Give Dr. Stephen Opuni access to his bank accounts – Court orders

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The Accra High Court has ordered the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to with immediate effect, release the bank accounts of the former Cocobod Chief Executive, Dr. Stephen K. Opuni, which were frozen last year. The two bank accounts with the Standard Chartered Bank Limited and Ecobank Ghana Limited were frozen per a court order in February 2017 when investigations into some alleged financial malfeasance against him commenced. Dr. Opuni who was fired on January 14, 2017 by the President was on March 26, 2018 arraigned on charges of corruption wilfully causing financial loss to the state; charges he has pleaded not guilty to. READ: Dr. Opuni granted bail; tells court he is not guilty He is currently on a GHC150, 000-bail. Lawyers for Dr. Opuni applied to the High Court for the release of the accounts following the conclusion of investigations into his alleged crime. The Court presided over by Justice Georgina Mensah-Datsah on Monday ordered the two ban accounts of Dr. Opuni to defreeze same. “It is hereby ordered that the respondent/applicant’s account numbers xxx and xxx with Standard Chartered Bank Ghana Limited, Opeibea House branch and Ecobank Ghana limited head office branch, all in the name of Opuni Stephen Kwabena is defreeze forthwith” the court ordered. Trial Dr. Opuni is the first key member of the Mahama-led government to be charged for prosecution since President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo took over the governance of the country on January 7, 2017. [caption id="attachment_78851" align="aligncenter" width="600"] [L-R] Ghana’s Attorney General Gloria Akuffo and Dr. Opuni[/caption]Dr. Opuni and one Siedu Agongo variously face a total of 27 charges of abetment of crime, conspiracy to commit crime, defrauding by false pretences, willfully causing financial loss to the state, contravention of the public procurement act and corruption by public officer. READ: All the 27 charges against Dr. Opuni and his accomplice State prosecutors on March 14 filled the charges at the Accra High Court registry, and the case scheduled to be called in court for the first time on Friday, March 23 but has been rescheduled for Monday, March 26, 2018. By Stephen Kwabena Effah|3news.com |Ghana]]>