GH¢49.1m Scandal: High Court Acquits Adu-Boahene on Two Charges, Orders Him and Wife to Open Defence

An Accra High Court has directed former National Signals Bureau (NSB) Director-General Kwabena Adu-Boahene and his wife, Angela Adjei Boateng, to present their defence on nine of the eleven charges filed against them.

The decision follows the court’s rejection of their respective no-case submissions, through which they had sought to be discharged without being required to defend themselves.

However, the court acquitted Adu-Boahene on two charges: defrauding by false pretences and obtaining public property by false statements.

Presiding judge, Justice Francis Achibonga, explained that the prosecution had failed to present evidence demonstrating that the former NSB director-general made any false representations in connection with the two offences. Consequently, the court ruled that he had no case to answer on those counts.

The nine remaining charges, however, will proceed to the defence stage after the court determined that the prosecution had presented sufficient evidence to require the accused persons to respond to the allegations.

The charges against Adu-Boahene include stealing GH¢27.1 million, GH¢1 million and GH¢21 million, as well as conspiracy to steal GH¢21 million.

He is also facing allegations of wilfully causing financial loss to the state, using public office for profit, abetment of crime, money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

In explaining the basis for its decision, Justice Achibonga noted that at the close of the prosecution’s case, the court was not required to determine whether the accused persons were guilty beyond reasonable doubt.

Rather, the court’s responsibility at that stage was to establish whether the prosecution had provided sufficient evidence to support the essential elements of the alleged offences or whether the evidence was too weak for a reasonable jury to return a guilty verdict.

The prosecution alleges that Adu-Boahene, while serving as Director of the Bureau of National Communications, arranged the transfer of approximately GH¢49.1 million in public funds from the institution’s Fidelity Bank account through three separate transactions.

The transfers involved GH¢27.1 million, GH¢1 million and GH¢21 million, which were allegedly moved into an account held at UMB in the name of B.N.C. Communications Bureau, an entity the prosecution claims was owned by the former director-general.

In its ruling, the court held that the prosecution had presented sufficient evidence to establish the key elements of the three stealing charges, including that the funds belonged to the state and that their transfer constituted an alleged dishonest appropriation.

The court consequently rejected the no-case submission concerning those charges and directed Adu-Boahene to open his defence on the allegations.

His wife, Angela Adjei Boateng, was also ordered to answer the charges brought against her, including conspiracy to use public office for profit, money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The judge further reminded both accused persons of their legal rights in determining how to present their defence.

They may testify under oath from the witness box, make an unsworn statement from the dock or exercise their right to remain silent.

The court has given them three weeks to submit witness statements if they intend to call witnesses to support their defence.

The case has been adjourned to December 10, 2026, for the commencement of the defence proceedings.

Source: https://mobile.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Here-are-the-9-charges-court-has-ordered-Adu-Boahene-wife-to-open-defence-for-2061130

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