SkyTrain trial: Witness says GIIF board never gave final green light
By DL News
Published
Updated
1 min read
Kofi Boakye, the second witness for the state, said under cross-examination that while the board signalled interest in participating, the internal process was never completed
A prosecution witness in the SkyTrain case has told the court that the board of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF) did not give final approval for the Accra SkyTrain project.
Kofi Boakye, the second witness for the state, said under cross-examination that while the board signalled interest in participating, the internal process was never completed because there was no investment committee recommendation and no final board sanction.
His evidence was given in the trial of Prof Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, a former GIIF board chair, and Solomon Asamoah, a former GIIF chief executive. Both men face charges including wilfully causing financial loss to the state, dissipation of public funds, and conspiracy.
Questioned by defence lawyer Victoria Barth, Mr Boakye referred to board meetings on 5 September 2018 and 19 November 2019, saying steps were discussed but the project did not reach the stage of full approval.
He also pushed back against suggestions that board members were provided all key documents at the time, telling the court that materials such as the MoU and concession agreements were not presented at board meetings and were only seen later during questioning by the National Intelligence Bureau.
Mr Boakye further alleged that Ghana Sky Train Limited was incorporated without the board’s knowledge, and noted concerns about shareholding and governance arrangements, including what he described as the lack of GIIF board representation in the project vehicle.
He asked for time to examine some documents before continuing his responses, after which the court adjourned the case.
The SkyTrain proposal was pitched as an elevated light rail system for Accra. Government signed an MoU with the AiSky Train Consortium in 2018, and a Build-Operate-Transfer concession agreement was later signed in 2019 for a project estimated at $2.6bn.
