Ghana attorney general dey pursue former signals bureau boss ova $7m scandal and oda cases for table

Officials for di national investigations burea (NIB) for Ghana don arrest di former director general for di national signals bureau wey dem detain am.

Dis na afta dem track am as im comot di kontri, den land for Ghana.

Di economic and organized crime office (EOCO) bin dey pursue oga Kwabena Adu-Boahene since dem begin investigations for some contracts im sign at di time im be director general for di signals bureau for 2020.

Di attorney general Dr. Dominic Ayine for one press conference on 24 March tok say di former signals bureau boss get plenti questions to answer for one $7m contract im sign on behalf of di Ghana goment and national security ministry.

"Oga Kwabena Adu-Boahene sign contract wit one Israeli company RLC Holdings; dis na to buy one cyber defense system software for $7m. But im transfer di money to one private account wey im and im wife create."

Di attorney general explain say "di two pipo don buy plenty properties afta di money enta dia joint and private accounts."

Di attorney general bin allege say Kwabena Adu-Boahene misappropriate ova $2m wey im use to invest for properties for Accra and oda kontris abroad.

For di press conference, di AG list di properties, di transactions, di luxury assets and oda tins wey im say oga Kwabena Adu-Boahene acquire.

Di EOCO find say oga Adu-Boahene get two service passports, wia im also get one foreign passport.

Dem tok say dem dey continue dia investigations wia dem dey interrogate oda pipo wey dey connected to dis mata – especially di pipo wey don receive moni from di private accounts of di former signals bureau boss.

Lawyers for di former signals bureau boss respond to tins wey di attorney general tok.

Inside one statement, di lawyers tok say wetin di AG do na "prejudicial and unfair press engagement."

"All investigations gat to be professional wey dem for be devoid of razzmatazz and propaganda. Dem suppose first charge di suspect for court, bifor dem go do public trial, so say if im dey innocent, di prejudicial attacks and propaganda no go destroy im name," Lawyer Atta Akyea tok.

Di lawyers add say wetin di attorney general don do dey undermine di principle of fair trial wey e fit to create bias public perception against dia clients - wey be di former signal bureau boss and im wife.

Di attorney general Dr Dominic Ayine also tok say from dia investigations for some of di cases wey di ORAL committee don find, dem go soon prosecute di pipo.

"We go finish our investigation for di national service scandal and di sky train scandal by mid-April, wia we go now begin to dey prosecute di pipo," di attorney general and minister of justice tok for di press conference.

For 11 February, President John Mahama order di AG to start di investigation for ova 2,300 corruption cases wey di operation recover all loot (ORAL) committee don gather afta im set up di committee.

Di president tok say, "di pipo wey tink say dem fit to defraud di state and escape justice, na lie. Ghana no longer be safe place for corruption."

Wetin investigators find for di national service scandal so far

For di end of 2024, tori bin comot say di officials for di kontris national service scheme don create ova 80,000 ghost names for dia payroll, wia dem dey divert dia monthly allowance allegedly.

Afta President Mahama bin win di election, im tok say make dem investigate dis mata – in fact, im tok say make dem investigate di national service from 2018 – 2024.

Goment bin dey budget and release moni to pay di national service personnel (including di plenti ghost names) ova di years, wey don dey stretch di goment coffers.

According to di attorney general, "we don interrogate eight suspects for dis mata, some of dem begin to dey cooperate wit investigators wit informate."

"We go give details of di tori dem dey tok us for di appropriate time."

Im add say "we now get evidence say private vendors and staff bin pay moni into di accounts of executives for di national service."

"We also bin get evidence say for November 2024, di CEO of di national service and odas bin pay one Ghanaian lawmaker and member of parliament say make im kill di story for di media and defend dem," Dr Dominic Ayine talk.

Im say goment go soon reveal more tori about dis mata.

$2m Sky train scandal

For 2019, di Ghana infrastructure investment fund (GIIF) bin pay $2m as premium to buy ordinary shares for di development of di Accra sky train project.

Ghana auditor general 2021 reveal say "for 2018, Africa investor holdings limited bin incorporate one special purpose vehicle (SPV) for Mauritius to establish di Ghana sky train limited wey go develop di Accra sky train project thru design, build, finance and operate arrangement."

But since den, di project neva happun.

Na so di attorney general confam say, "we get evidence say di chairman for di board of directors for di GIIF don order say make dem pay di $2m."

Di board chairman wey im name na Professor Ameyaw Ekumfi and di CEO for di GIIF Solomon Asamoah na suspects for dis mata.

Already, di attorney general don arrest di board chairman on 24 February wey dem interrogate am ova dis $2m sky train scandal.

But im add say di CEO don run away.

"Di GIIF CEO Oga Solomon Asamoah don dey hide for Senegal. We bin dey track am from 2 February when im comot di kontri to South Africa, until we see say e move from dia to Senegal."

Di AG tok say as dem contact di former CEO, im tell investigators say im go dey available for di kontri afta three months.

"We don dey wait for am patiently make im return to face prosecution, but if im want make we prosecute am in absentia, we go do am."

"Di person wey im den di CEO act to pay di $2m na di board chairman prof Ekumfi, im dey di kontri, we go begin to prosecute am and den we go try di CEO in absentia if im no return afta di three months."

Dr Dominic Ayine explain for di press conference say "we bin notice say di board neva give approval bifor di GIIF pay di $2m to di Mauritius company, wia dem neva also meet di conditions wia dem get to meet bifor dem for pay di moni."

"We don review di minutes of di board of directors wey we confam say dem neva give approval for dis transaction. We don find also say di oda board members say dem no know about dis transaction"

"One of di board members don tok say im don ask questions at di time why di GIIF dey hurry to pay di moni for dis Mauritius company, but di board chairman and di CEO no give dem any answer."

Dr Dominic Ayine conclude say, "di two pipo bin scheme to transfer $2m of taxpayer moni to dis Mauritius company – in fact we don track di company serf wia one lawyer confam say dis company serf no dey exist, we get more informate for dis mata we go give una soon."

But inside one press release, oga Solomon Asamoah respond to di attorney general wia im deny say im dey hide for Senegal.

"I don deny categorically di false and incorrect allegations say i don dey hide for Senegal."

Im tok say im comot di kontri on 21 March to attend board meetings and oda business meetings wey dem bin plan since.

Im defend im tenure as CEO for di GIIF adding say under im leadershio, di fund don grow from GHc 1.2bn to GHc 5.2bn by di end of 2023.

"I don work wit integrity, transparency and accountability for my whole career. I neva commit any crime wey i get no reason to run away from justice. I go return home shortly to assist di AG wit all di informate wey go ultimately vindicate my reputation and integrity," oga Solomon Asamoah add.