- Juliet Hassana Kramer Acquitted in SSNIT OBS Trial
- Four Others Ordered to Open Defence
- Case Adjourned to December 19, 2024
Juliet Hassana Kramer, the CEO of Perfect Business System (PBS), has been acquitted and discharged of all charges in the ongoing Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) Operational Business Suites (OBS) trial.
The ruling, handed down by an Accra High Court, came after Ms. Kramer’s lawyers presented a submission of no case. The charges against her included willfully causing financial loss, conspiracy to commit a crime, defrauding by false pretenses, and contravention of the Public Procurement Act.
Justice Henry Kwofie, who presided over the case as a Supreme Court Judge sitting with additional responsibility as a High Court Judge, declared that there was no case to answer in her regard.
However, the court has directed four other accused individuals to open their defence as a prima facie case has been established against them. These individuals include Ernest Thompson, the former Director-General of SSNIT; John Hagan Mensah, a former IT Manager at SSNIT; Caleb Kwaku Afaglo, the former Head of the Management Information System (MIS); and Peter Hayibor, a counsel for SSNIT.
The four accused are to respond to charges they face, including conspiracy to commit a crime and willfully causing financial loss to the state. Ernest Thompson and John Hagan Mensah have been instructed to open their defence concerning charges of conspiracy to commit a crime and willfully causing financial loss to the state. However, the court acquitted Thompson on nine counts of conspiracy to commit a crime, willfully causing financial loss, and contravention of the Public Procurement Act.
Caleb Afaglo, on the other hand, has been directed to open his defence on charges of defrauding by false pretenses, possession of forged documents, and uttering forged documents.
As for Peter Hayibor, he is required to open his defence in relation to charges of willfully causing financial loss to the state and conspiracy to commit a crime.
The prosecution, led by Mrs. Yvonne Atakorah Obuobisa, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), called 10 witnesses to establish a prima facie case against the accused. However, the defence counsel filed a submission of no case, resulting in Kramer’s acquittal.
The case revolves around the $66 million SSNIT OBS project, which aimed to modernize SSNIT operations through Information and Communications Technology (ICT). Afaglo is alleged to have obtained his position at SSNIT through fraudulent certificates.
All the accused have denied the charges against them and were granted bail.
The trial has been adjourned to December 19, 2024, for further proceedings.
