NSB Trial: Adu-Boahene, wife pre-signed cheques— Witness
The third prosecution witness in the GH¢49 million National Signals Bureau trial has told an Accra High Court that former NSB Director-General Kwabena Adu-Boahene and his wife personally signed cheque books that were later used to withdraw money from accounts linked to the accused persons.
Mildred Donkor, the third prosecution witness and a former director of Advantage Solutions Limited, made the revelation during her examination-in-chief before Justice Achibonga at Criminal Court 3, with the Deputy Attorney-General leading her evidence.
12 cheque books were placed before her in court to identify.
Donkor identified the drawer as Advantage Solutions, and other companies with the banker as Universal Merchant Bank, and confirmed the account number on the face of the cheque.
She further identified another book drawn on Advantage Solutions at UMB's UG Branch, another belonging to BNC Communications Bureau Ltd, and others covering accounts in the names of Vertex Solutions Ltd and related companies — a total of 12 cheque books.
Asked in each instance whether these were among the pre-signed cheque books she had earlier described to the court, her answer was consistent: "Yes, my lord."
She mentioned Adu-Boahene and his wife as the signatories to the cheques.
Role
Donkor told the court that her role in the process began after the cheques had already been signed.
Upon receiving verbal instructions from Adu-Boahene and sometimes his wife, Angela Adjei Boateng, stating the amounts to be withdrawn, she would fill in the cheque leaflets herself and proceed to execute the transactions.
The withdrawals, she said, were carried out either by herself personally or by associates.
Once the funds were withdrawn, Donkor told the court, they were channelled in several directions.
Some were delivered directly to the accused persons and others were first given to Donkor herself, who then passed them on to the accused persons.
A portion of the funds went to third parties — among them Margaret Aba Donkor, identified as the mother of Adu-Boahene, with those payments said to be for the purchase of building materials for a construction project in Kumasi Asokore.
Payments were also made to suppliers of items including iron rods and cement.
To keep track of the transactions, Donkor told the court she maintained a personal notebook and an Excel spreadsheet, records she created on her own initiative for reconciliation purposes.
She indicated her intention to tender both documents in evidence.
The defence team, led by Samuel Atta Akyea, raised an objection, stating they had only just been served with the materials alongside a pen drive and had not had sufficient time to review them.
The prosecution agreed to defer that aspect of the examination in the interest of fair hearing.
Adu-Boahene has pleaded not guilty to defrauding by false pretences, wilfully causing financial loss to the state, using public office for personal gain and obtaining public property by false pretences.
His wife faces charges of conspiracy to use public office for personal gain, conspiracy to launder money and money laundering.
