Abena Asafo-Adjei appeared before the commercial court as the first prosecution witness of the State
The Director of Legal Administration at the National Communications Authority (NCA), Abena Asafo-Adjei, has told the Commercial court hearing the case of The Republic vrs. Eugene Baffoe Bonnie and four others that she was never privy to the contract documents covering the procurement agreement between the NCA and Infralocks Development Limited (IDL).
Mrs. Asafo-Adjei made this disclosure when she was called as the first prosecution witness of the State in the trial of the five accused persons.
Accused Persons
The Accused persons in the case are; the former Director General of the NCA, William Matthew Tetteh Tevie, the former board Chairman of the NCA, Eugene Baffoe-Bonnie, Nana Owusu Ensaw and Alhaji Salifu Mimina Osman, both former members of the Governing Board of the NCA and a private businessman, George Derek Oppong.
The court presided over by Justice Eric Kyei Baffour after recording the presence of all five accused persons and the legal representation for both the State and the defense team ordered that the trial will be carried out in accordance with Section 171 of the Courts Act (Act 30) which is the section for regulating Summary trials.
Preliminary Objection
Lawyer for third accused person Samuel Coudjoe raised an objection to the effect that the Attorney General’s Department failed to furnish the defense team with all documents as ordered by the court and the lawyers for the other four accused persons associated with the application and demanded an adjournment for the State to comply with the order of the court before the trial starts.
The Attorney General, Gloria Akuffo however, pointed out that the application by the lawyer for the second accused person at the last court sitting for the AG’s department to supply them with all documents was a kind gesture and not necessarily grounded in law.
In a short ruling, Justice Eric Kyei Baffour’s court over ruled the objection stating that the AG had made all documents available at the registry of the court and that it was the duty of the defense lawyers to apply for them.
First Prosecution Witness
The State called its first prosecution witness, Mrs. Asafo Adjei, the Director of Legal Administration at the National Communications Authority (NCA). She has been with the NCA since 2003. She indicated that with the exception of the fifth accused person, all the accused persons are known to her.
She further told the court that 1st accused is the former board chairman of the NCA, 2nd accused person is the former Director General of the NCA and the 3rd and 4th accused persons she said were members of the Governing Board of the NCA.
Contract Documents
IDL and NCA contract document according to the first prosecution witness, who is the custodian of all contracts of the NCA as Director of Legal Administration has never come to her notice.
She also indicated that she only saw the document when the investigator in the case before the court brought it to her attention for identification.
The document after it was considered by the court and the defense team was admitted into evidence and marked as IDA.
