PRINCE NTIM JUNIOR (ACCUSED/APPELLANT) vs. THE REPUBLIC (REPUBLIC/RESPONDENT) [2019]DLCA7796

Date	2019-05-30
Suit No.	SUIT NO CR/18/2017
Citation No.	[2019]DLCA7796

ADJEI J.A

ACKAH YENSU J.A

POKU-ACHEAMPONG J.A

MARTIN KPEBU FOR THE ACCUSED/APPELLANT

VICTORIA ADIEDUWAA FOR THE REPUBLIC/ RESPONDENT

[2019]DLCA7796
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >PRINCE NTIM JUNIOR<o:p></o:p>(ACCUSED/APPELLANT)<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>THE REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>(REPUBLIC/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>[COURT
OF APPEAL, 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 CR/18/2017&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; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;DATE: 30TH MAY,
2019<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>MARTIN
KPEBU FOR THE ACCUSED/APPELLANT<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">

VICTORIA
ADIEDUWAA&nbsp; FOR THE REPUBLIC/ RESPONDENT<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">

ADJEI
J.A, ACKAH YENSU J.A, POKU-ACHEAMPONG J.A<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;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

</div>ADJEI,
J.A:<o:p></o:p>This appeal is against the decision
of the High Court delivered on 28th February 2017 which affirmed the
judgment of the Circuit Court, Accra delivered on 10th July 2015. <o:p></o:p>On September 2014, the
Appellant herein and one other were arraigned before the Circuit Court, Accra.
The Appellant, who was the first accused, was charged with three counts of
offences, namely, falsely pretending to be a public officer contrary to section
237 of Act 29/60, possessing forged documents contrary to section 166 of Act
29/60, and defrauding by false pretence contrary to section 131(1) of Act
29/60. <o:p></o:p>The other accused person,
Alexander Kwaku Asare, was also charged with abetment of crime to commit fraud
with the Appellant herein contrary to section 20(1) and 131(1) of Act 29/60 and
was jointly charged with the Appellant herein with the offence of defrauding by
false pretence contrary to section 131(1) of Act 29/60.<o:p></o:p>The brief facts of the case
presented before the trial Circuit Court were that both accused persons were
unemployed. The first accused person resided at Abeka Lapaz and the second
accused person resided at Bubuashie, Accra. The complainant in the case was
Gerald Dinah Llariah who was a registered respiratory therapist in the United
States.<o:p></o:p>In September 2013, the
complainant met the Appellant on a dating website and they agreed to date.
Thereafter, the complainant received a phone call from the Appellant herein who
introduced himself as&nbsp; Seargent Mark Wood
of the United States Army. He further sent his military membership card,
certificate of retirement from the military, and some photographs of the
appellant to the complainant.<o:p></o:p>The Appellant told the
complainant that he was sent by the President of the United States of America
and other government officials to perform an assignment in Ghana on behalf of
the United States Government. The Appellant further informed the complainant
that upon his retirement from the US Army, the Ghana Government gave him gold
valued at $15,000,000.00 as his retirement benefit because of the unique
services he rendered to Ghana. <o:p></o:p>The Appellant then demanded
from the complainant an amount of $350,000.00 to enable him to pay the duty on
the gold given to him by the Government of Ghana. The Appellant provided the
complainant with the details of the second accused person’s Access Bank account
for the money to be paid into that account. <o:p></o:p>The complainant, convinced
of the representations of the Appellant, paid an amount of $275,000.00 into the
Access Bank account between September and October 2013 in five installments.
The complainant further sent $15,000.00 to the Appellant by Western Union Money
Transfer. The cedi equivalent of the money sent by the complainant to the
Appellant was at the time of receipt GHc 1,015,000.00. The Appellant upon
receiving the money blocked the email of the complainant, thereby preventing
her from communicating with him through the email with which he introduced
himself to her.<o:p></o:p>