The ex-Minister of Youth and Sports, Mallam Ali Yusif Isa, has admitted some responsibility for the loss of $46,000 given to him as winning bonuses for the senior national team, the Black Stars in their match against their Sudanese counterparts in February, this year. He however declined liability for the two charges of stealing and fraudulently causing financial loss to the state preferred against him. These were contained in submissions made by Mallam Isa, just before he opened his defence at the fast-track court.

His Counsel, Ambrose Derry noted that although his client respects the June 28 ruling of the Fast Track High Court, we open our defence even though we have a pending appeal in this matter before the Supreme Court, we think that it is not right for the accused to open his defence in the interim, pending the determination of our appeal by the Supreme Court, “because there is a threat to my client's right to personal liberty.”

In his evidence in chief, Isa said on February 21, Mr. Owusu-Ansah accompanied by some executives of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) came to his office and told him the winning bonuses for the Black Stars, who were then at the Airport to catch a flight to Sudan,were not ready. Based on that, he called the Chief of Staff, Jake Obetsebi Lamptey on phone and discussed the winning bonuses with him during which the chief of staff, promised that the money would be ready the following day. The players thus left without the money.

Mallam Isa said it was not his intention to travel with the team to Sudan, but Mr Walanyo Agrah, Executive Secretary of GFA and Mr Dan Piimi, Chief Director of GFA, came to his office to convince him to go with the team so that he could have first hand information about the players and the coach.

According to him, on February 23, the Chief Accountant of GFA, Mr Tigah gave him $46,000, $8,600 and $1,043 in three separate envelopes. He said he kept the $46,000, which was in a brown envelope and a copy of the GFA audit report in his green suitcase. He put the other brown envelope in his briefcase and the third envelope, which contained $1,043 in his breast pocket.

Mallam Isa said he did this in the presence of Mr. Agrah and Mr. Alex Asante the protocol officer of the GFA. He said after this he asked Mr. Agrah and Mr. Asante to take the suitcase to the airport to be checked in but when he asked his bodyguard to follow up to the airport, the two men were nowhere to be found. Evidence will continue on Thursday.