The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Dr. Dominic Ayine, has confirmed that he ordered the arrest of Prof. Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, a former Board Chairman of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF) and the Public Procurement Authority (PPA).
Speaking to GhanaWeb at the conclusion of the opening ceremony of the National Economic Dialogue on Monday, March 3, 2025, Dr. Ayine stated that Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi’s arrest was linked to the findings of the Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL) investigation.
According to the Attorney General, the former GIIF boss admitted to authorising a $2 million payment for the Accra Sky Train project, despite no work being done.
“The Chairman of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund, Prof. Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, was arrested and questioned, and he admitted that $2 million was paid with no work done,” Dr. Ayine said.
He added that investigations were still ongoing to determine the circumstances surrounding the payment and identify all those involved.
“We are still investigating the circumstances of the payment and those responsible,” he noted.
Dr. Ayine also revealed that several other individuals had been questioned in connection with the ORAL report and expressed optimism that the state would recover funds lost through corrupt practices.
Detention and Allegations
On Sunday, February 23, 2025, Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi was detained for several hours by the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB).
Reports indicate that his arrest was linked to his authorisation of a $2 million payment to Africa Investor Holdings, the company behind the Sky Train Project.
The Sky Train Project was one of the ambitious infrastructure initiatives proposed by the former New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, led by ex-President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
Sky Train Project agreement
In 2018, Ghana Sky Train Limited was established by Africa Investor Holdings Limited, which sought to incorporate a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) in Mauritius to develop the Accra Sky Train Project through a Design, Build, Finance, and Operate model.
The project was expected to feature a total track length of 194 kilometers, consisting of five routes, four radial routes originating from the proposed SkyTrain Terminal at Kwame Nkrumah Circle and one intra-city commuter loop also emanating from Circle.
In November 2019, the Akufo-Addo government announced that it had signed a concession agreement for the project. During the signing ceremony on November 11, 2019,
President Akufo-Addo described it as “a happy day for Ghana and her good people,” calling it a “critical step towards the realisation of this project.”
Audit revelations
However, two years later, an Auditor-General’s report revealed that the government of Ghana had spent $2 million on the Sky Train project originally estimated at $3 billion without any progress.
The report indicated that the payment was executed through the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund’s acquisition of 10 ordinary shares in the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), Ai Sky Train Consortium Holdings.
According to the 2021 audit report, despite the expenditure, feasibility studies for the project remained inconclusive.
Source: Ghanaweb
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