Accra, Aug. 21, GNA - A Fast Track High Court in Accra presided over by Mr. Justice K.A. Ofori-Atta on Tuesday adjourned to October 31, 2007 the case in which Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, a former First Lady and five others, are standing trial for allegedly causing financial loss to the State.

The substantive judge, Mr Justice Paul Baffoe Bonnie is on legal vacation hence the case was brought before Mr. Justice Ofori-Atta. Nana Konadu was not in court.

Counsel for Nana Konadu, Mr. Tony Lithur prayed the court to adjourn the case sine die because the substantive judge was on vacation. The Principal State Attorney said since the judge was on holidays, the case should be adjourned.

Mr. Justice Ofori-Atta said since it was a criminal case, the accused persons should be coming to court until the Chief Justice directs another judge to take up the case.

The other accused persons are Emmanuel Amuzu Agbodo, a former Executive Secretary of the Divestiture Implementation Committee (DIC), Kwame Peprah, a former Minister of Finance and former Chairman of the DIC, Sherry Ayittey, the Managing Director of Caridem Development Company Limited, and Caridem as an entity who appeared at the court. They are variously charged with 15 counts of conspiracy, causing financial loss to public property, conspiracy to obtain public property by false statement, obtaining public property by false statement and uttering forged document.

They denied the offences and have been admitted to self-recognisance bail The accused persons were alleged to have caused loss to public property running into billions of cedis, following the acquisition of the GIHOC Cannery at Nsawam, a government cannery, by Caridem Development Company Limited, which was owned by the 31st December Women's Movement (DWM) in 1995 when the cannery was divested.