Adu Boahene Trial: Lawyer Defends Discharged Co-Accused Mildred Donkor, Claims No Role in GH¢49m Theft
The lawyer for Mildred Donkor, the recently discharged third accused in the high-profile criminal trial of former National Signals Bureau (NSB) Director-General Kwabena Adu Boahene, has hailed the court’s decision as a vindication, insisting his client played no part in the alleged GH¢49 million theft and money laundering scheme.
Elikplim Agbemava, Ms. Donkor’s counsel, emphasized that she was not implicated in the core criminal acts. “If you see, my client was not mentioned as being part of the crime of stealing. Her name only appears in count 10 or 11 or so. It’s pretty clear that in terms of the formation of whatever has gone wrong, she was not part of that conclave to decide on anything,” Mr. Agbemava told journalists outside the Accra High Court on Friday, following the court’s rejection of a defense bid to stay the proceedings.
The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, filed a notice on October 15 to discontinue prosecution against Ms. Donkor under Section 59 of the Criminal and Other Offences (Procedure) Act, 1960 (Act 30). This allows her to testify as a prosecution witness, providing details on the alleged misappropriation of state funds central to the charges against Adu Boahene, his wife Angela Adjei Boateng, and their company, Advantage Solutions Limited.
Ms. Donkor’s shift was foreshadowed on July 18, when she dismissed her previous lawyer in court, stating, “I wish to take a separate lawyer, please,” just before the prosecution’s first witness was set to appear. Sources from the Attorney-General’s Department revealed that her witness statement highlights a longstanding relationship with the Adu Boahenes, stemming from their shared membership at the Cedar Mountain Assemblies of God Church in East Legon.
She described becoming a director of Advantage Solutions Limited at Adu Boahene’s request solely to facilitate company registration, but stressed her role was nominal. “Although I was listed as a director, I had no decision-making power and only acted on instructions from Mr. Adu-Boahene and Madam Adjei-Boateng,” her statement noted.
With her discharge, prosecutors anticipate leveraging Ms. Donkor’s testimony to strengthen their case against the remaining defendants as the trial presses on before the Accra High Court.
