Joe Ghartey is a former Minister for Railways
The Deputy Attorney General, Justice Srem Sai, has disclosed that some former government officials have been invited to assist in investigations in connection with the controversial $2 million Skytrain project by the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF).
According to him, the former Minister of Railways Development, Joe Ghartey, was invited to present his side of the story.
“If you take the Sky Train, for instance, Hon Joe Ghartey at a point was invited. He explained his side of the story,” Srem Sai said in an interview on JoyNews on June 12, 2025.
He further added that the former minister was not included in the charge sheet for the Skytrain scandal.
He explained that not every investigation leads to prosecution, just as not every minister overseeing a ministry with controversies bears criminal responsibility.
“When you look at the charge sheet for Sky Train, he’s not on it. The fact that you are a minister doesn’t mean that you will be criminally liable for anything.
“There are things that can happen in a ministry which may not be your doing. So, the fact that you’re a minister doesn’t mean that you are guilty whenever there is a crime in the ministry. The fact that you have been invited for questioning doesn’t also mean that you’re guilty,” he added.
Background
Two individuals, Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, former Board Chairman of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF), and Solomon Asamoah, former CEO of GIIF, are standing trial for the controversial Skytrain project.
They face charges of willfully causing financial loss to the state, intentional dissipation of public funds, and conspiracy to commit a crime.
In 2018, the Ghana Sky Train Limited was established by Africa Investor Holdings Limited, seeking to incorporate a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) in Mauritius for the Accra Sky Train Project’s development through a Design, Build, Finance, and Operate arrangement.
The sky train was expected to have a total track length of 194 kilometres.
It was expected to cover five routes, four of which are comprise the radial routes that originate at the proposed SkyTrain Terminal, at the heart of Accra, at a newly developed Kwame Nkrumah Circle.
The remaining one (1) route was expected to provide an intra-city commuter loop distribution service, also emanating from Kwame Nkrumah Circle.
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