The Court of Appeal has directed the Attorney-General to release a series of previously withheld documents and evidence to the defence in the ongoing criminal trial of Kwabena Adu Boahene and his wife.
Delivering its ruling on an appeal regarding the disclosure of evidence, the appellate court partially allowed the application, issuing several binding orders against the prosecution.
The Attorney-General is now legally required to produce 88 missing pages of bank statements and disclose the source of an alleged GH¢49.1 million transferred into accounts connected to the accused.
Furthermore, the state must hand over relevant portions of the National Security Coordinator’s file, alongside details of special operations accounts tied to Mr Boahene.
The prosecution must also clarify whether the funds in question were intended exclusively for the procurement of a cyber defence system.
The directives also compel the state to provide all correspondence between national security officials and Mr Boahene’s wife concerning the establishment of special purpose accounts.
These accounts were allegedly used for undercover national security operations, utilizing UMB Bank as the public face.
While the court mandated these disclosures, it dismissed the defence’s application to stay proceedings, ruling that the disclosure of evidence is a continuous obligation throughout a criminal trial.
As a result, the substantive trial will continue alongside the enforcement of these disclosure orders.
The ruling follows an earlier acknowledgment by the Attorney-General to the trial court that the prosecution does not possess land title certificates, conveyancing documents, or ownership records for properties in Accra, Kumasi, and London.
These assets had previously formed part of the state’s public allegations against Mr Boahene.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana