Peprah testifies in Selormey's case

Mr Kwame Peprah, former Minister of Finance, on Thursday told the Fast Track Court in Accra that he was not aware of the signing of a contract regarding the court computerisation project.

Mr Peprah was giving evidence for the defence in the case in which Victor Selormey, former Deputy Finance Minister, is charged with conspiracy to fraudulently cause the loss of 1.3 million dollars to the state and defrauding by false pretences.

He is charged with Dr Frederick Owusu Boadu, a Ghanaian consultant in the United States. He said it was the accused person who had to brief him on the project.

Selormey has pleaded not guilty and is on a 1.5 billion-cedi bail, with two sureties to be justified.

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

Led in evidence by Defence Counsel, Marimah Manu, witness said Selormey briefed him on the proposal received to digitalise the legal system.

Mr Peprah said the former Deputy Minister was responsible for that project.

The digitalisation project was part of the Trade and Investment Programme (TIP) with funding from the United States and was meant to assist private sector development, he said.

It was also aimed at removing all the bottlenecks in the system including the road, telecommunication and legal sectors.

Mr Peprah said the TIP was to help improve the judicial sector to become more user friendly.

Mr Peprah recalled that Dr Feredick Owusu Boadu had done some work for the ministry on the reform of the cocoa sector.

He said the accused had power to sign contracts in the ministry, likewise other top officials, adding that it depended on the level of contract.

Answering questions under cross-examination by Mr Osafo Sampong, Director of Public Prosecution, Mr Peprah explained that it was "very normal" that in the ministries, contracts were awarded without a witness to counter sign and that there had been occasions that he had had to sign his portion of a contract and posted it to whoever was to sign his portion outside the country.

Mr Dan Abodakpi, former Trade and Industry Minister, the second witness for defence said he knew of a project called TIP.

He said the TIP was about an 18 million-dollar US-Ghana initiative to address the performance of the Non-Traditional Export sector.

Mr Abodakpi listed some of the beneficiaries of TIP as the Ghana Export Promotion Council, Customs, Excise and Preventive Service, Environmental Protection Agency, Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Finance.

He said the committee on TIP decided that the interest that accrued should continue to support agencies that were on the scheme.

The former minister recalled that 1997 when they were about to start the Gateway Project Dr Boadu came to his office to congratulate him and said it was a bold initiative that Ghana was adopting to be on top of the competition in Sub-Sahara Africa.

Mr Abodakpi said Dr Boadu further told him that he met the Former Chief Justice and after discussions with him they realised that the process of the project was frustrating.

He said he later got to know that it was a World Bank/Private sector initiative.

During cross-examination by Mr Sampong, witness said he has a daughter called Rejoice who attended the East London University in the United Kingdom.

He said she later proceeded to the "A and M" University in Texas, USA, where she is pursuing a post-graduate course.

He said it was difficult for him to tell how much her fees were during her education in East London.

According to him, it is a good friend, one Mr. Moukazel who agreed to pay the fees, free of any refund.

He explained further that at the post-graduate level, she supports herself and that there is no need for any payment.

He denied that it is Dr Boadu in Texas who has been paying his daughter's fees.