The Court of Appeal has dismissed an application filed by Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, the second accused in the US$2 million SkyTrain trial, who was seeking to stay proceedings at the Accra High Court pending the determination of an appeal.
The court, on Tuesday (Sept 1, 2026), held that Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi, a former Board Chairman of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF), had failed to demonstrate exceptional circumstances to warrant the grant of the application.
A three-member panel of the court, presided over by Justice Georgina Mensah-Datsa, with Justices Kwasi Anokye Gyimah and Franklina Gesila Adanu as members, consequently ordered the trial at the High Court to proceed as usual.
Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi filed the application seeking to halt proceedings pending the determination of an appeal against the High Court’s decision dismissing his no-case submission.
Application
The application was the latest legal challenge by the second accused to the continuation of the trial after the prosecution had closed its case.
The High Court, presided over by Justice Audrey Kocuvie-Tay, on July 2, 2026, dismissed the submissions of no case filed by Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi and the first accused, former GIIF Chief Executive Officer, Mr Solomon Asamoah.
The two were subsequently directed to file their respective defence processes.
However, after failing to file their defences within the initial period granted by the High Court, the accused persons pursued applications seeking to halt the proceedings.
The High Court subsequently granted them a further extension to file their witness statements by September 23, 2026.
Court’s decision
In dismissing Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi’s application, the Court of Appeal held that the applicant had not demonstrated exceptional circumstances to justify a stay of proceedings.
The court, therefore, ordered the trial to continue in accordance with the normal course of proceedings.
The ruling clears another procedural hurdle to the continuation of the SkyTrain trial, following the Supreme Court’s dismissal yesterday of an interlocutory injunction application filed by Mr Asamoah seeking to restrain the High Court from continuing with the trial.
With both applications out of the way, the two accused persons are expected to file their defence processes by September 23, 2026, in accordance with the High Court’s order.
Background
Mr Asamoah and Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi are standing trial over an alleged $2 million payment by 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.
SOURCE: GRAPHICONLINE
