accused persons were subsequently arrested by the Sunyani Police Command for further investigations.

The petitioner explained that he was in office one day when Mr. Appoh came there and introduced himself as the person going to prosecute the case and that he will conduct the process at the Wenchi High Court.

“I asked him why not Sunyani since there are three courts in the area instead of Wenchi?”

“He told me the judge in Wenchi was his friend and for that matter the case will be given speedy trial over there. He then took GHC20,000 from me to be given to the judge to influence the case,” he told Today.

The petitioner told Today that he later sent additional monies totalling thirty thousand Ghana Cedis via mobile money to the State Attorney.

“To my utmost shock, the first day the case was called at the Wenchi High Court, the judge gave the accused persons self-cognisance bail on the basis that their lawyer was not in court and thus adjourned the case to July 20, 2017,” the petitioner narrated.

According to him, on the adjournment day when the case was called in court, the presiding judge asked the police to do further investigations into the matter before he could hear the case and further granted them bail in the sum of fifty thousand Ghana Cedis with one surety.

Meanwhile, the office of the Attorney-General in a letter dated August 22, 2017 and signed by the Principal State Attorney, Frances Mullen Ansah (Mrs.), has acknowledged receipt of the petition, noting that her office was working on it.

However, Mr. Adjei received the letter of acknowledgement from the AG’s office on September 7, 2017.