Eugene Baffoe-Bonnie and William Mathew Tetteh Tevie
Some former board members of the
National Communications Authority (NCA), who are facing trial for allegedly
causing financial loss to the state, have once again filed applications praying
an Accra High Court to halt its proceedings.
Lawyers for three of the five
accused persons, Eugene Baffoe-Bonnie, William Mathew Tetteh-Tevie and Dr Nana
Owusu Ensaw, filed the separate applications to stay the proceedings before the
court to challenge a ruling of the presiding judge, Justice Eric Kyei Baffuor.
Thaddeus Sory, lawyer for
Baffoe-Bonnie, has filed two separate applications for stay of proceeding; one
challenging the ruling of the judge in a mini trial to determine the
admissibility of his client’s caution statement in which he claimed the accused
persons benefited financially from the purchase of the Pegasus equipment.
The other application is challenging
the decision of the judge to dismiss an application for submission of no case
filed on behalf of his client.
Two lawyers, Godwin Tamakloe, representing
Tetteh-Tevie and Johnson Normesinu, who held brief for Samuel Codjoe, counsel
for Nana Ensaw, are also challenging the ruling of the trial judge in respect
of the applications for submission of no case.
The lawyers, therefore, prayed the
court to halt the trial until the final determination of the appeals by the
Court of Appeal.
Appearing before the court
yesterday, Director of Public Prosecutions, Yvonne Atakora-Obuobisa, told the
court that they have not been served with any of the applications.
Justice Kyei Baffuor adjourned
the matter to June 4, 2019.
Trial
Mr. Baffoe-Bonnie, together with
other ex-board members- William Mathew Tetteh Tevie, a former Director-General
of the NCA; Nana Owusu Ensaw, Alhaji Salifu Mimina Osman, a former National
Security Coordinator, as well as private businessman George Derek Oppong,
Director of Infraloks Development Limited, have been accused of conspiracy and
causing financial loss to the state.
The five accused persons are
also facing 16 other charges, including conspiracy to steal, stealing, using
public office for profit, money laundering, among others.
Prosecution’s Case
The prosecution closed its case
before an Accra High Court on April 18, 2019 after calling six witnesses.
The witnesses included Abena
Asarfo Adjei, Director of Legal Affairs at NCA; Dr. Isaac Yaw Ani, Deputy
Director General in-charge of management and Operations; Colonel Michael Kwadwo
Poku, Director of Operations at National Security Secretariat; Duncan Opare,
Deputy National Security Coordinator and Detective Chief Inspector Michael
Nkrumah, the investigator of the case.
No Case
Immediately the prosecution
closed its case, the defence lawyers informed the court that they would
exercise their rights per Section 173 of Act 30 to file a submission of no
case.
The presiding judge, in his ruling, dismissed the applications and ordered the accused persons to open their defence on May 30, 2019.
By Gibril Abdul Razak
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