Selormey goes AWOL, court adjourns

THE FAST TRACK HIGH COURT hearing the alleged $400,000 (?2.7billion) fraudulent transfer case involving two former ministers of state, yesterday refused to continue with the case in the absence of one of the accused persons.

Justice S. T. Farkye, an appeal court judge sitting as an additional high court judge said the court could not go on with the case without the presence of all the accused persons.

He said the procedure code states that all accused persons should be present throughout the trial and stressed that ?the right thing must be done.?

Victor Selormy, former deputy minister of finance was absent from court. His counsel, Barimah Manu told the court that there was a mix up at the Nsawam Prisons, where the accused is currently serving an eight-year jail term and therefore could not make it to the court.

The court adjourned sitting to March 23, this year and ordered that the prison authorities be notified accordingly.

Selormy is jointly charged with Dan Abodapki, Member of Parliament for Keta and former minister of Trade and Industry, for causing financial loss to the state.

The accused persons are being held for fraudulently causing the transfer of the cedi equivalent of $400,000 from the Trade and Investment programme (TIP) interest account with Ecobank Ghana Limited, when they were in office.

The said amount was transferred into the personal account of a consultant, Dr. Frederick Owusu Boadu of Leebda Corporation in Texas, USA, in respect of a feasibility study for the establishment of a Science and Technology Community Park/Valley, a project meant to enhance the export of non-traditional products.

The two have pleaded not guilty to three counts of conspiracy, two counts of defrauding and two counts of willfully causing financial loss to the state.

They are on a ?3 billion self-recognizance bail each.