The bail conditions for the former Director-General of the National Signals Bureau (NSB), Kwabena Adu Boahene, have been reviewed by an Accra Human Rights Court following a suit filed by his lawyers.
The bail sum of GH¢120 million has been reduced to GH¢80 million with two sureties, one to be justified.
That of his wife, Angela Adjei Boateng, remains at GH¢80 million with two sureties to be justified.
Both of them are to report to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) three times a week. The two have also been restricted from traveling and can only do so under the express permission of EOCO.
The couple, who were arrested last week over their alleged involvement in the embezzlement of State funds, filed a suit at the Human Rights Court on the basis that the bail conditions were excessive.
Samuel Atta Akyea Esq, lead lawyer for the two, argued that the GH¢120 million bail demand for Adu-Boahene and GH¢80 million for his wife were not only excessive but also appeared designed to circumvent constitutional detention limits.
In Court on Friday, March 28, Samuel Atta Akyea Esq, made a strong case for a downward review of the bail conditions which were eventually granted.
Deputy Attorney-General Justice Srem Sai, however, argued that the two were flight risks as they’re investigating a possible possession of foreign passports aside from their Ghanaian passports.
Justice Srem Sai also told the Court that the wife of Kwabena Adu-Boahene attempted to destroy evidence by carting suspected currency bills into suitcases on the night she was notified of the arrest of her husband.
Background
Last week, EOCO arrested the former Director-General at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) upon his arrival from London on a British Airways flight. The wife was also arrested when she visited EOCO to check on the husband.
He is accused of embezzlement of state funds.
According to the AG, Dr Ayine, the arrest has to do with his alleged involvement in financial misconduct relating to a $7 million cyber defence system contract.
The disclosure was made during a press conference on Monday, 24th March, where Dr Ayine provided details on the circumstances surrounding the case.
The contract, valued at $7 million, was intended to bolster Ghana’s capacity to detect, prevent, and respond to cyber threats, data breaches, and digital espionage. However, investigations suggest that funds allocated for the project were diverted for personal use.
Dr Ayine explained that in his role as Director of the NSB, Adu-Boahene signed the contract on 30th January 2020 on behalf of both the government of Ghana and the National Security Ministry.
The agreement was made with an Israeli firm, RLC Holdings Limited, to supply the cyber defence system software. The procurement was seen as a crucial measure to enhance the nation’s digital security infrastructure.
Despite the significance of the project, the Attorney-General revealed that Adu-Boahene engaged in unauthorised financial transactions.
On 6th February 2020, just days after signing the contract, he allegedly transferred an initial sum of GH¢27.1 million from the National Signals Bureau’s Fidelity Bank account to a UMB private account of BNC, the private firm he set up with his wife. This transaction was reportedly documented as payment for the cyber defence system software.
He is accused of laundering the funds through real estate investments in Accra and abroad.
Source: newsafricaghana.com