Quality Grain case adjourned to July 23

The case in which six persons, including two former Ministers of State are charged variously with causing financial loss to the state, was on Friday adjourned to July 23 by the Fast Track Court at the instance of the prosecution.

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Mr Osafo Sampong applied for the adjournment to enable the prosecution to take delivery of some vital documents from the United States to buttress its case.

The Presiding Judge, Mr Justice Kwame Afreh, as well as defence counsel obliged and the case was adjourned.

The court directed the DPP to make available, all prosecution witnesses to ensure a speedy trial.

The accused persons, who are charged with various counts of conspiracy and causing financial loss to the state are, Ibrahim Adam and Kwame Peprah, both former ministers, Dr Samuel Dapaah, Dr George Yankey, Nana Ato Dadzie and Kwesi Ahwoi, all former senior public servants in the former government.

They have all pleaded not guilty and each of them has been granted Self-recognisance bail.

Earlier, Mr Justice Afreh advised the media covering the case to be accurate in its reportage in order not to prejudice proceeding against the accused persons.

The advice followed an objection raised by Mr Kwaku Baah, counsel for the third accused to a publication on proceedings of the case by one of the dailies.

The judge said the media were at liberty to contact the court for accurate records of proceedings if they were in doubt.

Mr Justice Afreh advised sub-editors in particular to give accurate headlines to reports on the court's proceedings in order not to cast a slur on the reputation of the accused persons.

Mr Baah tendered a copy of the paper on the publication and said the headline as well as portions of the report sought to prejudice the matter or excite the public against the accused persons.

Counsel contended that there have been several distortions of proceedings of the court by not only the print media but the television stations as well.