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Supreme Court adjourns Tsatsu's case sine die
Accra, Jan 29, Ghanadot/GNA - The Supreme
Court on Tuesday adjourned sine die the appeal application
brought before it by Tsatsu Tsikata, former Chief Executive
of Ghana National Petroleum Company.
Mr Justice William Atuguba, presiding over the five-member
panel announced this when the matter was mentioned for
hearing.
According to Mr Justice Atuguba, the indefinite adjournment
had become necessary because Mr Justice Richard Twum
Aninakwa, one of the panel members, had reached retiring
age.
The Presiding Judge stated that the retiring judge would
have to be replaced before the matter could be listed for
hearing.
Tsatsu who had been put before a Fast Track Court in Accra
for wilfully causing financial loss to the State pleaded not
guilty, and was on a self-recognizance bail.
After prosecution rested its case, the court ruled that the
Country Director of the International Finance Corporation (IFC)
was immune to giving evidence in the matter.
Tsatsu, therefore appealed against the court's decision at
the Court of Appeal, which upheld the ruling of the lower
court.
Not satisfied with the decision of the two courts, Tsatsu
took the matter to the highest court of the land.
At its last sitting on November 28, 2007, the Supreme Court
granted Tsatsu's motion for the Director of the IFC to be
heard on the issue of its immunity from process.
Consequently, the court ordered its registrar to serve the
record of appeal on the IFC to advise itself as to whether
or not to be heard on the appeal.
The court gave the IFC 21 days within which to respond by
filing its submissions if it wanted to be heard on the
matter.
On December 27, the record of appeal and counsels'
submissions were served on the IFC, which had without
prejudice to its right to invoke its immunity submitted a
written submission to the court.
At today's sitting, Tsatsu told the court that his senior
counsel, Professor Emmanuel Victor Oware Dankwa, was
indisposed, while his other counsel was dead.
GNA
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