Accra, April 22, GNA – An Accra Fast Track High Court (FTC) has fixed Friday, May 20, for mentioning, the case in which Tsatsu Tsikata, Former Chief Executive of Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), is charged with wilfully causing financial loss of 2.3 billion cedis to the State.
The Former Chief Executive would continue to take dates at the subsequent adjournments, since he would not be heard at the FTC, until the determination of his appeal at the Supreme Court (SC), against the lower court’s decision to open his defence.
The accused is charged on four counts of causing financial loss and intentionally misapplying funds totalling 2.345 billion cedis, property of the State
The offence, according to State Attorney, is contrary to Section 1(2) of the Public Property Protection Decree 1977 (SMCD140). Tsatsu has pleaded not guilty to the charges and the trial judge, Mrs Justice Henrietta Abban, Appeal Court Judge sitting on the case as a High Court Judge, has granted him a 700 million-cedi self-recognisance bail.
In March 2003, the FTC overruled the submission of no case filed by Tsatsu and ordered that he should open his defence in the case. Tsatsu then filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal in November 2004, which was dismissed on the grounds that it lacked merit and, therefore, ordered him to go back to the FTC to open his defence. He filed an appeal to challenge the Appeal Court’s ruling at the Supreme Court and this was also overruled.
The accused has since gone to the Supreme Court for a review, where he is seeking relief from the Supreme Court to quash its earlier decision and order and to uphold his submission of no case. Professor E.V.O. Dankwa and Major Rowland S. Agbenato (rtd) are appearing for Tsatsu.
Source: GhanaWeb
