Justice Francis Apangabuno Achibonga on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, assumed responsibility for the high-profile trial of Kwabena Adu-Boahene, the former Director General of the National Security Bureau (NSB), and two others, at proceedings held at the Accra High Court (Criminal Court 3).
Justice Achibonga takes over from Justice John Eugene Nyante Nyadu of the Accra High Court (General Jurisdiction 10).
During the first proceedings under the new Judge, the Attorney-General’s prosecution witness, Edith Ruby Opokua Adumuah, Head of Finance at the NSB, came under intense scrutiny during cross-examination led by Samuel Atta Akyea Esq., who represented the accused.
The questioning focused on the structure and use of National Security funds, including Compensation, Goods and Services, Capital Expenditure, and Special Operations Expenditure, all of which operate under the Ghana Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS).
The witness confirmed that while Goods and Services, Compensation and Capital expenditures are audited annually by the Auditor-General, Special Operations expenditure are not subject to auditing due to the sensitive nature of their use.
Atta Akyea probed the witness on the operation of the Special Operations Fund, which is maintained in special operations accounts, controlled by the National Security Coordinator.
Adumuah acknowledged that payments to suppliers for various supplies are processed using the Public Financial Management rules, after which the money leaves public accounts to the private suppliers.
She further admitted that the National Security Coordinator was also set up as a supplier in the GIFMIS system, providing services of a secret nature, for the purposes of receiving special operations funds, for which reason special operations funds are treated private, and excluded from audit by the Auditor-General.
For the GH¢49.1 million funds which form the subject matter of the case, she confirmed that cheques transferring GH¢49.1 million, including amounts of GH¢1,000,000, GH¢27,100,000, and GH¢21,000,000, were signed and authorised by the late National Security Coordinator, Joshua Kyeremeh, for Special Operations purposes.
This position directly contradicts the assertion by the Attorney-General that Adu-Boahene was responsible for the movement of those funds.
The cross-examination further revealed that some National Security operations are time-sensitive and may require pre-financing before official budgetary releases.
She confirmed that Adu-Boahene assisted with prefinancing special operations, an arrangement that required reimbursement once budget releases were made available.
The Deputy Attorney-General, Justice Srem-Sai, appeared alongside counsel Esi Yankah and Rabiatu Abdulai for the State, ensuring the proceedings remained aligned with prosecutorial expectations.
Justice Achibonga adjourned the case to March 17, 2026, at 9:30 a.m., and March 18, 2026, at 12:00 p.m., for continuation of proceedings.
Source: Ghanaweb
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