Four testify Testify Against Victor Selormey

Four witnesses have testified at the Fast Truck Court trying the deputy Finance Minister, Victor Selormey, charged with conspiracy, defrauding by false pretences and wilfully causing financial loss of 1.3 million dollars to the state.

Selormey has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is on a 1.5 billion-cedi bail.

One of the witnesses, Madam Eva Mends, Economic Officer of the Ministry of Finance, took the Fast Track Court through how the ministry disburses funds for payment for projects completed.

She said when projects are implemented and payments have to be made to outsiders, a committee approves the budget of the implementing agency.

Madam Mends said the Ministry of Finance then writes to the Controller and Accountant General's Department authorising it to pay the agent.

The Fast Track Court is presided over by Justice Sam G. Baddoo, an Appeal Court Judge sitting as an additional High Court Judge.

Led in her evidence in chief by the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Osafo Sampong, Madam Mends said after the committee approves the budget, the Ministry of Finance disburses the funds to the agency.

Madam Mends who said she worked directly to the former Deputy Minister told the court that it was the accused person who signed the letters to the Controller and Accountant General's Department for the release of the money.

She said apart from the Bank of Ghana (BOG), the ministry was dealing with ECOBANK Ghana Limited, Metropolitan and Allied Bank, First Atlantic Bank and the Prudential Bank on the project.

Madam Mends agreed with the prosecution that the ministry deals directly with these banks by writing to them, saying if it is a question of payment for consultancy fee, then it is the Auditor General and the Accountant General's Department, which must have copies of the letters.

The witness said her schedule includes maintaining all the files in the ministry and before a letter is dispatched from her section, she is to have a copy.

She said on November 27, 1998 and February 12, 1999, she was on this schedule but did not see any letter written by the accused person, which was dispatched to ECOBANK Ghana Limited.

The witness worked on a project called Trade and Investment Programme (TIP), which started in 1992 and technically, ended in 1998. She explained that the agreement between Ghana and the US ended but they still had funds to disburse.

She said it was the US government that provided money for this project and disagreed that money meant for a particular project was not allowed to be used for another project.

During cross-examination, Madam Mends agreed with counsel for Selormey, Mr Barima Manu, that money that accrued from the TIP was used on certain organisations.

However, she said she was not aware that these organisations included Ghana Investment Promotion Centre and Trade Fair Authority, which was constructing new pavilions.

Some of the money was also made available to ECOBANK, Metropolitan and Allied Bank, First Atlantic and Prudential Banks, adding that there were also occasions when the money was used to sponsor civil servants abroad.

Madam Mends disagreed with counsel that it was out of the same funds that the Leebda Corporation of Texas was paid for its services. Witness denied counsel's submission that the Trade and Investment Reform Programme (TIRP) was replaced with TIP saying, "the TIP was being implemented with the TIRP".

The witness said among her current schedule, she reviews reports and co-ordinates all the activities of the ministry, but she was not aware of any court computerisation project.

Mr Kwame Akaba of ECOBANK who testified on Monday appeared before the court again on Tuesday to submit documents covering instalments of money made for the final transfer to Leebda in Texas, US. Another prosecution witness, Nana Kofi Enin Nsaful, Former Chief Director of Ministry of Justice, told the court that he was actively involved with the project manager, Paul Asimene, for the work.

Nana Nsaful told the court that he did not know why the CD roms were not installed and also did not know why the government did not provide the computers for the roms to be installed.

He denied that Leebda Corporation demonstrated the use of the CD roms to the officials of the Ministry of Finance and others, including the present Attorney General and some members of the judiciary.