Nana Konadu's Case Adjourned To October 24

By William Yaw Owusu

Thursday, 27 July 2006
An Accra Fast Track High Court yesterday adjourned to October 24 the case in which Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, former First Lady, and five others are standing trial for their alleged involvement in the divestiture of the Nsawam Cannery.

This follows an oral submission by Mr. Tony Lithur, counsel for Carridem Development Company Limited (CDCL), that his clients had filed a notice of appeal against the court’s decision not to stay proceedings in the case, and that the accused are in the process of renewing the application for stay of proceedings.

Anthony Gyambiby, Chief State Attorney, who led the prosecution did not oppose their decision to ask for an adjournment, and the trial judge, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, adjourned the case to October 24.

The judge however made it clear that the court was not adjourning proceedings because of counsel's application but because "the court does not want to be overtaken by events".

Mrs Rawlings is being tried alongside Emmanuel Amuzu Agbodo, former Executive Secretary of the Divesture Implementation Committee (DIC), Thomas Benson Owusu, former DIC Accountant, Kwame Peprah, former Finance Minister and DIC chairman and Hanny Sherry Ayittey, Director of CDCL.

They were being tried initially together with Georgina Okaitey, Director, George Mould, Director and Larry Adjetey, Director/Secretary, all of Carridem Development Company Limited (CDCL), but the Attorney General at the last adjourned date, withdrew the charges against the three under Section 59 of Act 30.

All the accused are charged with 30 counts of conspiracy, causing financial loss to a public body, intentionally causing loss to a public property, conspiracy to obtain public property by false statement and obtaining public property by false statement.

They have all pleaded not guilty to the charges and have been granted self cognisance bail.