The Accra High Court has given counsel for former National Signals Bureau (NSB) Director-General, Kwabena Adu-Boahene, until September 25, 2026, to file a submission of no case to answer after the prosecution formally closed its case.
The development marks the next stage in the trial of Mr Adu-Boahene and other accused persons, who are facing charges over the alleged diversion of GH¢49.1 million belonging to the state.
The case centres on allegations involving funds earmarked for the procurement of a cybersecurity system.
Prosecution Closes Case
The prosecution closed its case after calling four witnesses.
Its final witness, Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) investigator Frank Marshall Cromwell, was subjected to extensive cross-examination by defence counsel Samuel Atta Akyea.
With the prosecution’s case now closed, the defence will first seek to persuade the court that the evidence presented is insufficient to require Mr Adu-Boahene and the other accused persons to open their defence.
Prosecution’s Case
The prosecution alleges that GH¢49.1 million was unlawfully transferred from an account associated with the National Security Coordinator’s Special Operations into an account belonging to BNC Communications Bureau Limited, a private company linked to Mr Adu-Boahene and his wife, Angela Adjei-Boateng.
According to the prosecution’s fourth witness, three cheques totalling GH¢49.1 million were issued from the relevant account in 2020 and deposited into the private company’s account at Universal Merchant Bank (UMB).
The prosecution says the money was intended to finance the acquisition of a cybersecurity system from Israeli company ISC Holdings Ltd.
An EOCO investigator told the court that Mr Adu-Boahene signed a contract with ISC Holdings Ltd on January 30, 2020, for the proposed cybersecurity system, after which the three cheques were issued and paid into the private account.
The investigator further testified that the UMB account was opened shortly before the first cheque was issued, leading investigators to conclude that it was created specifically to facilitate the alleged diversion of the funds.
The prosecution has also presented evidence seeking to trace how the GH¢49.1 million was subsequently transferred and spent.
Defence Challenges Financial Evidence
During cross-examination, however, defence counsel challenged aspects of the prosecution’s financial analysis and questioned the basis for some of the conclusions reached by EOCO investigators.
The fourth prosecution witness, for instance, acknowledged that some of the transactions under examination involved amounts exceeding the GH¢49.1 million at the centre of the case.
The defence has also questioned the prosecution’s choice of witnesses, arguing that key officials who were involved in the National Security structure at the time should have been called to testify.
Mr Atta Akyea specifically mentioned former National Security Minister Albert Kan-Dapaah and the then National Security Coordinator.
Accused Persons Plead Not Guilty
Mr Adu-Boahene, his wife and the other accused persons have pleaded not guilty to the charges and are currently on bail.
The charges include stealing, conspiracy to steal, defrauding by false pretences, wilfully causing financial loss to the state, using public office for profit, money laundering and related offences.
The filing of the no-case submission on or before September 25 will give the defence an opportunity to argue that the prosecution has failed to establish sufficient evidence to warrant the accused persons being called upon to mount a defence.
The court will subsequently determine whether the prosecution has established a case requiring the accused persons to proceed with their defence.
