[2013]DLHC12053 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#00B0F0">EASTEL GHANA LTD.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">(PLAINTIFF/APPLICANT)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;color:#00B0F0">EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FIC<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">(DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;line-height:normal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">[HIGH COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm; mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">SUIT NO. FTRM 12/13 DATE: 21</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif;"><span style="font-size: 10px;">ST </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">OCTOBER 2013<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">COUNSEL<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">ALEX MARKIN FOR PLAINTIFF/APPLICANT,<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm; mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">R. APIETU FOR DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">CORAM</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE AJET-NASAM<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-top-width: 1.5pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-left: none; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0cm;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"> <b>RULING <o:p></o:p></b></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:normal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">The applicant has filed an application to defreeze the dollar and cedis accounts held with the Zenith Bank. In their own confession, the applicant admitted that there is a problem with their cedi account but not the dollar. They are therefore urging the court to defreeze the dollar account but hold fast the cedi account.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:normal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">The respondent opposes the application and stated investigations are ongoing and as such the accounts should remain frozen. It is not automatic that the court will grant an application to confirm freezing. The court has discretion.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:normal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">Under Section 35(1) of Act 804, it provides:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:normal"><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">35(1) Where an application is made for a freezing order, the court shall issue the order if it is satisfied that <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-18.0pt; line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">(a)<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></i></b><!--[endif]--><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">The respondent is being investigated for a serious offence.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:-18.0pt; line-height:normal;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"">(b)<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-weight: normal; font-stretch: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></i></b><!--[endif]--><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">There are reasonable grounds to believe that the property is tainted property related to a serious offence amongst others.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:normal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">Reading Act 804 and Act 749 together I am of the humble opinion that, the court has discretion in matters as to freeze and defreeze. In this instant case, I will exercise my discretion and refuse the application to defreeze to enable the security agencies to complete investigation in this case. Case law during the past ten years shows that draconian legal standards have been upheld by UK Court in determining money laundering case. In the case of R. V Tivnan [1999] 1 Cr App R (s) 92, Tivnan appealed against the variation of a confiscation order against his property which has been acquired by honest means after a confiscation order had been issued. He argued that what he had acquired honestly should not be taken into account when determining an application for an increase in the amount to be recovered and he was convicted of drug trafficking and sentenced to five years imprisonment. During post-conviction hearing, the crown applied for an increased confiscation order reflecting the increase is value of Tivnan’s realistic property. He appealed against the variation of the confiscation order, arguing that assets which had been acquired by honest means after a confiscation order has been made could not be taken into account in applying to recover an increase amount. Dismissing the appeal, Rose LJ Characterized the legislation as a means by which <b><i>“drug dealers can be deprived of their assets until they have diverged all equivalent to all the benefit which has accrued to them in the drug dealing” .<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:normal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">Also in R vrs. Smith (David Cadman) 2001 Appeal cases, the court took a similarly hard-line approach to the defendant who has a confiscation order made against him after struggling cigarettes past a custom post only to be caught and deprived of them shortly afterward. The House of Lords held that the confiscation order had been properly imposed. Lord Roger commented that <b><i>“if in some circumstances (the confiscation scheme) can operate in a period or even a draconian manner, then that may not be out of place in a scheme of stripping criminals of the benefit of their crimes”.<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:normal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">Theses few examples go to prove that the Judicial Systems of various countries have stepped up in dealing with money launderers. Ghana has just come out of a blacklisting. This is because the country was found wanting in curbing money laundering and financial crimes.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height:normal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: