The presiding judge on the trial of former COCOBOD CEO, Dr Steven Opuni, has been allegedly transferred in a new twist to the high-profile political prosecution that has gained public attention.
Justice Kwasi Anokye Gyimah took over the case in March 2023 and ruled that the trial be restarted for being tainted with allegations of unfairness.
He said in his ruling, which the state opposed vehemently and has now appealed against, that a fresh trial was an avenue for the court to substantially dispel the said suspicions and regain the defendants’ and public trust in the process.
But in a letter allegedly sent to him by the Chief Justice, Justice Gertrude Araba Esaaba Torkornoo, in June, Justice Gyimah has been asked to vacate his position and move to Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital.
He is to start from today (July 3) – the day the Appeals Court is set to decide on his landmark ruling for the trial to restart.
Justice Gyimah, who is described by many who encountered him as tough and principled, is to be replaced by Justice Aboagye Tandoh of the Winneba High Court.
Justice Tandoh will become the third judge on the case after the first judge, Justice Clemence Honyenuga, retired and handed over to the now-transferred Justice Gyimah.
The state is accusing Opuni and businessman, Seidu Agongo, of allegedly causing over GH¢217 million financial loss to the state.
A holder of a Master of Laws (LLM) degree in International Criminal Justice and Armed Conflict from the University of Nottingham in Britain, Justice Gyimah was a law lecturer in the Faculty of Law at GIMPA where he taught mainly the Law of Immovable Property.
