The Accra Fast Track High Court trying the case involving the divestiture of the Ghana Rubber Estate Limited would on Wednesday give its ruling on application by a Defence Counsel to recall a Witness.
Mr Justice J. C. Amonoo-Monney, an Appeal Court Judge with an additional responsibility on the case as a High Court Judge, deferred the ruling after the Prosecution objected to the application.
Mr Tony Lithur, Counsel for Sati Dorcas Ocran, asked the Court to recall the first Prosecution Witness, Kwame Awuah Asante. Mr Lithur said the recall would enable him to further cross-examine Mr Asante, who was a former Financial Controller of GREL.
He told the court that he would cross-examine Mr Asante particularly on cheques he co-signed with the company’s former Managing Director, who was the Second Prosecution Witness.
Counsel stated that since the issuance of those cheques formed the basis for which his client was being tried, further cross-examination of Witness would help clear doubts on adverse evidence about his client.
But Osafo Sampong, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) opposed the application. He quoted Section 79 of the Evidence Decree to buttress his point, saying that after a Witness had been discharged by court, his recall would amount to the abuse of the court process.
“We cannot see the end of the matter, if we should keep on recalling witnesses.” Earlier the court ordered Assistant Superintendent of Police Ahmed Issah Yakubu, investigator in the case and the last Prosecution Witness to furnish the court on Wednesday with his Evaluation Report. This would enable Mr Lithur to further cross-examine him on behalf of his client.
Sati Ocran, Housewife, and three others, Hanny Sherry Ayittey, Treasurer of the 31st December Women’s Movement; Emmanuel Amuzu Agbodo, former Executive Secretary of the Divestiture Implementation Committee (DIC) and Ralph Casely-Hayford, a Businessman, are being tried for their alleged involvement in corruption in connection with the privatisation of GREL.
They allegedly used their positions to influence members of the DIC Board to divest GREL in favour of Societe Industrielle Plantation Hevea (SIPH), a French company.
All four accused persons have denied their various charges and each of them is on a self-recognisance bail.
Source: GhanaWeb
