The Fast Track will on Thursday December 6 rule whether a prima facie case has been made against six persons including two former Ministers of State, charged with conspiracy and willfully causing financial loss to the state.
The court, presided over by Mr. Justice Kwame Afreh said this when Mr. Osafo Sampong, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) completed his arguments in reply to earlier submissions of "no case" by the defence.
Mr. Sampong concluded by saying that the prosecution has given enough evidence against the accused persons to state their side of the case. He urged the court to hold as a matter of fact that through the acts of the six persons, the country incurred financial loss as a result of loans granted to the Quality Grain Company without the approval of Parliament as required by law.
The accused persons are Ibrahim Adam, former Minister of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), Kwame Peprah, former Finance Minister, Dr Samuel Dapaah, Dr George Yankey, Nana Ato Dadzie and Kwesi Ahwoi, all former senior public officers.
They have all pleaded not guilty and each of them is on a self-recognisance bail.When the prosecution rested its case after calling 21 witnesses, the defence applied to the court to make submissions of "no case" on behalf of their clients. Counsel for all the accused persons submitted that the state did not incur any financial loss because the loans were used to establish a rice project at Aveyime in the Volta Region.
They contended that the prosecution failed to adduce sufficient evidence to prove that the accused persons committed the offence and urged the court to acquit and discharge them.
