Alleged SkyTrain Scandal: Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi Hospitalised Again

The second accused in the Accra SkyTrain scandal, Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, was once again absent from court on Tuesday, May 20, after reportedly being rushed to the hospital earlier this morning—his second such absence on a scheduled court date.

This prompted the prosecution, led by Deputy Attorney-General Dr. Justice Srem-Sai, to indicate that a decisive step would be taken should Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi fail to appear on the next adjourned date.

The Criminal Division ‘4’ of the High Court, presided over by Justice Comfort Kwasiwor Tasiame, was expected to take the plea of the former Board Chairman of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF), who is standing trial alongside Solomon Asamoah, the Fund’s former CEO, over a US$2 million payment made in 2019 for the now-abandoned Accra SkyTrain project.

Defence counsel Duke Aaron Sasu, led by Andrew Appiah-Dankwa, informed the court that they were notified at dawn that Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi had been admitted to an emergency ward.

“My lady, we were supposed to be here for A2’s plea to be taken. We were informed this dawn that A2 was rushed to the emergency hall,” Sasu stated. “We are in the process of securing the medical report for the court. We’ve been told that by Friday, he should be available for his plea to be taken.”

Justice Tasiame, however, expressed concern about the pattern of absences, noting: “It appears the second accused person is always rushed to the hospital on the day the case is coming on. Last week you said he was taken for surgery.”

Dr. Srem-Sai added that while the prosecution would not impute ill intent, it had noted the timing of the accused’s hospital visits and would take a firmer stance if the trend continues.

“We do not want to impute anything, except to say that Friday is not far. But when Friday comes, we will make a prayer to my lady on how the prosecution intends to move forward with the second accused person,” he stated.

The court adjourned the case to May 26 at 10:00 a.m., with a strong indication that failure to appear could result in further legal consequences for Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi.

Meanwhile, Solomon Asamoah, the first accused, was granted bail in the sum of GH¢15 million with two sureties who are to justify the bond with landed property located within the Greater Accra Region. He has surrendered both his Ghanaian and UK passports to the court and is required to report to the police three times a week—on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays—until the final determination of the case.

Asamoah has pleaded not guilty to six counts, including conspiracy to commit a crime, willfully causing financial loss to the state, and intentional dissipation of public funds, in violation of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), and the Public Property Protection Decree, 1977 (SMCD 140).

The charges relate to a 2019 agreement with Africa Investor Holdings Limited, a company registered in Seychelles, for the proposed development of the Accra SkyTrain light rail system. According to prosecutors, the US$2 million paid out under the deal was never accounted for, and the project failed to take off.

The prosecution maintains that the disbursement lacked due diligence and the necessary government approvals, resulting in a significant financial loss to the state.

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