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Attach Seriousness To Treason Felony Charge Against Barker-Vormawor – Court To Prosecutors
The Ashaiman District Court has asked state prosecutors to attach seriousness to the treason felony charge filed against Oliver Barker-Vormawor, a convenor of the #FixTheCountry movement.
The court gave the warning Tuesday morning (March 15, 2022) when the case came up for hearing and the prosecution was absent in court.
“The court cannot wait for anyone and if the state is interested in pursuing the case, it ought to show all seriousness, because I will not take any unseriousness on the part of the state in connection with this case,” the court, presided over by Mrs Eleanor Kakra Barnes-Botchway said.
The absence of the prosecution saw the legal team of Barker-Vormawor praying the court to discharge him since the state was showing a lack of interest in the case.
Counsel for Barker-Vormawor, Dr Justice Srem-Sai argued that the prosecution has still not formally charged him with the offence and has also not submitted any bill of indictment.
“We have realised that the prosecution has lost interest totally in pursuing the case and we insist the facts in court do not support the charge of treason felony and we pray accordingly, we pray the court to discharge the accused”, Dr Srem-Sai said.
Barker-Vormawor on Tuesday displayed a sheet with the inscription, “Still, Justice for SALL [Santrokofi, Akpafu, Lolobi and Likpe].
Prosecution
A prosecutor, Chief Inspector George Doe who later came to hold brief for DSP Sylvester Asare who has been handling the case since it started, requested for an hour break to enable him receive instructions from DSP Asare.
“Although I have not received any instructions from DSP Sylvester Asare who is the Prosecutor in the case, I think it is too early for the defence to pray for the accused to be discharged”, Chief Inspector Doe who moved in after proceedings had started argued.
He also argued that the state had on previous sittings indicated that the crime was an indictable offence and by the nature of the case, “prosecution needed to furnish the Attorney-General with the case for advice”, he said.
He said the trial can only take place when the prosecution receives the advice from the A-G to formally charge the accused to go through the committal proceedings.
Court
The judge, Mrs Barnes-Botchway wondered why the prosecution would fail to appear in court and its representatives also coming in after proceedings had commenced.
“The court cannot wait for anyone and if the state is interested in pursuing the case, it ought to show all seriousness, because I will not take any unseriousness on the part of the state in connection with this case,” the judge said.
The court, therefore, remanded Barker-Vormawor into police custody for another two weeks to re-appear on March 29, 2022.
Search Warrant
Barker-Vormawor’s lawyers also attempted to seek the leave of the court to appeal a search warrant it had earlier issued in connection with the accused’s mobile phone, however, the court said since the prosecution was not readily available, the application would not be taken.
The lawyers were urged to table the motion on the next adjourned date.
Source: graphiconline.com
Member of Parliament for Akuapem North, Sammy Awuku, has expressed deep sorrow following the sudden passing of Isaac Batsa, the constituency secretary for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) lawmaker issued a statement on Tuesday reacting to the news, which has shocked the local political community.
Mr.Awuku praised the late NDC secretary for his bipartisan approach to local governance.
He noted that despite their different political affiliations, Batsa consistently rose above party lines to serve the constituency with diligence.
The MP revealed that the news was particularly shocking given that he had last interacted with Batsa just three days prior on Saturday.
Concluding his statement, Sammy Awuku extended his heartfelt condolences to Batsa’s family, the constituency and regional executives, and the entire NDC fraternity, wishing the deceased peaceful eternal rest.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
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Attorney General charges Chairman Wontumi and two others over alleged GH¢18.7 million Ghana Exim Bank fraud
The Office of the Attorney General has charged Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, and two others over the alleged fraudulent acquisition of funds from the Ghana Export-Import Bank for a farming project.
The charges were brought against Chairman Wontumi, Thomas Antwi-Boasiako, who is currently at large, and Wontumi Farms Limited.
According to court documents released by the Attorney General’s office, Chairman Wontumi, identified as the first accused person, allegedly approached the Ghana Exim Bank in January 2018 for financial support to undertake a large-scale farming project.
The prosecution said he applied for a GH¢19 million facility on behalf of Wontumi Farms Limited and claimed that the company had secured a 100,000-acre parcel of land for the proposed farming venture.
The Attorney General alleged that documents submitted together with the application contained false information.
According to the prosecution, one of the documents presented as a board resolution letter was dated January 23, 2018, but referred to a board resolution supposedly passed on December 9, 2017, four days before the company was officially incorporated on December 14, 2017.
The prosecution further stated that the accused persons also submitted a project proposal claiming that 2,500 hectares of the proposed farm would employ about 6,000 families, representing nearly 38,000 individuals.
Court documents indicate that the Ghana Exim Bank later approved an GH¢18.7 million facility made up of loans and grants for the project.
The facility was reportedly intended for the purchase of agricultural machinery, working capital, staff costs and consultancy services.
According to investigators, the bank disbursed more than GH¢14.3 million to the company between January and March 2018.
However, investigations by the Economic and Organised Crime Office of the Attorney General allegedly found that the proposed farming activities were never carried out.
The prosecution said the accused persons neither purchased the agricultural machinery nor secured the land they claimed to own for the project.
Investigators also alleged that Chairman Wontumi later submitted a document to the bank as proof that the company had purchased agricultural machinery worth GH¢4 million.
However, investigations reportedly established that the document was originally a pro-forma invoice from KAS-SAMA Enterprise and not an actual receipt.
According to the Attorney General’s office, the inscription “Pro-forma Invoice” was allegedly altered and replaced with the word “Receipt” before it was submitted to the bank.
The prosecution further alleged that Chairman Wontumi withdrew large sums from the company’s accounts and used the funds for personal expenses and investments in other businesses.
The Attorney General stated that attempts by the bank to recover the money were unsuccessful.
The Economic and Organised Crime Office reportedly began investigations into the matter in March 2025.
Chairman Wontumi was later arrested, cautioned and officially charged on May 14, 2026.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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