Heated exchanges at Adu-Boahene’s GH¢49.1m trial
The high-profile criminal trial involving former National Signals Bureau (NSB) Director-General Kwabena Adu-Boahene took another dramatic turn at the Accra High Court on Thursday after the prosecution’s third witness insisted under cross-examination that a controversial GH¢7.2 million transfer was deposited into the account of the “Director of the National Signals Bureau” and not the institution’s general operational account.
The testimony by Mildred Donkor, a former accused person who has now become a prosecution witness, added another layer of complexity to a case already marked by disputes over account ownership, national security procedures, and the handling of classified operational funds.
Heated Courtroom Exchanges
Thursday’s proceedings before Justice Francis Apangabuno Achibonga were dominated by tense exchanges between lawyers for the accused persons and the prosecution over bank records, exchange rates, and the interpretation of financial transactions tendered before the court.
Lead defence counsel Samuel Atta Akyea subjected the witness to detailed questioning over bank statements introduced by the defence, attempting to establish whether the disputed GH¢7.2 million was transferred into an institutional account belonging to the NSB or a personal account connected to Adu-Boahene.
However, Mildred Donkor maintained firmly that the funds were lodged into an account designated for the Director of the NSB.
“My Lord, the lodgement was made to the Director, National Signals Bureau, as earlier stated,” she told the court.
Her response immediately became a central issue in the proceedings, as the defence sought to distinguish between institutional operational accounts and personal accounts allegedly linked to the accused.
Repeated Objections In Court
The hearing was repeatedly interrupted by objections from the Deputy Attorney-General, who challenged several lines of questioning from the defence team.
Despite the objections, Justice Achibonga allowed the witness to answer most of the questions posed by the defence, overruling several prosecution protests and permitting extensive cross-examination on the financial records before the court.
At one point, the judge openly expressed frustration with the prolonged arguments over exchange rate calculations and accounting interpretations.
“Don’t waste my time with these little little things,” Justice Achibonga remarked during proceedings, signaling impatience with what the court viewed as excessive focus on technical financial details.
GH¢49.1m Case
The case against Adu-Boahene remains one of the most politically and legally sensitive corruption prosecutions in recent years.
The former NSB Director-General, together with his wife Angela Boateng and Advantage Solutions Limited, is standing trial over allegations that they misappropriated approximately GH¢49.1 million intended for the procurement of government cybersecurity software.
According to the prosecution, the funds were allegedly routed through a network of companies, including entities associated with the accused persons, before portions were allegedly used to acquire properties in Accra, Kumasi, and London.
The Attorney-General’s office has previously described the arrangement as a sophisticated scheme involving diversion of public funds under the guise of national security procurement.
Contradictions And Defence Strateg
The latest testimony comes against the backdrop of mounting efforts by the defence to challenge the state’s narrative.
Over the past several months, defence lawyers have pointed to testimony from previous prosecution witnesses suggesting that many of the disputed transactions were tied to special operations authorised within the National Security framework.
Earlier evidence by NSB Finance Director Edith Ruby Opokua Adumuah indicated that several of the disputed transactions originated from accounts controlled by the late National Security Coordinator and were processed under confidential operational procedures.
The defence has also repeatedly argued that the prosecution has failed to clearly distinguish between institutional operational accounts used for classified security activities and genuinely private accounts for personal use.
Thursday’s focus on the GH¢7.2 million transfer appears to form part of a broader defence strategy aimed at challenging the prosecution’s characterization of the accounts and the movement of funds.
Mildred Donkor’s Controversial Role
The testimony of Mildred Donkor continues to attract public attention because of her own history in the case.
She was initially arrested, detained, and charged by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) alongside the accused persons on allegations including conspiracy and money laundering.
However, the Attorney-General later withdrew all charges against her after she agreed to testify for the prosecution as a state witness.
That development has become a major point of attack for the defence, which has questioned her credibility and suggested that her testimony may have been influenced by the withdrawal of criminal charges against her.
Case Adjourned
Following Thursday’s proceedings, the court adjourned the matter to Wednesday, May 20, 2026, for the continuation of Mildred Donkor’s cross-examination.
Comments (0)