Solomon Asamoah must open defense in $2m SkyTrain case, rules Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of Ghana has dismissed an application by Solomon Asamoah, the former Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF), seeking to overturn a High Court order for him to open his defense. The ruling concerns a criminal case where Asamoah is accused of causing a $2 million financial loss to the state in relation to the defunct Accra SkyTrain project. By dismissing the application, the apex court has cleared the way for the trial to proceed to the next stage.

Asamoah had approached the Supreme Court to challenge a High Court decision that rejected his "no case to answer" submission. He argued that the prosecution had failed to establish sufficient evidence to justify him being called to the witness stand. However, the Supreme Court found no grounds to interfere with the lower court's decision, affirming that the state had provided enough evidence to require a formal defense from the accused.

The charges against Asamoah and his co-accused, former GIIF Board Chair Professor Ameyaw Akumfi, center on a $2 million payment made to the South African firm Africa Investment (AI) SkyTrain Consortium Holdings. The transaction was intended to fund a feasibility study and preparatory works for the project. Prosecutors allege that the payment was made without the requisite parliamentary approvals and that the state received no value for the expenditure, as the project never broke ground.

Following this dismissal, the trial will resume at the High Court, where both Asamoah and Professor Akumfi must now present their testimony and call witnesses to answer the state's allegations. This legal development marks a critical juncture in the long-running investigation into the investment decisions made by GIIF and the accountability of its former leadership regarding public infrastructure funds.