|
Konadu’s case before new judge
Accra July 9, Ghanadot/GNA- The case involving the former
First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings and four others in
connection with divestiture of GIHOC Nsawam Cannery has been
put before a new judge.
The case was initially before Mr Paul Baffoe Bonney, now a
Supreme Court judge, and later put before Mr Justice K. A.
Acquaye who has been promoted to the Court of Appeal.
The new judge is Mr Justice Edward Asante.
The new judge, who just took the case said this is the first
time he \was seeing the docket and therefore adjourned to
July 18.
Nana Konadu, Hanny is standing trial with Sherry Ayittey,
Emmanuel Agbodo, Kwame Peprah and Thomas Benson Owusu
Mr Achie Danso held the brief for Mr Tony Lithur, counsel
for Nana Konadu.
The court was also informed that Nana Konadu would not be in
court on July 18.
Agbodo a former Executive Secretary of the Divestiture
Implementation Committee (DIC) and Thomas Benson Owusu, an
accountant the first and second accused persons
respectively, pleaded not guilty to seven counts of
conspiracy to commit crime and stealing.
Agbodo, Kwame Peprah, former Finance Minister and Chairman
of DIC; Hanny Sherry Ayittey, Director of Caridem and Nana
Konadu pleaded not guilty to four counts of causing loss to
public property to the tune of over 9.2 billion cedis and
using false statements to obtain public property. Nana
Konadu, Sherry Ayittey and Caridem, charged with conspiracy
to alter documents and altering false documents have pleaded
not guilty.
The facts of the case as read out in court were that in the
late 90s, Government received approval to divest GIHOC
Nsawam Cannery to Caridem which had won the bid through the
normal process. Caridem was supposed to have paid a 10%
non-refundable commitment fee in the purchase of GIHOC.
In addition, some amount of money should have been submitted
with the final Sales and Purchase Agreement (SPA).
It was after the Auditor-General, in pursuance of Article
121 of the Constitution decided to conduct a routine audit
of organizations that he detected the anomalies in the GIHOC
Nsawam Cannery affair. The prosecution team was of the
opinion that it would lead the court to prove that there
were a lot of discrepancies in the sale of Nsawam Cannery to
Caridem which belonged to the 31st December Women’s Movement
(DWM). The team said the SPA was not paid on time contrary
to the terms of the offer.
On receipt of the non-refundable commitment fee paid by
Caridem, Emmanuel Agbodo, without the knowledge of the DIC,
allegedly went ahead and opened a bank account and the money
disappeared within a few days. It said Agbodo reportedly
lied to the factory manager that Caridem had fulfilled all
the terms of the contract, and that the actions of the
accused persons have allegedly caused astronomical loss to
the state to the tune of 9.2 billion cedis.
GNA
|
