The Criminal Investigations Department of the police has charged another top official under the Kufuor administration with causing financial loss to the state for his alleged role in the collapse of the defunct Ghana Airways. Former Deputy Finance Minister Prof George Gyan Baffour was invited to the Police CID Tuesday afternoon and questioned on his involvement in the release of funds for Ghana International Airlines (GIA). The charges brought against Prof Gyan Baffour bring to five the number of former NPP officials being tried for their various involvements in the GIA deal. The accused include former Chief of Staff Kwadwo Mpiani; former Roads and Transport Minister Dr Richard Anane and former NPP Greater Accra chairman Sammy Crabbe, a shareholder of the airline. Former Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, Dr Anthony Akoto Osei, leads the pack with seven counts including deceit of public officer and willfully causing financial loss to the state. Lawyer of Prof Gyan Baffour, Patrick Boamah, has questioned why his client was cited in the ongoing trial when the police CID had not questioned or charged him ahead of the trial. Mr Boamah said he would not “go into the merit of the case” but insisted his client was innocent. Asked about his client’s reaction to the development, Lawyer Boamah said Prof Gyan Baffour has a positive outlook on the case, adding, “we feel we haven’t done anything wrong and at the appropriate forum we will answer to all those questions." At the last hearing of the case, the court reportedly declared Prof Gyan Baffour at large, following his absence in court. It was later discovered that he and three others had not been charged at all. According to him Prof Baffour “was very much surprised because at the same time that he was being accused of being at large, he was giving a lecture at the Institute of Economic Affairs.” He said the prosecution, aware that he was a Member of Parliament whose residential address was known, could have contacted him rather than give the impression that his client was nowhere to be found. Source: Myjoyonline.com/Ghana