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In a recent case involving UniBank and its officials, the founder of the bank, Dr. Kwabena Duffour, attempted to bar the Receiver of his bank, Nii Amanoo Dodoo, from testifying in court. However, the Supreme Court ruled in a majority decision of 3-2 that Mr. Dodoo could testify in the trial.
The panel of judges comprised Justices Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, Prof. Henrietta Mensah Bonsu, and Samuel Asiedu, while Justices Gabriel Pwamang and Amadu Tanko dissented. The Apex Court affirmed the ruling of the Court of Appeal and the trial High Court that Mr. Dodoo should testify as the first Prosecution Witness (PW1) in the case, despite strong opposition from Dr. Duffour’s lawyers.
Dr. Duffour and eight others have been accused of a total of 68 charges, including trickery, fraudulent breach of trust, tax evasion, insincere acquisition, and falsification of records. The others being investigated with him are a former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Johnson Pandit Asiama, Honda Possessions Limited, Kwabena Duffour Jnr., Ekow Nyarko Dadzie-Dennis, Elsie Dansoa Kyereh, Jeffrey Amon, Benjamin Ofori, and Kwadwo Opoku Okoh.
The charges involve various sums of money allegedly launched and transferred into fictitious accounts. Some of the amounts quoted on the charge sheet include GH¢1,941,901.45, GH¢1,588,831.35, GH¢102,000,000.00, $71 million, GH¢601,305,250, GH¢227,450,000, $9,167,357.12, and $9,546,600.00.
Hoda Holdings allegedly received GH¢663,283,917.19. Mr. Pandit is said to have willfully caused financial loss to the State, contravention of the Bank of Ghana Act 2002 (Act 612) in an amount of GH¢150 million and GH¢300 million respectively.
Despite Dr. Duffour’s attempts to block Mr. Dodoo from testifying, the court’s decision affirms the prosecution’s position that PW1 was once an accomplice of the review firm, KPMG, and therefore testifying in the trial does not harm the law.
source:locotvgh.com