Court Rejects Push For Adjournment; AG Prevails In $3m NCA Case

Lawyers for former National Communications Authority (NCA) officials accused of causing financial loss to the state Tuesday failed in a concerted push for an adjournment of hearing arguing they did not receive relevant documents from the A-G.

Moments after Justice Kyei Baffour had directed that trial commences, two lawyers were up complaining they were yet to receive a complete set of documents from the Attorney-General, Gloria Akuffo who is leading the prosecution.

The lawyers are Thaddeus Sore representing former NCA Board chairman Eugene Baffoe-Bonnie and Samuel Cudjoe, who is the lawyer for former NCA Board member Nana Owusu Ensaw.

Mr. Cudjoe said his team was handed some documents only Tuesday morning and was yet to study them fully.

Presiding judge, Justice Kyei Baffuor said it was the lawyer's duty to pick up the document from the court because the Attorney-General had supplied them.

Mr. Thaddeus Sore representing Baffoe-Bonnie joined in the complaint. He said High court rules require that the Attorney-General Gloria Akufo draws the attention of her opposing counsel to the fact that she had supplied the court with the needed documents so they pick them up.

The A-G explained in response that per procedure, to supply or serve means counsel serves the Registrar.

"We have brought the documents to the registry. There is an erroneous impression that the documents were just supplied to the court, that is false," she asserted.

In his ruling, Justice Kyei Baffuor said: "the documents that the court ordered to be supplied to the accused persons have been ready since January 12, 2018".

"If the accused persons have not collected the documents, they cannot advance their failure as a ground to seek an adjournment and delay the case."

The Court overruled an objection of Defence lawyers and the AG was directed to call the prosecution's first witness.

The State legal team is led by Attorney Gloria Akuffo and the Director of Public Prosecutions Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa.

The other accused persons in the case are being represented Agbesi Dzakpasu for William Mathew Tetteh Tevie (Fmr Chief Executive Officer, NCA); Kojo Yankson for Alhaji Salifu Mimina Osman (Fmr Deputy National security coordinator); and Osafo Buabeng for George Derek Oppong, a private businessman.

The five are accused of sharing three million dollars of NCA cash among themselves.

They pleaded not guilty to 17 counts of causing financial loss to the state, conspiracy to steal, stealing, using public office for private gain, in contravention of the Public Procurement Act, money laundering and intentionally misapplying public property, among others.