RICHARD KWABENA ASIAMAH vs. REPUBLIC [2020]DLSC9911

Date	2020-11-04
Suit No.
Citation No.	[2020]DLSC9911

DOTSE JSC (PRESIDING)

PWAMANG JSC

TORKORNOO (MRS.) JSC

HONYENUGA JSC

PROF. MENSA-BONSU (MRS.) JSC

NKRABEAH EFFAH DARTEH FOR THE APPELLANT

FRANCES MULLEN ANSAH (MRS)

CHIEF STATE ATTORNEY FOR THE RESPONDENT

Accra(delivery within the same day or the next)

[2020]DLSC9911
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><a name="_Hlk35510717"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></a>RICHARD KWABENA ASIAMAH<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;(APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>REPUBLIC<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;(RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>[SUPREME 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;">

CRIMINAL APPEAL NO. J3/06/2020&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:
4TH
NOVEMBER, 2020<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>NKRABEAH EFFAH DARTEH FOR THE
APPELLANT.<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;">

FRANCES MULLEN ANSAH (MRS), CHIEF
STATE ATTORNEY FOR THE RESPONDENT.<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>DOTSE, JSC (PRESIDING), PWAMANG, JSC,
TORKORNOO (MRS.), JSC, HONYENUGA, JSC, PROF. MENSA-BONSU (MRS.), JSC<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="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" align="center" style="text-align:center;line-height:
150%;tab-stops:147.0pt;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">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>TORKORNOO
(MRS.), JSC:-<o:p></o:p>In her book ‘Murder on the
Orient Express’, Agatha Christie (1934) tells the story of how the famous fictional
detective Hercule Poirot discovered that all of the twelve passengers on board of
the Orient Express train, though at first glance unrelated, were
co-conspirators in the plot to murder the thirteenth passenger. <o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>In a case reminiscent of this fictional tale by the famous Agatha
Christie, the appellant was one of four persons charged with two offences. Though
only four people were charged, the facts of the case revealed several people
involved in the transaction that led to the crime prosecuted, apart from
several people in the shadows of the crime whose roles were not identified.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The appellant was charged with the offence of conspiracy to defraud by
false pretences contrary to Section 23
(1) and 131 (1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960, Act 29. The particulars
of offence was that in the month of January 2014, the Appellant acted together
with the other charged persons with a common purpose to commit the crime of defrauding
by false pretences. Two of the other persons he was charged with were charged
with the offence of defrauding by false pretences contrary to Section 131 (1) of Act 29. <o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The facts as borne out by the charge sheet and the undisputed evidence
from the trial are that one Leticia Acquah, (Acquah) the first accused person
and an officer at the Lands Commission informed the complainant, Mr. Ernest
Ofori Sarpong, that there was a parcel of land for sale at Airport Residential
Area and she had a power of attorney to sell the land on behalf of the owner. <o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The owner was said to be one Theresa Duncan Enninful. Together with his
brother, the complainant decided to purchase the land. Acquah gave what she
presented to be a copy of the indenture on the land to the complainant and
negotiated with him to sell the land to him at $2.7 million. A contract of sale
was drawn up in the name of Theresa Duncan Enninful and Osei Kwame. Accounts
were also opened with UT Bank, the bankers of the Complainant, for Acquah and
the alleged owner of the land, Theresa Duncan Enninful, to enable payment.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The complainant visited the site of a plot of land at the Airport
Residential Area, which was supposed to be the site described in the indenture,
with Acquah. The land was walled and gated with a padlock. Acquah handed over
the key to the padlock on the gate to the complainant, and he instructed his
bankers UT Bank to pay $1,650,000 into the newly opened account of Theresa
Duncan Enninful and $350,000 into the newly opened account of Acquah.
Thereafter, the complainant travelled outside Ghana only to be alerted by his
bankers that they suspected fraud in the transaction because most of the money
paid into the account of Theresa Duncan Enninful had been withdrawn in the
space of two weeks. Investigations later showed that $650,000 out of that
1,650,000 was paid into the account of the 4th accused person called
Seth Kwapong. The 2nd accused person, Ruby Wotordzor, found to have
impersonated the alleged owner called Theresa Duncan Enninful, never signed any
Deed of Assignment, and the land was found to belong to a company called Wilmur
Africa Ltd. <o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The Appellant before us, Richard Kwabena Asiamah, (the 3rd
accused person charged before the high court) pleaded not guilty. The High
Court convicted him of the crime of conspiracy after a thorough evaluation of
the evidence. &nbsp;<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>The Appellant appealed to the Court of </main>