Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi charged over $2m Sky Train payment
In the latest development, the former Board Chair of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF), Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, has been charged with conspiracy to commit a crime, specifically, wilfully causing financial loss to the Republic.
The charges, under Section 23(1) and Section 179A(3)(a) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), follow the alleged payment of $2 million in 2019 to Africa Investor Holdings Limited for the development of an urban Sky Train system in Accra, a project which was never executed.
According to court documents, the funds were disbursed in February 2019 without the requisite board approval for either the share acquisition or the payment itself.
The alleged misappropriated funds belonging to GIIF are considered a public asset, and their unauthorised release has triggered criminal proceedings.
The court document named the first accused person in the scandal as Solomon Asamoah and the second as Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi.
The Accra Sky Train Project
The proposed Accra Train system is an integrated, elevated rail urban transit system that is aimed at providing an efficient, cost-effective, reliable, safe, and accessible public transport network in Accra.
The government, through GIIF, signed a concession agreement in November 2018 with the firm in Mauritius, Africa Investor, to construct the $ 1.9 billion Accra Skytrain project.
The Railway Minister at the time, Joe Ghartey, was confident that the project was the solution to the traffic congestion problems of Accra.
As a world-class mass transport system, the GIIF was optimistic that the project would create 5,000 jobs during its construction and further development of the capital.
But as of now, the sky train project is yet to be executed.