The Attorney-General and Minster for Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, has filed multiple charges against the immediate past Director-General of the National Signals Bureau (NSB), formerly Bureau of National Communications (BNC), Kwabena Adu-Boahene, and three others for allegedly stealing funds belonging to the state in a deal to purchase a $7 million cyber-defence software for the bureau.
In the dock with Adu-Boahene are his wife, Angela Adjei Boateng, and Mildred Donkor, a former bank relations officer for the two, and a director of Advantage Solutions Limited (ASL), the sole shareholder of a private company that the prosecution alleged was used to receive the GH¢49 million.
The prosecution alleged that BNC Communication Bureau Limited, a private company, was created by Adu-Boahene and his wife to look similar to the then BNC, belonging to the state.
Adu-Boahene and Angela have been accused of moving GH¢49 million, meant for purchasing the software for the state, into their private company through a complex web of companies ultimately owned by ASL.
Mildred, on the other hand, has been accused of assisting the couple to move the money, which the prosecution alleged had been used to purchase landed properties in Accra, Kumasi and London as well as other properties.
Charges
In all, the prosecution has slapped the four accused persons — Adu-Boahene, Boateng, Donkor and ASL — with 11 counts of offences.
Adu-Boahene has been charged with three counts of stealing, one count of defrauding by false pretence, one count of wilfully causing financial loss to the state, one count of using public office for personal gain and one count of obtaining public property by false pretence.
He has also been accused of conspiring with his wife, Angela, to steal GH¢49 million, while Angela has been charged with one count of collaborating with her husband to use public office for profit.
All four accused persons have been charged with conspiracy to launder money and a substantive charge of money laundering.
Not guilty
The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges when they appeared before the High Court at 5 p.m. last Wednesday in the presence of their lawyer, Samuel Atta Akyea.
The accused persons are to remain on their respective bails until Friday, May 2 for the court to decide whether or not to grant the A-G’s request to remand Adu-Boahene.
The Friday hearing will be done in chambers at the court presided over by Justice Eugene Nyante Nyadu.
In March, this year, the High Court presided over by Justice Ruby Aryeetey, varied Boahene’s police inquiry bail from GH¢120 million to GH¢80 million with two sureties with one justification.
His wife’s bail bond of GH¢80 million was maintained, but she was required to bring two sureties with no justification.
They are to report to the investigative bodies, including the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) twice every week for the next three weeks.
Per the bail conditions, they cannot travel without express permission from EOCO.
Prosecution’s facts
Narrating the facts of the case, Dr Ayine said while serving as the Director-General of BNC in 2018, Mr Adu-Boahene and his wife incorporated “BNC Communication Bureau Limited”, a name similar to the then BNC.
The company, the Attorney-General said, had Mr Adu-Boahene and his wife listed as directors, and they proceeded to open a corporate account for their Private BNC at Universal Merchant Bank (UMB).
He added that according to the mandate of the account, either of the directors could sign cheques and approve transactions on the account.
The A-G disclosed that in January 2020, Mr Adu-Boahene signed a contract on behalf of the government and the National Security Council, on one hand, and, on the other hand, an Israeli company called ISC Holdings Ltd.
The GH¢49 million contract, the A-G said, was for the purchase of a software called “Cyber Defence System”.
According to the A-G, Adu-Boahene moved the GH¢49 million from the bureau’s account into his private BNC Communication Bureau Limited account.
After that, the A-G alleged that he transferred $1.7 million to ISC Holdings Limited purportedly as a 25 per cent part-payment of the sale price of the cybersecurity defence system.
Investigations
The A-G told the court that further investigations revealed that no cybersecurity system of the description in the January 30, 2020, contract was ever received by the state’s Bureau of
National Communications or by its successor agency, the National Signals Bureau, or by the government of Ghana.
“An inventory confirmation from the National Security Secretariat shows that the equipment was never received into stores, as is the practice in the public services,” Dr Ayine told the court.
He added that the monies which Adu-Boahene and his wife moved from the National BNC bank account into the private BNC's bank account were paid through a complex web of companies, ultimately owned by ASL.
Dr Ayine said investigations revealed further that the monies were moved with the knowledge and active assistance of Donkor.
“The funds were also used to fund the lavish lifestyle of the couple and their friends,” he added.
