The State has filed a new charge sheet against Ernest Thompson, the former boss of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), and other top former SSNIT officials.
This comes after the Supreme Court ruled last month that the charges originally brought against the top officials lacked appropriate specifics to enable the former SSNIT officials to adequately defend themselves.
Ernest Thompson, the former SSNIT IT Manager, John Hagan Mensah, the Chief Executive Officer of Perfect Business Systems (PBS), Juliet Hassana Kramer, and Caleb Kwaku Afaglo, a former Head of Management Information Systems (MIS) at SSNIT, are four of the five people charged with violating the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) and the Public Procurement Act, 2003 (Act 663). (OBS).
The State claims that the five persons cost the public purse more than $14.8 million during the operation.
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According to a copy of the latest charging sheet obtained by Citi News, Ernest Thompson, John Hagan Mensah, and Juliet Hassan Kramer are also charged with 18 counts of wilfully causing financial harm to the Republic, as well as conspiracy to do so.
Although Juliet Hassana Kramer is solely charged with defrauding through false pretenses and violating the Public Procurement Act, Ernest Thompson and Juliet Hassana Kramer are collectively and additionally charged with violating the Public Procurement Act.
Caleb Kwaku Afaglo is also charged with defrauding by false pretence, possessing a counterfeit document, and uttering a forged document on three counts.
The charging sheet, dated April 20, 2021, and signed by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Yvonne Atakorah Obuobisa, is, however, devoid of any mention of the SSNIT counsel, Peter Hayibor.
After instructing the bailiff to represent the defendants in open court, the presiding judge, Justice Henry Anthony Kwofie of the Criminal Court 5 Division of the High Court, adjourned the case to May 20 and 26 respectively.
Many of the prisoners had argued that they had not been presented with the new charging sheet.
SOURCE: ATLFMONLINE
