- Court Orders Solomon Asamoah, Ameyaw-Akumfi to Open Defence in US$2 Million Skytrain Case
The Accra High Court has dismissed a submission of no case filed by former Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund Chief Executive Officer, Solomon Asamoah, and former Board Chairman of the Fund, Prof. Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, in the ongoing US$2 million SkyTrain trial.
The ruling means the two accused persons must open their defence and respond to the prosecution’s case in relation to the alleged financial loss to the state arising from the proposed Accra SkyTrain project.
Deputy Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Justice Srem-Sai, announced the development on Thursday, July 2, 2026, indicating that the court rejected the argument that the prosecution had failed to establish a case requiring a defence.
The accused persons had filed a submission of no case, asking the court to discharge them on the basis that the evidence led by the prosecution was insufficient to warrant them being called upon to explain their conduct.
But after reviewing the evidence presented, the court held that they had a case to answer.
“The Court has since directed them to open their defence and give reasons why they should not be convicted for causing US$2 million loss to the nation,” Justice Srem-Sai stated.
He also commended the prosecution team and investigators for their work in the case.
“Gratitude to our team of State Attorneys and NIB investigators who have worked tirelessly in the past months to make this possible,” he wrote.
The case, commonly referred to as the SkyTrain trial, centres on an alleged US$2 million payment made by the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund in 2019 for an equity stake in a project development company linked to a proposed rail system that was never built.
The state alleges that the payment was made without proper board approval and resulted in financial loss to the Republic.
The SkyTrain project was once promoted as a major urban transport intervention intended to ease congestion in Accra, but it later became the subject of public scrutiny after the project failed to materialise despite the payment.
The prosecution’s case is that the transaction exposed the state to avoidable loss and that the accused persons should be held criminally liable for their respective roles in the approval and payment process.
The defence has denied wrongdoing and previously argued that the prosecution had not produced sufficient evidence to establish the charges.
By dismissing the no-case submission, the court has not convicted the accused persons. Rather, it has determined that the prosecution has led enough evidence for the two to be required to respond.
The ruling represents a significant procedural development because a successful submission of no case would have ended the trial at that stage without the accused persons being required to present a defence.
Instead, the matter will now proceed to the defence stage, where Mr Asamoah and Prof. Ameyaw-Akumfi will have the opportunity to answer the allegations, call witnesses if they choose, and challenge the prosecution’s narrative.
The case is likely to remain under public attention because of the prominence of the accused persons, the amount involved and the wider debate over accountability in public investment decisions.
The Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund was established to mobilise, manage and invest funds in infrastructure projects, making decisions involving the Fund central to public finance, infrastructure delivery and governance.
The SkyTrain controversy has also raised broader questions about due diligence, board approvals, project appraisal, investment risk and the safeguards required when public funds are committed to large infrastructure proposals.
