The High Court has directed Yaw Odame-Darkwa, a former board member of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF) and a prosecution witness, to retrieve, verify, and present 16 emails at the next hearing in the ongoing Sky Train trial.
The order followed a cross-examination by Victoria Barth, lawyer for former GIIF CEO Solomon Asamoah, who confronted Odame-Darkwa with a series of Investment Committee (IC) emails exchanged between July and September 2018. The defence argued that the emails are essential to assessing the credibility of the witness’s claims about the Sky Train project.
Odame-Darkwa, who served on the GIIF Board with the accused persons, has repeatedly maintained that the Sky Train initiative never received board approval, insisting that any document suggesting otherwise “cannot be genuine.” He further stated that the project appeared before the Board only once and never went through the required levels of review for approval or funding.
Emails Ordered for Submission
The witness is required to retrieve and submit 16 specific emails, including several he authored. Among them are:
- 24 September 2018 – 9:56 a.m.
Email from Odame-Darkwa to Solomon Asamoah and IC members, circulating a proposed agenda listing:- Mahama Hotel Project
- Review
- Sky Train Project
- Woodfields Tank Farm
- Safari Hotel Project
- GIIF Project Information
- Memorandum (Fundraising)
- 25 September 2018 – 11:18 a.m.
Email from Odame-Darkwa to Asamoah titled “InvestCo meeting this Friday, 28 September.” - 26 September 2018 – 5:26 p.m.
Another email from Odame-Darkwa concerning the scheduled InvestCo meeting.
He must also provide emails sent by Solomon Asamoah on 28 July, 30 July, 31 July, 16 September, 22 September, 25 September, and 26 September 2018, many of which reportedly contain attachments and agenda documents on GIIF projects, including the Sky Train, Safari Hotel, Woodfields Tank Farm, and Emirates Capital.
Odame-Darkwa informed the court that he currently cannot access his personal email accounts but needs time to verify the authenticity of the documents.
Presiding judge Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay instructed him to produce all 16 emails by December 16, 2025, the next adjourned date.
Charges Facing the Accused
The case involves former GIIF Board Chair Prof. Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi and former CEO Solomon Asamoah. They are facing charges of:
- Causing financial loss to the state
- Dissipation of public funds
The charges stem from a US$2 million expenditure on the Sky Train project, which prosecutors say was made without board approval and without any corresponding work done.
The court will reconvene on December 16, when the witness is expected to present the requested email records.
