High Court to rule on $15.3M SSNIT case November 29

The Accra High Court is set to rule on November 29 on a motion to discharge Ernest Thompson, a former Director-General of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), along with four other defendants, all accused of causing a $15.3 million financial loss to the state.

According to Graphic Online reports, Thompson and his co-accused have filed a

Read full article"submission of no case" in an attempt to argue that the prosecution has not presented sufficient evidence to warrant a defense. This legal motion, if upheld, would lead to their acquittal at this stage, as the prosecution has concluded its case after presenting testimony from 10 witnesses.

During a recent court session, the prosecution formally submitted its opposition to the "submission of no case," arguing that a prima facie case exists for each of the defendants to answer to the charges.

In response, Justice Henry Anthony Kwofie, presiding over the case, scheduled the court’s decision for late November. Thompson's co-accused include former SSNIT employees and contractors connected to the SSNIT Operational Business Suite (OBS) project, which was initially established to upgrade SSNIT’s systems with advanced ICT solutions.

All five defendants have pleaded not guilty to charges of financial malfeasance, including conspiracy and causing financial loss to the state.

The prosecution alleges that SSNIT’s OBS project, initially budgeted at $34 million, saw its cost inflate to $66 million without achieving the intended operational improvements.

According to the prosecution, Thompson and his co-defendants authorized substantial payments that exceeded legal limits and failed to yield a functional system, leading to significant financial losses. Additional charges against Thompson and some co-accused cite violations of the Public Procurement Act, with claims that they approved project changes and payments without requisite authorization.

A key component of the case against Afaglo, SSNIT’s former Head of Management Information Systems, centers on allegations that he secured his position with falsified educational certificates. The prosecution argues that these false qualifications enabled him to assume his role in 2015. The prosecution has further alleged that Perfect Business Systems (PBS), a company contracted for the OBS project, was improperly represented and potentially fraudulent.

The court’s impending ruling on the "submission of no case" will be a critical point in determining the next steps in this high-profile trial.