The Accra Fast Track High Court has sentenced former Ghana National Petroleum Corporation Chief Executive, Tsatsu Tsikata, to five years imprisonment on charges of willfully causing financial loss to the State. Justice Henrrieta Abban handed the sentence to Tsatsu at about 11am. Tsatsu was charged with three counts of willfully causing financial loss of GHc 230,000 (2.3 billion old Ghana cedis) to the State through a loan he, on behalf of GNPC, guaranteed for Valley Farms, a private company, and another count of misapplying public property. He was found guilty of all four counts and sentenced to five years on each, with the sentences running concurrently. Tsatsu, a lawyer, had attended court without his usual counsel in the case, Professor Emmanuel Victor Oware Dankwa, who he said had travelled. He was therefore seeking an adjournment from the court. Justice Abban however, asked him to represent himself, being a lawyer. After the judgement, Tsatsu served notice he was applying for bail and appealing against his conviction and sentence and spent some amount of time filing his appeal processes at the court registry. Meanwhile, armed policemen in four vans waited to convey him to begin his time in jail, while a couple others kept close watch over him. Joy News correspondent Evans Mensah reporting from the court premises said nearly all who matter in the opposition National Democratic Congress party where Tsatsu belong, including former President Jerry Rawlings have arrived at the court premises to commiserate with their colleague. Author: Isaac Yeboah