The Attorney-General has dropped all charges against Dr. Ernest Thompson, former Director-General of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), and three others in a high-profile case involving alleged financial impropriety.
The case, which was initiated under the previous administration, aimed to hold the accused accountable for alleged financial losses to the state.
However, a notice of withdrawal filed at the High Court (Criminal Division) in Accra on Friday January 7, the State has discontinued the case against Dr. Thompson, John Hagan Mensah, Caleb Kwaku Afaglo, a former Head of Management Information Systems (MIS) at SSNIT, and Peter Hayibor.
The notice, signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa, cited specific sections of the Criminal and Other Offences (Procedure) Act, 1960, as the legal basis for the withdrawal.
With the charges dropped, Dr. Thompson and the other accused persons are now cleared of any wrongdoing.
Their legal representatives have been formally notified of the Attorney-General’s decision, bringing an end to the long-running case.
Before the withdrawal, Prosecution had called 10 witnesses while the Court presided over by Justice Henry Anthony Kwofie had asked them to open their defense.
Brief facts
The facts of the case according to the prosecution was that, in 2010, SSNIT embarked on the implementation of the OBS to provide state of the art pension administration.
According to the prosecution, the contract sum was around US$34m and SSNIT advertised for bids for the project.
But awarded it to a consortium which included PBS, although PBS did not partake in the bidding
The Prosecution said Thompson, Juliet and Afaglo caused SSNIT to pay additional money for items which were already covered by the contract.
The project according to prosecution ballooned to around $66million.
The former DG, according to prosecution, made payments which were above his threshold as Director – General of SSNIT.
Afaglo, the prosecution said, used fake certificates to gain employment at SSNIT.
