Trial of Abodakpi and Selormey resumes

Accra, Oct 13, GNA - Trial of two former Ministers of State on alleged malfeasance resumed on Monday at an Accra Fast Track High Court after the legal recess in August this year.

Daniel Abodakpi, former Minister of Trade and Victor Selormey, former Deputy Minister of Finance are being tried on seven counts of conspiracy to commit crime, defrauding by false pretences and wilfully causing a total loss of 2.73 billion cedis to the State in the Trade and Investment Programme (TIP).

They have denied all the charges and are currently on self-recognisance bail in the sum of three billion cedis each. Continuing with his evidence, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Jeff Edward Musore told the court that a report received from INTERPOL, Washington indicated that Leebda Corporation did not exist. ASP Musore further stated that addresses and telephone numbers of Leebda also "proved negative."

He told the court, presided by Mr. Justice S.T Farkye, that following his investigations into the case, he wrote formally to INTERPOL, Washington through INTERPOL Ghana to furnish him with the operations of Leebda Corporation and he received the response as such.

ASP Musore tendered the letter received from INTERPOL Washington and the court accepted it in evidence.

Mr Charles Hayibor, Counsel for Abodakpi however, objected to the report allegedly received by ASP Musore saying it did not bear any author, it had no letterhead indicating where it is coming from. Mr Hayibor stated that the admissibility of the letter " was high prejudicial as the letter was not authentic.

Mr Osafo Sampong, Director for Public Prosecution, prayed the court to accept the letter on its relevance to the case.

The court overruled defence objection, saying, "in the court's candid opinion, the document was relevant because prosecution witness himself wrote it to INTERPOL, hence it should be accepted."

ASP Musore stated that he also came across documents from the USAID in connection with TIP and tendered them in evidence.

He said on May 21, 2001, he took Abodakpi's first statement and on June 11, same year, he took his investigation caution statements. All these, he said was written by Abodakpi himself voluntarily.

Between May and December 2000, the accused persons allegedly transferred 400,000 dollars into the local bank account of Dr. Fred Owusu-Boadu, a consultant, through ECOBANK (Ghana) Limited. The money, whose transfers were authorized by Selormey, were to be used as fees for feasibility studies towards the establishment of the project. The project contract was supposed to be witnessed by the Legal Officers at the Ministry of Trade and Industry or the Attorney-General's Department, but this was not done.

The transfers had no official correspondence whatsoever between Dr. Owusu-Boadu and either the Ministry of Finance or the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

What was purported to be a contract was signed by both Abodakpi and the consultant but there was no witness and the contract document was not initialled page by page as required.

The contract lacked the detailed information required in a feasibility study, such as market analysis, financial projections and analysis to determine the financial viability and risk analysis of the project.

There was the highly irregular use of letterheads from a Texas University, with bills amounting to 300,000 US dollars when the University was not a party to the contract.

Hearing continues on October 20.