Adu-Boahene's Mayfair payments not linked to GH¢49.1m UMB operations account - EOCO witness

Former National Signals Bureau (NSB) Director-General Kwabena Adu-Boahene did not move GH¢1.5 million from the UMB Operations account under contention into Advantage Solutions Limited, a company belonging to his wife, Angel Adjei-Boateng, before the money was traced to Mayfair Gardens, Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) investigator Frank Marshall Cromwell told the High Court in Accra on Thursday.

The EOCO witness made the disclosure on Thursday, August 27, 2026, during intense cross-examination by lead defence counsel Samuel Atta Akyea, when he was asked to point to the evidence upon which investigators concluded that money from UMB Operations account number 0241424233018 found its way to Mayfair Estates.

“There is evidence of movement of funds from A3 to Mayfair Gardens and prior to that, A1 had withdrawn an amount of 1.5 million Ghana cedis, which same had been deposited into A3’s account,” Cromwell told the court.

His evidence suggested that, contrary to an earlier understanding of the transactions, the prosecution’s investigator was maintaining that GH¢1.5 million was withdrawn by Adu-Boahene, deposited into Advantage Solutions Limited (A3), and subsequently moved from A3 to Mayfair Gardens.

Cromwell, however, admitted that the specific transaction was not supported by a withdrawal slip or SWIFT message placed before the court.

When Akyea asked, “Where is the withdrawal slip and the SWIFT message relating to this 1.5 million Ghana cedis?”, the witness replied, “Specifically with this transaction, the narration on the bank statement clearly stated cash withdrawal.”

He could not produce any withdrawal slip or provide documentary evidence to support his testimony.

The admission came as the defence subjected EOCO’s financial tracing methodology to sustained scrutiny, challenging whether the prosecution had sufficient documentary evidence to establish that the money paid to Mayfair Estates came from the UMB account.

Akyea asked the witness whether he could point the court to “any enquiry he [the investigator] made into the withdrawal request, transfer instructions, deposit slip or any document from UMB Bank relating to the said 1.5 million Ghana cedis” which informed EOCO’s conclusion that the Mayfair payment came from UMB account number 0241424233018.

Cromwell maintained that EOCO relied on the bank statements of the relevant accounts.

“We had the bank statements of the account of BNC Communications Bureau Limited and the bank statement of A3 for us to study, and it was the opinion of investigations that these movements of funds to Mayfair…” he said.

Counsel suggested that EOCO had relied on assumptions rather than the underlying transaction documents.

When counsel specifically demanded the withdrawal slip or SWIFT message for the GH¢1.5 million transaction, the witness again relied on the narration contained in the bank statement, saying it “clearly stated cash withdrawal”, but could not provide any supporting documentary evidence.

The GH¢49.1m question

The defence also challenged the manner in which Exhibits Y and Y1 were being used to account for the alleged GH¢49.1 million.

Akyea asked Cromwell whether, based on his claim that Exhibits Y and Y1 represented the expenditure of GH¢49.1 million, the total withdrawals shown in the two exhibits should amount to GH¢49.1 million.

“Not so, my Lord,” Cromwell answered.

Asked to give the total amount of withdrawals shown in the exhibits, he said:

“The total sum of withdrawal has not been indicated on Exhibit Y. Exhibit Y sought to identify funds that were moved from BNC Communications [Bureau]…”

Counsel then asked whether the purpose of the exhibits was to demonstrate how the GH¢49.1 million was allegedly dissipated or merely to show movements of money.

Cromwell responded, “The aim was to find out after the 49.1 million Ghana cedis had been lodged into the BNC Communications Bureau Limited’s account, how it was dissipated and moved from the account.”

Akyea subsequently pointed out that Exhibit Y alone showed withdrawals totalling GH¢68,628,226, an amount substantially higher than the GH¢49.1 million allegedly in issue.

Cromwell explained that investigators had taken deposits made into the account into consideration.

The defence further confronted the witness with Exhibit U, which showed total credits of about GH¢179.46 million in UMB account number 0241424233018.

Asked whether the amount was far greater than GH¢49.1 million, Cromwell answered:

“Yes, my Lord.”

The case has been adjourned to Tuesday, September 1, 2026, for continuation of the cross-examination of the fourth prosecution witness.