Duke Aaron Sasu, the counsel for the former board chairperson of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF), Prof. Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, has officially notified the court of his intention to withdraw his legal representation.
Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi is currently on trial alongside the Fund’s former CEO, Solomon Asamoah, both facing allegations of causing financial loss to the state and the intentional dissipation of public funds.
The charges stem from a contentious $2 million payment connected to the now-defunct SkyTrain project. According to the prosecution, this sum was disbursed without the necessary board approval, and for work that the prosecution claims was never carried out.
The case, which had been adjourned from July 30 to October 13 to allow the prosecution to present its first witness, was unable to proceed as scheduled. In court, Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi explained that a misunderstanding had arisen between himself and his lawyer, and that efforts were underway to mediate the situation. However, Her Ladyship Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, the presiding judge, informed the accused that the court had received a formal letter from Mr. Sasu indicating his decision to withdraw from the case.
Meanwhile, the legal team of the second accused, Solomon Asamoah, led by Victoria Barth, has applied to a stay of proceedings. This application follows an appeal against the court’s earlier decision to deny a request for further disclosures, and has now been adjourned to October 20 for hearing.
The unfolding developments have further delayed the trial, casting uncertainty over the prosecution’s next steps.
Source: Apexnewsgh.com
