I wrote payment letters on Abodakpi's request-Witness

By William Yaw Owusu.

Tuesday, 11 April 2006
A DEFENCE witness in the trial of Daniel Kwasi Abodakpi, former Trade and Industry Minister, told the Fast Track High Court in Accra yesterday that she was asked to draft letters for the payment of 100,000 and 300,000 dollars for feasibility studies.

Agnes Batsa, then Head of Bilateral Unit, Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, said the payments which were in respect of feasibility studies into the Science and Technology Valley Park Project, were made in cedi equivalent.

Abodakpi, who is Member of Parliament for Keta, is charged with causing financial loss of 400,000 dollars to the state through the Science and Technology Valley Park Project.

He was originally charged with Victor Selormey, a former Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning who died in the course of the trial.

Led in evidence by Mr Charles Hayibor, the defence counsel, Mrs Batsa said she gave a statement concerning the matter to the police on May 3, 2001.

Witness said on August 10, 2000, she was requested by Selormey to process the payment of 100,000 dollar for feasibility studies into the Science and Technology Valley Park Project in response to a request by Abodakpi.

Witness further told the court, presided over by Justice S.T. Farkye, that on December 19, 2000, Abodakpi again wrote to request the payment of a further 300,000 dollars.

“Mr Selormey asked me to prepare another letter authorising the payment and he signed. Both amounts were in cedis,” she said.

In reply to a suggestion by counsel that the two letters for the request for payment and appointment of a consultant for the feasibility studies were not the same, Mrs Batsa said, “the two letters are talking about the same topic, although the wordings are different.”

She said her unit was responsible for negotiating for loans and grants and releasing funds for ministries, departments and agencies and dealt mostly with foreign embassies.

The case was adjourned until April 27 for witness to be cross-examined by Chief State Attorney, Ms Gertrude Aikins.