“We’ve Seen No Evidence He’s Not Sick” – Kpebu on Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi’s Absences in Court

Legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has responded to growing public suspicion surrounding the repeated medical absences of Professor Christopher Ameyaw Akumfi, a former Board Chair of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund, on the sky train trial, stating that while concern is valid, there is currently no proof that the accused is not feeling well. 

Speaking to TV3 on Tuesday, May 21, Mr. Kpebu said that while the pattern of Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi’s absences has understandably drawn public attention, suspicion alone cannot be used as a basis for legal assumptions or decisions. “We don’t have evidence to think that he’s not well,” he explained. 

Martin Kpebu pointed out that the trial cannot continue without the presence of Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi unless he willfully refuses to appear or the court is convinced he has no intention to participate.

However, he noted that in a country of over 30 million people,“It’s normal that some people would suspect that it’s a deliberate attempt to delay the case, but it’s also possible that all of those absences are genuine sicknesses,” he added. 

He warned that a third consecutive medical excuse from Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi could heighten public mistrust.

“If it happens the third time, the suspicion will increase, taken a notch or two higher.” He said. 

While Kpebu insists that suspicions are understandable, he maintains that the absence of evidence requires the public and the courts to be cautious in their judgments.

“We have to grant him the benefit of the doubt,” he said.  

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Professor Christopher Ameyaw Akumfi, a former Board Chair of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF), is currently facing trial over an alleged involvement in the Ghana Sky Train project.

The Office of the Attorney General has preferred charges against him, alleging conspiracy to commit a crime, causing financial loss to the state through willful acts, and two counts of intentional dissipation or misappropriation of public funds.

The allegations, brought under the auspices of Sections 23(1) and 179A(3)(a) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), pertain to a payment of US$2 million made to Africa Investor Holdings Limited in 2019.

However, Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi was absent from the High Court proceedings on Tuesday, May 20, citing sickness as the reason.

While there has been an establishment by Prof. Akumfi’s counsel that he has undergone surgery, critics believe that it might be a deliberate act for him to absent himself from the trial.