Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, former Board Chair of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF), was rushed to the emergency ward at the University of Ghana Medical Centre, UGMC in the early hours of Tuesday, May 20, 2025, just hours before he was due to appear before the High Court in Accra.

His absence was officially communicated to the court by his lawyer, Duke Aaron Sasu, who indicated that the defence had been notified of the medical emergency at dawn.

The defence further promised to submit a medical report to the court to support the claim.

This marks the second time in less than a week that Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi has missed a scheduled court appearance due to reported health complications.

On Thursday, May 13, his legal team similarly informed the court that he was recovering from surgery at the same medical facility and was therefore unable to attend the proceedings.

His plea was subsequently adjourned to May 20.

The circumstances surrounding his repeated medical emergencies on court dates drew pointed remarks from presiding judge, Justice Comfort Tasiame.

The judge noted a pattern in the timing of the health episodes and expressed concern about the integrity of the process.

Deputy Attorney-General, Dr. Justice Srem Sai, also raised suspicions, stating that although the prosecution was not making direct allegations of foul play, it was noteworthy that the accused is consistently reported ill on days he is expected in court.
Sai added that the prosecution would address the matter formally on Friday, May 23.

Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi, along with former GIIF CEO Solomon Asamoah, is facing six charges in relation to the controversial $2 million Accra SkyTrain project.

The charges include conspiracy to commit crime, willfully causing financial loss to the state, and the intentional dissipation of public funds, contrary to Ghana’s Criminal Offenses Act, 1960 (Act 29) and the Public Property Protection Decree, 1977 (SMCD 140).

According to the prosecution, the two men authorized a payment of $2 million to Africa Investor Holdings Limited in February 2019 for the development of a futuristic urban railway system dubbed the Accra SkyTrain.

The project, however, was never executed. Investigations revealed that the GIIF failed to obtain approval from its board before the payment was made, in breach of established financial governance protocols.

In his caution statement to the police, Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi claimed that he had secured the board’s approval for the transaction.

However, this assertion has reportedly been contradicted by statements from other board members during the investigation.

The first accused, Solomon Asamoah, pleaded not guilty to all charges and has been granted bail to the tune of GHS 15 million, conditional on compliance with the bail terms.
The case has been adjourned to Monday, May 26, when the court is expected to finally take the plea of Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi, assuming he is medically fit to appear.