Sky Train trial: Former GIIF CEO seeks court order to compel 15 persons to testify

The first accused person in the ongoing Sky Train trial, Solomon Asamoah, has asked the court to compel 15 individuals, including former government officials, directors of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF), and financial experts, to testify in his defence.

Deputy Attorney-General Justice Srem-Sai disclosed this in a Facebook post, saying the accused persons had indicated that they had no witnesses but that Mr Asamoah wanted the court to order the 15 individuals to appear and testify on his behalf.

The list includes former Minister for Railway Development Joe Ghartey, the Chief Executive Officer of GIIF, Nana Dwemoh Benneh, the Auditor-General, Dr Pamela Graham, and representatives of Deloitte Ghana and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The case involves Mr. Asamoah and former Board Chairman Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, who are standing trial over an alleged US$2 million financial loss to the state linked to the proposed Accra Sky Train project.

The prosecution alleges that the two former officials conspired to cause financial loss to the Republic by facilitating the payment of US$2 million to Africa Investor Holdings Limited, a company linked to the proposed urban rail project, without the requisite approval from the GIIF Board.

The payment was reportedly made in February 2019 for an equity stake in a company associated with the project.

The proposed Sky Train was intended to provide an elevated urban rail transportation system in Accra to help address traffic congestion.

The project was expected to be developed through a partnership involving the government, GIIF and private-sector investors. However, the railway system was never constructed.

The prosecution has maintained that the transaction was not approved by the GIIF Board and that the funds were disbursed without the necessary authorisation.

The two accused persons have pleaded not guilty to six charges, including conspiracy to wilfully cause financial loss to the Republic, wilfully causing financial loss and conspiracy to commit intentional dissipation of public funds.

The prosecution closed its case in May 2026 after calling three witnesses.

In July 2026, the High Court dismissed a submission of no case filed by the accused persons, ruling that they had to open their defence.

The court subsequently directed them to file their witness statements, which were submitted in September 2026.