[2013]DLHC15065 Login to Read Full Case <span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:#00B0F0">EDWARD MACAULEY<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">(APPLICANT)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;tab-stops:center 3.25in left 374.6pt"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; color:#00B0F0">EOCO, EXECUTIVE SECRETARY, NACOB<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">(RESPONDENTS)<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">[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: 0in 0in 1pt;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><span style="font-size:10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">SUIT NO. FTRM 227/13 DATE: 24TH JULY 2013<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">COUNSEL<o:p></o:p></span></b></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: 0in 0in 1pt;"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">OWUSU FORDWOUH FOR APPLICANT <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt; padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in"><span style="font-size:12.0pt; line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">DIANA ADU-ANANE FOR 1ST RESPONDENT<o:p></o:p></span></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">CORAM<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE JOHN 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 0in;"> <p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:center;border:none;mso-border-top-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt; mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0in 1.0pt 0in"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"">RULING<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">Under Section 31(1)of Act 804, the Economic and Organized Crime Office Act 2010, it provides as following:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><b><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">31(1) “A person who claims an interest in property seized under this Act shall apply to the Court within thirty days after the date of seizure for an order that the property be returned to that person.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><b><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">(2) If the Court is satisfied that,<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent: -.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">a.<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-variation-settings: 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 style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">The person is entitled to possession of the property<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom: .0001pt;mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph; text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif;mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family: "Book Antiqua"">b.<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-variation-settings: 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 style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">The property is not tainted property and<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-add-space:auto;text-align:justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph;text-indent: -.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif; mso-fareast-font-family:"Book Antiqua";mso-bidi-font-family:"Book Antiqua"">c.<span style="font-style: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-feature-settings: normal; font-variation-settings: 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 style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">The person in respect of whose charge, proposed charge or conviction the seized of the property was made has no interest in the property to the applicant.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align: justify;text-justify:inter-ideograph"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif;mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"">In this instant case the applicant is invoking this section amongst others to have his property seized on the 14<sup>th</sup> February 2013 be returned to him. Edward Macauley is presently being held in a Federal Correction Institution, Ford Dix, New Jersey,USA. An affidavit was sworn on his behalf by one Edward Macauley Junior. He deposed in paragraph 9 and 10:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-alig