The High Court in Accra has reduced the bail conditions of former Director-General of the National Signals Bureau (NSB), Kwabena Adu-Boahene, from GH¢120 million to GH¢80 million, with two sureties, one to be justified.
However, his wife, Angela Adjei Boateng's GH¢80 million bail was maintained, but the new conditions now require two sureties with no justification.
Additionally, the couple must report to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) twice a week for the next three weeks and are prohibited from travelling without express permission from EOCO.
The review followed an application by the couple’s legal counsel, Samuel Atta Akyea, who moved the motion before the court today.
Last week, EOCO arrested the former Director-General at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) upon his arrival from London on a British Airways flight. The wife was also arrested when she visited EOCO to check on the husband.
He is accused of embezzlement of state funds.
According to the AG, Dr Ayine, the arrest has to do with his alleged involvement in financial misconduct relating to a $7 million cyber defence system contract.
The disclosure was made during a press conference on Monday, 24th March, where Dr Ayine provided details on the circumstances surrounding the case.
The contract, valued at $7 million, was intended to bolster Ghana’s capacity to detect, prevent, and respond to cyber threats, data breaches, and digital espionage. However, investigations suggest that funds allocated for the project were diverted for personal use.
Dr Ayine explained that in his role as Director of the NSB, Adu-Boahene signed the contract on 30th January 2020 on behalf of both the government of Ghana and the National Security Ministry.
The agreement was made with an Israeli firm, RLC Holdings Limited, to supply the cyber defence system software. The procurement was seen as a crucial measure to enhance the nation’s digital security infrastructure.
Despite the significance of the project, the Attorney-General revealed that Adu-Boahene engaged in unauthorised financial transactions.
On 6th February 2020, just days after signing the contract, he allegedly transferred an initial sum of GH¢27.1 million from the National Signals Bureau’s Fidelity Bank account to a UMB private account of BNC, the private firm he set up with his wife. This transaction was reportedly documented as payment for the cyber defence system software.
He is accused of laundering the funds through real estate investments in Accra and abroad.