A High Court in Accra has directed Yaw Odame-Darkwa, the prosecution’s first witness in the trial of former Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF) Board Chairman Prof. Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi and former Chief Executive Officer Solomon Asamoah, to evaluate and present 16 email exchanges between himself and other board members.
The order comes after Mr. Odame-Darkwa hesitated to log into his email account using either his personal phone or a court-provided computer to access the communications, which date from July to September 2018.
Messrs. Asamoah and Ameyaw-Akumfi are facing charges over an alleged unapproved $2 million investment in the Accra Sky Train project, said to have resulted in financial loss to the state.
In his testimony, Mr. Odame-Darkwa had claimed that while board meeting minutes referenced the Sky Train project, they did not accurately reflect the board’s deliberations or decisions on the initiative. He further stated that the project concept was only introduced at one meeting, and that no substantive proposal was received, making it impossible for the board to deliberate or take action.
It was in response to these claims that Victoria Barth, counsel for Mr. Asamoah, introduced the email correspondences – some authored by the witness himself – which mention the Sky Train project.
During cross-examination, Mr. Odame-Darkwa confirmed that investment committee meetings, of which he was a member, typically preceded full board meetings on new or existing projects. He acknowledged receiving email notices for these committee meetings from acting secretary Kofi Boakye, CEO Solomon Asamoah, or substantive company secretary Harriet Aban, which included agendas and relevant documents. He also verified that he had not deleted any emails from his Gmail and Yahoo accounts dating from his time on the GIIF board.
When shown an email thread related to the case, the witness stated it appeared familiar but required time to verify. He declined to access his email on his personal phone, explaining he no longer used the account on that device.
In response to Ms. Barth’s suggestion that retrieving emails from Mr. Asamoah’s account in court could help confirm receipt, Mr. Odame-Darkwa rebutted: “In this era of AI (Artificial Intelligence), anything can be done. So, I’ll trust what I would retrieve from my own mail. That is why I’m asking the court to give me time to go through my personal email.”
Ms. Barth argued that time was of the essence given the volume of emails to be reviewed and requested the court order the witness to access the accounts immediately in the courtroom via a provided hotspot. However, Principal State Attorney Sefakor Batse opposed the request, noting the witness had already indicated he could provide the emails at a later date and should not be compelled to do so on the spot.
Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay ruled in favour of allowing the witness time for comprehensive verification, ordering him to review and produce the 16 specified email correspondences at the next court date on December 15, 2025.
