Witness Nails Baffoe-Bonnie – Says ‘I Was Impressed Upon To Transfer $4M NCA Cash’

A former Director of Finance at the National Communications Authority (NCA), Dr. Isaac Yaw Ani says he was impressed upon by former NCA Board Chairman Eugene Baffoe-Bonnie to authorize the transfer of $4m to Infraloks Development Limited without the relevant documents.

According to him, William Tevie, the former Director -General in the presence of then Board Chairman told him the National Security Council urgently needed some funds to purchase Cyber Surveillance Equipment.

Taking the court through the Authority’s threshold of approvals by top officials, he contended that a director at the authority could approve request for GH¢5,000; GH¢100,000, for Director-General whilst the Board approves request above GH¢100,000.

Dr. Ani who is currently a Deputy Director General at the NCA and the Second Prosecution Witness told the court yesterday that the NCA had not budgeted to offer such institutional support so he asked for evidence of the request from the National Security Council Secretariat which was not available as at the time.

Evidence

Led in evidence by the Yvonne Attakora Oboubisa, the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), the court presided over by Justice Eric Kyei Baffour, further heard that Baffoe-Bonnie asked Dr. Ani to go ahead and process the letter for transfer of the funds to the company due to the urgent nature and that the relevant letter would be provided later.

Dr. Ani said he then prepared the transfer letter in anticipation of receiving the documents.

According to Dr. Ani. Mr. Tevie two weeks later handed him the letter from the National Security dated February 24, 2016 with a text below indicating that Baffoe-Bonnie had authorized the transfer of the funds to the private company.

Dr. Ani said he assumed that per the receipt of the letter on Cyber Security Readiness in Ghana, the NCA Board had approved the transfer of the money only to learn a year later in the newspapers that the transfer was not approved by the Board.

Security Issues

Baffour Asaase-Gyimah, lawyer for Alhaji Salif Mimina Osman, a former Deputy National Security Coordinator objected the tendering of the said request letter from National Security asking for sponsorship.

Quoting Articles 135 of the 1992 Constitution, he stated that the issue bothered on national section and that it was important the court heard such a matter in camera.

But Justice Kyei Baffour in a ruling dismissed the arguments of the former Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) Member stressing that the tendering of the letter and its bearing on national security is “remote”.

Cross-Ex

Under cross-examination, Thaddeus Sory, lawyer for Baffoe-Bonnie accused Dr. Ani of lying to the court.

He stated that the witness knew about the request far earlier that the February 2016 that he claims.

Others

The state has dragged William Tevie, former Chief Executive Officer, NCA; Nana Owusu Ensaw; Alhaji Salif Mimina Osman, former Deputy National Security Coordinator and George Derrek Oppong, a private businessman, and Director of IDL before the court facing 17 charges such as conspiracy to steal, stealing, using public office for profit, money laundering, among others.

According to the prosecution, the accused persons are being tried for allegedly causing financial loss to the State to the tune of $4 million under the guise of procuring a Cyber Surveillance System which they claimed were to be used for anti-terrorism activities in the country.

By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson