CABLE JOINT COMPUTERS, FEDERICK ADONTENG vs. FINANCIAL INTELLIGENCE CENTRE [2014]DLHC15058

Date	2014-05-16
Suit No.	SUIT NO. FTRM/163/1
Citation No.	[2014]DLHC15058

HIS LORDSHIP JUSTICE JOHN AJET-NASAM

MICHAEL DONKOR FOR APPLICANT

RICHARD APIETU FOR RESPONDENT

[2014]DLHC15058
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >CABLE JOINT COMPUTERS, FEDERICK ADONTENG<o:p></o:p>(APPLICANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>FINANCIAL INTELLIGENCE CENTRE<o:p></o:p>(RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>[HIGH COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o: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;">

SUIT NO. FTRM/163/1&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
DATE: 16TH&nbsp; MAY 2014<o:p></o:p>

</div>CONSEL<o:p></o:p>MICHAEL
DONKOR FOR APPLICANT<o:p></o: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;">

</div>CORAM<o:p></o:p>HIS
LORDSHIP JUSTICE JOHN AJET-NASAM<o:p></o: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;line-height:115%;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">RULING<o:p></o:p>

</div>The
Respondent under Section 47 (2) of Act 749 on the 7th day of
April, 2014 applied for and was granted a confirmation of a freezing
order.&nbsp; The said Section 47 (2) provides:<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 47 (2):-<o:p></o:p>“The Chief Executive Officer shall
apply to a Court within Seven days after freezing a transaction or account for
confirmation of the action taken and the Court may confirm the freezing on
conditions or direct the defreezing of the transaction or account”.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;Also,
under Sub-section (3) the affected
person can seek redress from the Court.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It provides:-<o:p></o:p>47 (3) “where a transaction or account
has been frozen, the person affected shall be notified by the Chief Executive
Officer within forty-eight hours of the freezing of the transaction or account
and the person affected may seek redress from Court”.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;The applicant
has taken the advantage of the Section 47 (3) of Act 749 to apply to
the Court for a defreeze of his accounts.&nbsp;
Apparently, the applicant is also standing trial on Criminal Charges
before this Court.&nbsp; The said Criminal
Case came up for hearing yesterday the 15th day of May, 2014 wherein
the State Prosecutor said his witnesses were not ready.&nbsp; He prayed initially for a month’s adjournment
which I refused.&nbsp; Cases on money
laundering and Transnational Organised Crimes (TOC) have not been prosecuted with
any seriousness.&nbsp; They have either been
withdrawn for lack of witnesses or long adjournments taken.&nbsp; These were cases filed on behalf of the
Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) by the Attorney General’s Department.&nbsp; There is a lot of tardiness. <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;It is sad
to say, that there are swift application to confirm freezings but lackadaisical
in prosecuting.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;In the
instant case, as said earlier, the accused is standing trial but prosecution
not ready to even call a single witness.&nbsp;
Time will only tell when a witness may be called.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;The
respondent mounted a vehement opposition to the application for a partial
defreeze.&nbsp; The applicant had filed a
Supplementary Affidavit which he deposed and attached documents which supports
his assertion.&nbsp; There was no reaction to
that.&nbsp; Under Section 35 (5) of Act 804, it provides:<o:p></o:p>