Vacation Judge to commence trial of Konadu

Accra, July 31, GNA - A Fast Track High Court in Accra, presided over by Mr Justice Baffoe Bonnie on Tuesday adjourned to August 21, this year, the case in which Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, a former First Lady and five others are accused for causing financial loss to the State.

Mr. Justice Bonnie who would soon proceed on leave, told the court that he had still not received a fiat from the Chief Justice to continue with the case.


He stated: "I adjourn for three weeks from today, for you to appear before a vacation judge, please advice your clients to meet the vacation judge."


The other accused persons are Emmanuel Amuzu Agbodo, a former Executive Secretary of the Divestiture Implementation Committee (DIC), Kwame Peprah, a former Minister of Finance and former Chairman of the DIC, Sherry Ayittey, the Managing Director of Caridem Development Company Limited, and Caridem as an entity.


Nana Konadu and Thomas Benson Owusu, a former Accountant of the DIC, were absent and their defence team apologized to the court on their behalf saying that the former First Lady, had travelled outside the jurisdiction of the court and that she called to show concern that she could not immediately travel back.

They are variously charged with 15 counts of conspiracy, causing financial loss to public property, conspiracy to obtain public property by false statement, obtaining public property by false statement and uttering forged document.


They denied the offences and have been admitted to self-recognisance bail.


Mr Joe Ghartey, Attorney General and Minister of Justice, had earlier withdrawn 30 counts of multiple charges preferred against them and substituted them with 15 charges for their alleged involvement in causing financial loss to the State, in respect of the divestiture of the GIHOC Cannery at Nsawam.


The accused persons were alleged to have caused loss to public property running into billions of cedis, following the acquisition of the GIHOC Cannery at Nsawam, a government cannery, by Caridem Development Company Limited, which was owned by the 31st December Women's Movement (DWM) in 1995 when the cannery was divested. Mrs Gertrude Aikins, Acting Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) is representing the State.