The state has vehemently opposed the provision of relevant documents to five public officials standing trial in the Ghana International Airlines Saga.
In an affidavit in opposition, the state contended that it was not legally right for it to provide relevant documents in a summary trial.
The opposition stemmed from an application put in by three of the public officials for their defence counsels to be provided with documents
needed in the conduct of a fair trial.
When the case was called at the Fast Track High Court, Mr. Jacob Acquah-Sampson, counsel for Richard Anane, contended that he was provided
with an affidavit in opposition filed by Ms. Gertrude Aikins, Director for Public Prosecution (DPP) this morning.
According him, the three counsels for the accused including him ought to study and file supplementary affidavit if any.
Mr. Acquah-Sampson therefore prayed for an adjournment to enable them respond to the affidavit in opposition.
The court therefore obliged and adjourned the matter to May 17.
The five public officials are; Richard Winfred Anane, former Minister of Transport, Samuel Crabbe, former Greater Accra Regional Chairman of NPP, Anthony Akoto-Osei, former Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance and
Economic Planning, Kwadwo Okyere Mpiani, former Chief of Staff and George Gyan-Baffour, former Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning.
Four other accused persons Ralf Atkins; Kirk Heaton; Albert Vitali and Brain Brisby, all former directors of GIAL were not in court.
All the accused person have been charged with stealing, causing financial loss to the State, fraud and deceit of public officer regarding the roles they played in the formation of GIAL and the subsequent liquidation of Ghana Airways.
Crabbe, who is also President of Unger Oaks Limited, minority shareholders of GIAL, and Anane have been additionally charged with wilfully
causing financial loss to the State to the tune of about 4.9 million dollars.
Crabbe is being held solely for opening an offshore account, without authority from the Bank of Ghana, conspiracy to steal and stealing.
Akoto-Osei has six additional charges of wilfully causing financial loss to the State, fraud and deceit of public officer and misapplication of public funds.
They have all pleaded not guilty to the charges and admitted to self recognisance bail of GH¢300,000 each by the court presided over Mr. Justice Bright Mensah.
Meanwhile, the Court has excused Anane who is said to be travelling outside the jurisdiction at the next sitting.
At the last sitting, Akoto-Osei, who is also Member of Parliament of Tafo-Pankrono was excused to travel to Tanzania, after details had been
furnished to the court by the Clerk of Parliament.
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, former New Patriotic Party (NPP) flag bearer, Professor Mike Ocquaye, Sheik I.C Quaye, Frema Opare Osei, Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway and other party faithfuls were in the court in solidarity of their colleagues.
Prosecuting, Ms. Gertrude Aikins, Director of Public Prosecutions, said Dr. Anane misrepresented facts on GIAL, which was then not in existence, to the Cabinet of Former President John Agyekum Kufuor and misled the then Government to pay shares into a fraudulent company.
She said Dr. Anane's action subsequently led to the liquidation of Ghana Airways.
The prosecution said Dr. Anane declared that four companies had expressed interest in Ghana Airways and later presented a letter of intent,
which was signed between the Government of Ghana and GIAL to form a new company called New Ghana Airways (NGA), although GIAL was at that time not
in existence.
Ms. Aikins said the memorandum Dr. Anane presented to Cabinet to sign was dated September 9, 2004 but GIA was not in existence at that date.
She said although management of PriceWaterhouse Coopers had rated NGA,
which had signed an agreement with the Government to form GIAL, third after KLM and Ghanair; two other companies which had submitted their bids to take over Ghana Airways, NGA won the bid.
Ms. Aikins said Mpiani, on June 2, 2005, wrote to the Chairman of Government Taskforce on Ghana Airways Limited authorising the taskforce to take all necessary steps to put the airline into formal liquidation.
She said Akoto-Osei signed a loan agreement committing the Government to a financial obligation of paying GH¢15 million from the Social Security and National Insurance Trust to GIAL.
Ms. Aikins said Dr. Akoto-Osei gave the amount from SSNIT to GIAL as a loan, without Parliamentary approval and at a time when the minority shareholders of the airline had abandoned the company by withdrawing 1.9
million dollars from GIAL account without the consent of the majority shareholder¸ Government of Ghana.
She said Mr. Mpiani authorised the release of six million dollars to GIAL in September 2008 without Parliamentary approval.
According to the prosecution, Crabbe, who represented the minority shareholders in the company, on June 27, 2005 withdrew 1.9 million dollars from the Government of Ghana's account, without approval from the Government (the Majority Shareholder).