Audio By Carbonatix
An Accra High Court has sustained an objection to Mr Paul Adjei Gyang's investigator's statement being applied as evidence in the prosecution of Dr Stephen Kwabena Opuni and two others.
The prosecution initially opposed tendering the document, arguing that the statement had previously been rejected by a High Court as hearsay evidence and hence could not be admitted into evidence.
Earlier in the trial, the High Court rejected the exhibit as hearsay evidence, but Mr Benson Nutsukpui, representing Agongo, disagreed.
Mr Nutsukpui, leading Mr Gyang, who is the subpoenaed witness for Mr Agongo in further evidence in chief, sought to present a statement written by the witness while the investigation was still ongoing, but the prosecution objected.
Dr Opuni and Mr Seidu Agongo, a Businessman are facing 27charges, including defrauding by false pretences, wilfully causing financial loss to the State, money laundering, and corruption by a public officer in contravention of the Public Procurement Act.
They have both pleaded not guilty to the charges and are on a GH¢300,000.00 self-recognizance bail each.
The Counsel said Mr Gyang wrote the statement and was the appropriate person through whom it could be presented, and that now that he was in court, this should be done.
However, the court said the document the counsel sought to tender was already marked on its records as rejected.
The court, presided over by Justice Aboagye Tandoh, stated that the witness who authored the statement sought to be tendered in his evidence in chief indicated that he had told the Court that all was in the statement.
It said that the same exhibits should not be marked as rejected on the records and then admitted, especially if the substance was on record and repeated in the witness for Agongo and Agricult Ghana Limited's examination in Chief.
“In my view, the Court can evaluate the totality of the evidence at the end of the trial and the issue of whether or not the exhibit was rightly or wrongly admitted will come up for determination,” it added.
Latest Stories
-
DVLA extends use of DP stickers and DV plates amid new plate rollout delay
7 minutes -
What’s in a nickname? AFCON 2025 teams have stories to tell
18 minutes -
DVLA suspends rollout of new number plates planned for January 2026
30 minutes -
Health Minister commends workers, pledges stronger health system in end-of-year message
40 minutes -
Two dead, dozens injured in crash on Cape Coast–Takoradi highway
42 minutes -
NPP Primary: Bawumia still in strong lead in latest Global InfoAnalytics survey
57 minutes -
NPP Primary: Bawumia leads with 56% amongst committed voters in latest Global InfoAnalytics poll
1 hour -
Venezuela accuses US of ‘extortion’ over seizure of oil tankers
1 hour -
Zelensky says Ukrainian withdrawal from the East possible in latest peace plan
1 hour -
NDC highlights first year achievements, vows to stabilise economy and strengthen governance
1 hour -
Ghana’s performance broadly satisfactory; but faces downside risks to economy – IMF
2 hours -
Cybercrime crackdown: 48 suspects arrested in Dawhenya operation
2 hours -
Any further easing of policy rate should remain gradual and data dependent – IMF to BoG
2 hours -
ICU-Ghana boss urges gov’t to translate economic gains into better living standards for workers
2 hours -
BoG rolls out new directives on documentations needed for cross border trading
2 hours
