THE REPUBLIC vs. MOHAMMED LIBABATU, CHARLES MENSAH (ALIASSTEVE GAUMAN) AND NURUDEEN ALHASSAN (AT LARGE) [2016]DLHC7656

THE REPUBLIC vs. MOHAMMED LIBABATU, CHARLES MENSAH (ALIASSTEVE GAUMAN) AND NURUD... [2016]DLHC7656

Date	2016-03-24
Suit No.	SUIT NO.FTRM 15/16
Citation No.	[2016]DLHC7656

HER LADYSHIP JUSTICE AFIA SERWAH ASARE-BOTWE ( MRS.)

MR. CHARLES W. OFORI AND MR. ABU ISSA FOR THE REPUBLIC

MR. EBO LAING FOR MR. MAWUENA AGBENATO FOR A1 AND A2

[2016]DLHC7656
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p>MOHAMMED
LIBABATU, CHARLES MENSAH (ALIASSTEVE GAUMAN) AND NURUDEEN ALHASSAN (AT LARGE)<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>[HIGH
COURT (FINANCIAL DIVISION), ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

SUIT
NO.FTRM 15/16 &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; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;DATE: 24TH MARCH, 2016<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>MR.
CHARLES W. OFORI AND MR. ABU ISSA FOR THE REPUBLIC <o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

MR.
EBO LAING FOR MR. MAWUENA AGBENATO FOR A1 AND A2 <o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

HER
LADYSHIP JUSTICE AFIA SERWAH ASARE-BOTWE ( MRS.) <o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
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</div>The accused persons are charges as follows; <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:14.4pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:
0cm;margin-left:18.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:
none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:
yes">a) Under count one, all three accused persons
are charged with Conspiracy to defraud contrary to section 23(1) and 131(1) of
the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29)and section 123 of the Electronic Transactions
Act, 2008 (Act 772) <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:14.4pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:
0cm;margin-left:18.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:
none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:
yes">b) Under count two, the 1st Accused,
Mohammed Libabatu is charged with Defrauding by false pretences contrary
section 131(1) of Act 29 and section 123 of Act 772 <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:14.4pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:
0cm;margin-left:18.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:
none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:
yes">c) Under count three, the 1st accused
is charged with Money Laundering contrary to section 1(1) of the Anti- Money
Laundering (Amendment) Act , 2014(Act 874) <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:14.4pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:
0cm;margin-left:18.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:
none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:
yes">d) Under count four, A2 is charged with
defrauding by false pretences. <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:14.4pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:
0cm;margin-left:18.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:
none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:
yes">e) Under count five A2 is charges with money
laundering. <o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>f) Under count six, A3, Nurudeen Alhassan (at
large) is charged with defrauding by false pretences. <o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:12.0pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:
0cm;margin-left:18.0pt;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:
none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:
yes">g) Under county seven, A3 is charged with
money laundering. <o:p></o:p>The facts of the case are that the
complainant, JANICE MAREE KERSHAW, is self-employed, and operates information
Managements Solutions which provides services and advice in records management.
She is a citizen/resident in the State of New South Wales in Australia. The 1st,
2nd and 3rd accused persons are Ghanaians. investigations
have revealed that from December 2011 to September 2014, the accused persons
scammed the complainant through the internet and defrauded her in the total sum
of Four Hundred and Forty Eight Thousand, Twenty Seven Australian Dollars and
Eighteen Cents( AUS$ 448,027.18). The accused persons acted together with a
common purpose and made false representations in order to convince the
complainant to part the above money sum. Each of the accused persons received
different sums of money in their bank accounts, Western Union and other means
of money transfer from the complainant as a result of these representations. <o:p></o:p>In December 2011, the complainant was
contacted by a person on a dating website called, “Be 2” who introduced himself as Steve Gauman. Investigations has
revealed that it was the 2nd accused who posed on the internet as
Steve Gauman. The 2nd accused to the complainant that he was born in
Germany and is currently residing at 19 Ruth Street in Perth, Australia. He
asked the complainant to meet him in Perth and just before they were to meet,
he told the complainant that he has to go overseas to work. The 2nd accused
communicated with the complainant through his e-mail address of stevegauman@yahoo.com and phone
number, 0023324325660 and later changed this number to +19234)2227281. <o:p></o:p>On January 3, 2012, while the complainant was
in Melbourne, she received a telephone call from the said Steve Gauman, 2nd
accused herein. He told th</main>