The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Dominic Ayine, has disclosed that the controversial Sky Train contract did not receive board approval before payments were made.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, March 24, Ayine stated that key individuals involved in the deal have gone into hiding, with some reportedly fleeing to Senegal.
He also confirmed that Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Ekumfi, the former Chair of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF), was arrested in connection with the contract.
The Sky Train project was proposed as an ambitious elevated light rail system to ease congestion in Accra and other urban centers.
The contract was signed between the Government of Ghana and a South African company, Africa Investment (PTY) Limited, which was supposed to provide funding, technology, and infrastructure support for the project.
However, subsequent investigations have revealed major financial and procedural irregularities.
Ayine disclosed that no tangible answer was given when a concerned member of the GIIF board asked for explanations.
“On the Sky Train contract, we noticed that there was no board approval for the transaction and the condition precedent for the disbursement had not been met. The other board members and the minutes have confirmed that.
“Our perusal of the minutes showed clearly that there was no board approval. Also, interrogation has revealed that the other board members said that they did not have knowledge of the transaction. In one of the minutes, one of the board members questioned why the GIIF was in a hurry to make payments for this transaction and no answer of great significance was given.”
