NCA Gang wants the trial to be stopped | General news

Some former members of the National Communications Authority's (NCA) board of directors, who are facing trial for alleged financial harm to the state, have again filed queries asking the High Court of Accra to put an end to its prosecution.

Eugene Baffoe-Bonnie, William Mathew Tetteh-Tevie and Nana Owusu Ensaw, counsel for three of the five accused, filed separate motions to stay the proceedings before the court to challenge a ruling by Presiding Judge Eric Kyei Baffuor.

Thaddeus Sory, counsel for Baffoe-Bonnie, filed two separate applications for stay of proceedings; one disputing the judge's decision in a mini-trial to determine the admissibility of his client's warning statement in which he baderted that the defendants had reaped financial benefits from the purchase of the Pegasus material.

The other application challenges the judge's decision to dismiss a request for no-show of business on behalf of his client.

The lawyers, Godwin Tamakloe, representing Tetteh-Tevie and Johnson Normesinu, who pleaded for Samuel Codjoe, Nana Ensaw's lawyer, also contest the trial judge's decision regarding the nonsuit.

The lawyers therefore requested the court to suspend the trial until the final decision of the appeals by the Court of Appeal.

Yesterday, Yvonne Atakora-Obuobisa, Director of Public Prosecutions, told the court that she had not received any of these requests.

Judge Kyei Baffuor adjourned the case on June 4, 2019.

Trial

Mr. Baffoe-Bonnie, along with other former board members, William Mathew Tetteh Tevie, former Executive Director of the NCA; Nana Owusu Ensaw, Alhaji Salifu Mimina Osman, former National Security Coordinator, as well as the private businessman George Derek Oppong, director of Infraloks Development Limited, have been charged with conspiracy and loss financial resources for the state.

The five accused also face 16 other charges including conspiracy to steal, use of the public service for profit, money laundering, among others.

Case of the prosecution

On April 18, 2019, the prosecution closed its proceedings before a High Court in Accra after summoning six witnesses.

Witnesses included Abena Asarfo Adjei, Director of Legal Affairs at the NCA; Dr. Isaac Yaw Ani, Deputy Director General for Management and Operations; Colonel Michael Kwadwo Poku, Director of Operations, National Security Secretariat; Duncan Opare, Deputy National Security Coordinator and Detective Chief Inspector Michael Nkrumah, case investigator.

In no case

Immediately after the prosecution closed its case, defense counsel informed the court that they would exercise their right, pursuant to section 173 of Bill 30, to make no application.

In his decision, the president of the court rejected the applications and ordered the defendants to open their defense on May 30, 2019.