Accra, Jan 29, GNA - The Supreme Court on Tuesday adjourned sine die the appeal application brought before it by Tsatsu Tsikata, former Chief Executive of Ghana National Petroleum Company. Mr Justice William Atuguba, presiding over the five-member panel announced this when the matter was mentioned for hearing. According to Mr Justice Atuguba, the indefinite adjournment had become necessary because Mr Justice Richard Twum Aninakwa, one of the panel members, had reached retiring age.

The Presiding Judge stated that the retiring judge would have to be replaced before the matter could be listed for hearing. Tsatsu who had been put before a Fast Track Court in Accra for wilfully causing financial loss to the State pleaded not guilty, and was on a self-recognizance bail. After prosecution rested its case, the court ruled that the Country Director of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) was immune to giving evidence in the matter.

Tsatsu, therefore appealed against the court's decision at the Court of Appeal, which upheld the ruling of the lower court. Not satisfied with the decision of the two courts, Tsatsu took the matter to the highest court of the land. At its last sitting on November 28, 2007, the Supreme Court granted Tsatsu's motion for the Director of the IFC to be heard on the issue of its immunity from process.

Consequently, the court ordered its registrar to serve the record of appeal on the IFC to advise itself as to whether or not to be heard on the appeal. The court gave the IFC 21 days within which to respond by filing its submissions if it wanted to be heard on the matter. On December 27, the record of appeal and counsels' submissions were served on the IFC, which had without prejudice to its right to invoke its immunity submitted a written submission to the court. At today's sitting, Tsatsu told the court that his senior counsel, Professor Emmanuel Victor Oware Dankwa, was indisposed, while his other counsel was dead.