THE REPUBLIC vs. GRACE-STELLA AFARI-MINTA

JUDGMENT The Accused Person has been charged with one hundred and forty-five (145) counts of stealing contrary to Section 124 (1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), Money Laundering contrary to Section 1 (2) (c) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2020 (Act 1044) and falsification of accounts contrary to Section 140 (1) (a) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). The facts presented by the Prosecution in support of the case are that, on 3rd May, 2017, a convict, Mavis Megase Kposi, was arrested by the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) upon a tip off that she was misappropriating tax revenue that were collected for the State at the Domestic Tax Revenue Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, Osu branch. The allegation was specifically that the convict was forging receipts of stamp duty payments made at the Greater Accra Regional Lands Valuation Office of the Lands Commission, Cantonments, in order to steal money belonging to the State. Whilst investigations were...