The Accra High Court has adjourned the trial of former Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund chief executive Solomon Asamoah and Board Chair Christopher Akumfi while the Supreme Court considers an application by the first accused seeking to halt the proceedings.
The case management conference had been scheduled to begin on October 5, 2026. The accused had previously been ordered to file their witness statements by September 23.
However, Victoria Barth, counsel for Solomon Asamoah, told the High Court that her client had invoked the supervisory jurisdiction of the Supreme Court over the ongoing trial.
She said the application sought orders of certiorari and prohibition, including an order preventing the High Court from hearing, continuing with or determining the case.
Ms Barth said the Supreme Court had refused Mr Asamoah’s request for an injunction to suspend proceedings until the substantive application had been decided.
She added that he had nevertheless acted in good faith by complying with the High Court’s order to file his witness statement on September 23.
The defence subsequently filed 14 subpoenas on October 2 relating to people it intends to cross-examine as part of its case. Ms Barth said those steps remained subject to the outcome of the proceedings before the Supreme Court.
She asked the High Court to take into account that the Supreme Court was due to hear the application for prohibition on October 13 and requested a short adjournment to allow that hearing to take place.
According to the defence, continuing with further stages of the trial before the Supreme Court rules could prejudice the first accused and potentially make the application moot.
Ms Barth also told the court that two further witnesses were either outside the jurisdiction or otherwise unavailable to the defence. Their witness statements would therefore require the court’s permission before they could be filed.
Counsel for Christopher Akumfi, led by Yaw Acheampong Boafo, adopted the submissions made on behalf of the first accused and said he had nothing further to add.
The prosecution, led by Sefakor Batse, told the court it had received the second accused’s witness statement but had not yet been served with Mr Asamoah’s.
Ms Batse also said the state had only recently been notified of the additional processes filed by the defence.
Although the prosecution would have preferred the case management conference to go ahead, she left the decision to the court. She reminded the judge, however, that filing processes at the Supreme Court did not automatically suspend proceedings in the High Court.
After hearing both sides, the court adjourned the case to Monday, October 19, 2026.
