The Attorney-General’s Department has confirmed that four former government officials will be hauled before court Tuesday, March 30, 2010. Deputy A-G, Mr Ebo Barton Oduro, told Joy FM’s Super Morning Show host, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah that former Chief of Staff, Kwadwo Mipani, Former Roads Transport Minister Dr Richard Anane, former Finance Minister Anthony Akoto Osei and Sammy Crabbe will be in court for their roles in the establishment and management of the Ghana International Airlines (GIA). They are expected to be charged with fraud, stealing and willfully causing financial loss to the state. The Deputy A-G, said the charges bother on “misrepresentations to cabinet, non-disclosure of material facts and so on, poor management and …then again the question of due diligence.” Mr Barton Oduro said some of the persons to be charged had led the airline to deal with nonexistent companies. “When you are dealing with a company which is not registered, which is not in existent and then you create the impression that” it exists and money is paid to that company, then it raises questions of due diligence. Explaining why some of the accused will be charged with stealing, Mr Barton Oduro said they had withdrawn money from GIA’s accounts without approval from the board which he said is illegal. He said the decision to prosecute these people had nothing to do with the incessant calls for the A-G’s department to prosecute former appointees. He stated that investigations into the conduct of the four and others were launched into immediately the National Democratic Congress came into office and regretted that just when the A-G and her lieutenants were about to activate the process of prosecutions, pressures from all quarters started mounting on the A-G, Betty Mould Iddrisu, with some doubting her competence and willing to prosecute members of the opposition New Patriotic Party. “We didn’t just get up and go to court, I told you that right from the beginning of our tenure in office we started investigating some of these case…is not as if because of the pressure we are doing this, we want to do a good job,” he stated. Story by Malik Abass Daabu/Myjoyonline.com