Tsatsu's case adjourned to April 22

Accra, April 1, GNA - An Accra Fast Track High Court (FTC) on Friday fixed April 22 for mentioning of the case in which Tsatsu Tsikata, Former Chief Executive of Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), is charged with wilfully causing financial loss of 2.3 billion cedis to the State.

The adjournment was necessitated by the ill health of the trial judge, Mrs Justice Henrietta Abban, an Appeal Court Judge sitting on the case as a High Court Judge.

The accused is also charged on four counts of causing financial loss and intentionally misapplying funds totalling 2.345 billion cedis, property of the State.

The offence, according to the Prosecuting State Attorney, is contrary to Section 1(2) of the Public Property Protection Decree 1977 (SMCD140).

Tsatsu has denied the charges and has been admitted to a 700 million-cedi self-recognisance bail.

In March 2003, the FTC overruled the submission of no case filed by Tsatsu and ordered that he should open his defence.

Tsatsu then filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal in November 2004, which was dismissed on the grounds that it lacked merit and, therefore, ordered him to go back to the FTC to open his defence. He filed an appeal to challenge the Appeal Court's ruling at the Supreme Court and this was also overruled.

The accused has since gone to the Supreme Court for a review, where he is seeking relief from the Supreme Court to quash its earlier decision and order and to uphold his submission of no case.

The Defence Team includes Professor E.V.O. Dankwa, leading counsel and Major Rowland S. Agbenato (rtd).