The Accra High Court has adjourned the case management conference (CMC) in the US$2 million SkyTrain trial to October 19, 2026, after counsel for the first accused, Solomon Asamoah, prayed the court to allow the Supreme Court to determine his application seeking to halt the trial.
Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay adjourned the case to October 19, 2026, after hearing submissions from counsel for the accused persons and the prosecution.
The case management conference (CMC), which was scheduled to run from October 5 to 7, 2026, was expected to pave the way for the accused persons to open their defence after the prosecution closed its case.
Mr Asamoah and Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi are standing trial over an alleged US$2 million payment by the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF) in connection with the proposed Accra SkyTrain project, which was never constructed.
The prosecution alleges that the money was transferred from GIIF's account to Africa Investor Holdings Limited, a South African company, without the requisite approval of the GIIF Board.
The two accused persons have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Supreme Court application
In court on Monday (October 5), counsel for Mr Asamoah, Victoria Barth, told the court that her client had invoked the supervisory jurisdiction of the Supreme Court in respect of the trial.
She said the application was for orders of certiorari and prohibition, including an order restraining the High Court from further hearing, continuing with or determining the case.
According to her, the return date for the application was October 13, 2026, and any further step in the trial before that date could compromise the application before the Supreme Court.
She said although the Supreme Court had refused Mr Asamoah's application for an interlocutory injunction to halt the trial, her client had demonstrated good faith by filing his witness statement on September 23, 2026.
She added that 14 subpoenas were subsequently filed on October 2, 2026, in respect of persons Mr Asamoah intended to cross-examine as part of his defence, depending on the outcome of the application before the Supreme Court.
“We are praying the court to take into consideration the fact that the return date for the prohibition application is Tuesday, October 13, and therefore to kindly indulge us a short adjournment for the Supreme Court to hear us,” she said.
Ms Barth further told the court that two persons who were outside the jurisdiction or presently unavailable to the defence were expected to provide witness statements, subject to the court's leave.
Counsel for the second accused, Prof. Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, Yaw Acheampong Boafo, associated himself with the submissions of Ms Barth.
“We have nothing more to add,” he said.
Prosecution submission
For the prosecution, Sefakor Batse said it had been served with the witness statement of the second accused but was yet to receive that of the first accused.
She said the prosecution had also just been informed about the subsequent processes filed by the first accused.
Ms Batse said the prosecution would have preferred the CMC to proceed but would leave the matter to the discretion of the court.
She, however, reminded the court that at the previous sitting, it had been stated that the filing of processes at the Supreme Court did not automatically stay proceedings before the High Court.
