DEFRAUDING THE STATE IN GHANA!

Ghana former first lady in court.

Mrs Rawlings' lawyer said her mood was "confident and angry". The wife of Ghana's ex-president, Jerry Rawlings, has appeared in a packed courtroom, where her case of defrauding the state was adjourned until 11 May. The charges relate to the privatisation of a state-owned company in the 1990s. Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings and seven other defendants are accused of failing to service a loan they took out to acquire the firm, Nsawam Cannery. The trial was delayed because some papers had not been served. She is expected to plead not guilty.

The BBC's Kwaku Sayki-Addo in Accra says security was tight with horse-mounted police around the court, which was packed with Mrs Rawlings' supporters. Lawyer Tony Lithur told the BBC's Network Africa programme that Mrs Rawlings had been charged because of her position as chair of the company board. The charges arise from a report by the auditor general, he said. "I have not seen any information in the charge sheet that she personally did any act that caused the financial loss," he said. "She will certainly plead not guilty," Mr Lithur said, describing his client's mood as "confident and angry".

Jerry Rawlings first came to power in a coup in 1979, and in 1981 again seized power from his democratically-elected successor. He won democratic elections in 1992 and 1996 but stood down at the 2000 election, when his chosen successor, John Atta Mills, was defeated by current President John Kufuor.

BBC NEWS REPORT.