According to reports, Solomon Asamoah, the former CEO of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF), has left the country after helping to pay two million dollars for the abandoned Accra Sky Train project.
At a news conference on Monday, Attorney-General and Justice Minister Dr. Dominic Ayine disclosed that Mr. Asamoah is presently in hiding in Senegal. Before heading to Senegal, Mr. Asamoah initially visited South Africa on February 2, according to Dr. Ayine.
We tracked him first to South Africa, and now he is in Senegal. When we contacted him, he told us he would not return to Ghana until three months from now, and we are patiently waiting for him. If he does not return, he will be tried in absentia,” Dr. Ayine stated.
The Attorney-General clarified, however, that even if the trial is held without Mr. Asamoah present, this will not stop his office from pursuing charges against him.
He underlined that the legal procedure will go on and that Prof. Ameyaw Ekumfi, who worked with Mr. Asamoah to enable the payment, is still in the nation.
Speaking about the $2 million payment, Dr. Ayine affirmed that it was made without the board’s consent at the request of CEO Asamoah and GIIF Board Chairman Prof. Ekumfi.
“There was no board approval for the transaction, and the conditions precedent to disbursement had not been met,” Dr. Ayine disclosed. “Our review of the board’s minutes confirmed that other board members had no knowledge of this transaction. One member even questioned why GIIF was in a hurry to make the payment, but no significant answer was given by the two individuals responsible for transferring the funds to a non-existent company in Mauritius.”
The funds were transferred to a company based in Mauritius, which has since been found to be non-existent, according to further investigations.
“We tracked the company to Mauritius, and a lawyer there has confirmed that it does not exist. But that is still a developing story,” Dr. Ayine added.
Meanwhile, Prof. Ekumfi has already been questioned by the National Investigations Bureau (NIB).
