The Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Dr Dominic Ayine, has revealed that Solomon Asamoah, a former Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF) who played a part in the payment of some 2 million dollars for the botched Accra Sky train project, is currently hiding in Senegal.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, 24th March, Mr Ayine disclosed that Solomon Asamoah left Ghana on 2nd February, initially travelling to South Africa before relocating to Senegal.

“The CEO is hiding in Senegal. We tracked him first to South Africa, and now he is in Senegal. When we contacted him, he told us he would not return to Ghana until three months from now, and we are patiently waiting for him. If he does not return, he will be tried in absentia" he noted.

The Attorney-General further stated that the $2 million payment in question was made at the request of the Chairman of the Board of Directors of GIIF, Prof Ameyaw Ekumfi, and Solomon Asamoah, the CEO.

“In respect of the Sky Train, we can confirm that the $2 million was paid at the request of the chairman of the board, Prof Ameyaw Ekumfi, and the CEO, Solomon Asamoah, who is currently hiding in Senegal,” he said.

Investigations into the matter revealed that the payment was made without the board's approval.

“There was no board approval for the transaction, and the conditions precedent to disbursement had not been met,” Mr Ayine disclosed.

“Our review of the board’s minutes confirmed that other board members had no knowledge of this transaction. In fact, one member even questioned why GIIF was in a hurry to make the payment, but no significant answer was given to him by the two persons who skimmed and transferred 2 million dollars of taxpayers’ money to a Mauritius company.”

The funds were transferred to a company in Mauritius, which, upon further investigation, was found to be non-existent.

“We tracked the company to Mauritius and a lawyer there has confirmed to us that it does not exist. But that is also a developing story,” Mr Ayine added.

The Attorney-General warned that prosecution would commence, even if Mr Asamoah remained outside Ghana.

“If there is going to be a delay, we will start the prosecution with him being a suspect who is being tried in absentia,” he stated. “Prof Ameyaw Ekumfi, who acted with him to transfer the money, is in the country, and the legal process will proceed.”

Already, Prof Ameyaw Ekumfi has been questioned by the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) and granted bail.