Samuel Atta Akyea, a former MP for Akyem Abuakwa South, has taken over as primary counsel for the NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, aka Chairman Wontumi, in the Exim Bank loan fraud case.
Chairman Wontumi is charged with several offences, including money laundering totalling GHc30 million, forgery, and defrauding under false pretences.
The private attorney informed the court on Monday, July 27, that Andy Appiah Kubi, who had previously served as Chairman Wontumi’s primary counsel, had resigned.
As a result, he asked the court for permission to take up the accused’s responsibilities.
Additionally, Atta Akyea requested that the court be adjourned so that the defence may continue negotiating a plea deal with the Attorney General.
“I have conferred with the Honourable Deputy Attorney-General and I’m of the humble view that we could go into his chambers for a reasonable plea bargain and he is amenable to it.
In the circumstances I pray the court to enlarge time to enable us undertake that exercise. My suggestion is that the action be adjourned to term time in October so that we have sufficient time to hammer out the terms of the plea bargain,” Atta Akyea implored.
In response to his request, Deputy Attorney-General Dr. Justice Srem-Sai confirmed Samuel Atta Akyea’s claim and revealed that Chairman Wontumi’s conviction and sentence in the Samreboi case prevented the parties from concluding the plea negotiations.
However, he asked the court to approve a 30-day leave of absence rather than the 90 days that the defence attorney was requesting.
“Considering that we’re yet to file disclosures and more so that it does not prejudice the matter, we will side with the defence for an enlargement of time except that we will pray for 30 days instead of the 90 days our learned friend is proposing. We’ve already done some work with the previous counsel and I believe we can pick up from there.
“The law allows the bargain to run concurrently with the trial. However, the fact that we were almost at the close of the negotiation when the accused was convicted in another matter resulting in our inability to sit with him and his counsel, we believe that new counsel can pick up from where the previous left off.”
“In order not to let disclosures which we are yet to do to prejudice the negotiation which are far advanced we will pray that the court grants us leave to continue with proceedings and rather take a short adjournment to attempt concluding the negotiation before being directed to file disclosures.”
However, the judge ruled that the parties had been given an initial order to inform the court of the status of the plea negotiations.
She pointed out that since they were unable to finish the negotiations within the allotted 30 days, the court would record it as a failure.
The presiding judge postponed the hearings until August 27 for more instructions after hearing from both solicitors.
Source: newsthemegh.com