Duffour's trial: We’re waiting for Akufo-Addo government to set court date - Lawyer

Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe, Counsel for former Finance Minister in the erstwhile John Evans Atta Mills administration, Dr Kwabena Duffour has indicated that the Akufo-Addo government through the Attorney-General is yet to set the time for them to respond to the latest money laundering charge leveled against his client.

On Wednesday, news went viral that the Attorney-General (A-G) has hauled the former Finance Minister, together with a former 2nd Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), Mr. Johnson Asiama to court.

The State charged Mr Duffour with money laundering, while Dr. Asiama has been charged with willfully causing financial loss to the state.

They are expected to appear in before an Accra High court soon.

Seven others including Kwabena Duffuor II, Dansoa Kyereh, Jeffrey Amon, Ekow Nyarko Dadzie-Dennis, Elsie, Benjamin Ofori and Kwadwo Opoku Okoh have been also cited in the case and charged with 68 offenses by the state for their role in the collapse of UNIBANK in 2017.

The charges preferred against the accused persons include conspiracy to commit a crime, money laundering, fraudulent breach of trust and dishonestly appropriating funds of depositors.

Dr. Kwabena Duffour upon his appointment as the Finance Minister resigned from the board of the UniBank in order to avoid conflict of interest and so day to day running of those companies was not in his hands.

Reacting to the fresh criminal charge against Dr. Kwabena Duffour, Lawyer Edudzi Tamakloe on Okay FM’s Ade Akye Abia Morning Show narrated that when the government decided to revoke the banking license of UniBank, the Receiver appointed by the Bank of Ghana dragged Dr. Duffour’s son and other shareholders to court; thus, there is a new civil matter in court involving this same case.

“We have been back and forth with this case until we realized that the government has filed criminal charges at the High Court and so we are waiting for the Akufo-Addo government to give us a time to go to court and respond to those charges. The first case is still pending, what the Receiver took to court is also pending and now, we have been charged with a criminal offense by the Special Investigative Team; this is the state of affairs now,” he stated.