A Circuit Tribunal would, on October 29 commence hearing a case in which Victor Selormey, former Deputy Finance Minister, has been charged with causing loss, by carelessness, to public property.

This was after Prosecution Deputy Superintendent of Police Patrick Sarpong prayed the court for a date to enable Mr. Johnny Quarshie Idun, counsel for the accused, to study the facts of the case.

Selormey is alleged to have caused the transfer of 68,000 dollars to Leebda Corporation of USA as consultancy fees and also transferring 45,000 dollars to LEXDEV International for the purchase of a vehicle.

Selormey has pleaded not guilty and has been granted 100 million cedis bail by the tribunal, chaired by Mr Ziblim Imoru.

Prosecution said in February 1998 Selormey caused the Metropolitan and Allied Bank, Ghana, to transfer 45,000 dollars to Messrs Lexdev International, USA, also known as Leebda Corporation owned by Dr. Frederick Owusu Boadu, a friend.

The money was for payment of a vehicle bought by the state under the Trade and Investment Programme (TIP) but the invoice quoted 38,301 dollars as the total cost of the vehicle together with all other expenses including freight.

The accused nevertheless caused 45,000 dollars to be transferred for the purchase of the vehicle.

Between August and December 1998, the prosecution said, Selormey again caused the transfer to the same company 68,000 dollars as payment of consultancy fees.

The government, at that time had wanted to study how to make the private sector competitive through legislative and administrative reforms.

The prosecution said the accused quickly and quietly contracted Lexdev, also known as Leebda to prepare a consultancy contract without allowing any government representative to see the contract that normally should have been studied by the legal department of the ministry.

The case was detected in April this year when the accused was out of office and a report was made to the police for investigation.

The investigations revealed that Selormey was careless in over paying for the vehicle as well as paying for what he termed, 'consultancy fees' for preparation of a contract when no work was done.