Former GIIF Board Member Confirms CEO Presented Accra Sky Train Project to Committee

A former Board Member of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF), Yaw Odame-Darkwa, has confirmed before the High Court in Accra that the embattled former Chief Executive Officer of GIIF, Solomon Asamoah, made a formal presentation on the Accra Sky Train project to the Fund’s Investment and Finance Committee.

Mr. Odame-Darkwa, who is testifying as first prosecution witness (PW1) made the confirmation under intense cross-examination by Mrs. Victoria Barth, counsel for Mr. Asamoah, before the Criminal Division 4 of the High Court, presided over by Her Ladyship Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay.

During proceedings on Monday, the witness agreed that Item 4.3 on page four of the minutes of the Investment and Finance Committee meeting held on July 31, 2018—tendered as Exhibit 18—summarised the CEO’s presentation on the Accra Sky Train Mono Rail Project to committee members.

He further confirmed that Item 4.4 on page five of the same minutes captured members’ expressions of support for the project, noting its potential to facilitate the speedy movement of passengers across the city and stimulate business activities.

According to the minutes, members also indicated the need for further details to enable a sound decision on GIIF’s possible participation and to make an informed recommendation to the board.

Under questioning, Mr Odame-Darkwa acknowledged that although the committee expressed support for the project, further consideration was required before any recommendation could be made to the GIIF board.

The witness also admitted that when he wrote his statements at the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) in March 2025, he did not have access to all relevant minutes of GIIF board and subcommittee meetings and largely relied on his recollection.

He later clarified that, contrary to earlier responses, he did not refresh his memory with the minutes of the July 31, 2018 Investment Committee meeting before writing his statement.

Mrs Barth confronted the witness with several email exchanges from 2018 relating to the Sky Train project, all of which he confirmed receiving.

The emails, which included presentations, agenda items, and committee documents circulated ahead of meetings scheduled for July 31 and September 28, 2018, were tendered through him without objection from the prosecution and admitted as Exhibits 11 through 19.

Mr. Odame-Darkwa also conceded that, as he sat in court, he could not definitively recall whether the Investment Committee meeting scheduled for September 28, 2018, actually took place.

As a result, he admitted he was not in a position to make a categorical statement that the committee did not recommend the Sky Train project to the GIIF board, stressing that his witness statement reflected what he could recollect at the time.

In a related line of questioning, the witness confirmed that he served as Chairman of the Audit Committee of the GIIF board in 2018 and that all board members bore collective responsibility for the Fund’s audited financial statements submitted to the Auditor-General and the Ministry of Finance.

An extract of the 2021 Auditor-General’s report on GIIF, as well as the Fund’s 2019 audited financial statements bearing the signatures of the CEO and Board Chairman, were tendered in evidence through the witness and admitted as Exhibits 20 and 21 respectively.

At the close of proceedings, defence counsel informed the court that additional email exchanges between board members and the company secretary from 2018 to 2020 would be made available to the prosecution for verification ahead of the next hearing.

The case was adjourned to December 16, 2025, for continuation of cross-examination.

 

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