The High Court in Accra is expected to take the plea of Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi today, Monday, May 26, in the much-anticipated trial over the controversial Sky Train project.
Professor Ameyaw-Akumfi, a former Board Chairman of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF), is facing multiple charges, including wilfully causing financial loss to the state.
The trial centres around the disbursement of approximately $2 million towards the procurement of an urban sky train system, a project which ultimately failed to materialise.
Professor Ameyaw-Ekumfi is standing trial alongside Solomon Asamoah, a former Chief Executive Officer of the GIIF.
While Mr Asamoah has already entered a plea, proceedings involving Professor Ameyaw-Akumfi have faced delays due to his absence in court on two prior occasions.
His legal team attributed the delays to health-related emergencies, citing his ailing condition.
Courtroom expectations are high as the judge, state prosecutors, and defence lawyers brace for today’s proceedings, expected to determine whether the former GIIF Board Chair will finally respond to the charges levelled against him.
Background
The Attorney General’s Office earlier this month formally charged Mr. Solomon Asamoah and Prof. Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi for their roles in the controversial Accra Sky Train project, which allegedly cost the state $2 million without authorisation.
The charges, filed on May 13 at the Accra High Court (Criminal Division), include wilfully causing financial loss to the state under the Criminal Offences Act, conspiracy to commit a crime through intentional dissipation of public funds, and intentional dissipation of public funds under the Public Property Protection Decree.
Prosecutors allege that in February 2019, the accused authorised a $2 million payment from GIIF to Africa Investor Holdings Limited for preliminary work on the Sky Train project – a system that was never built.
The payment was reportedly made without proper board approval.
The Sky Train project, initiated in 2018 as a public-private partnership for an urban rail system in Accra, involved a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Railways Development, Africa Investor Holdings, and GIIF.
However, investigations revealed the $2 million disbursement lacked proper due diligence and violated GIIF’s governance protocols.
This prosecution forms part of the government’s broader crackdown on financial malfeasance, following earlier warnings of pending charges in the SkyTrain and NSS ghost names scandals.
