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| SFO freezes assets |
9/8/2006 |
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The Serious Fraud Office has frozen the assets of some people suspected to have been involved in narcotic related offences.
The exercise was given legal effect when the Accra High Court gave an order to confirm the action, which the SFO is by law mandated to undertake.
Although the full details of the assets and people involved were not available, information, however, indicated that the assets involved bank accounts and all other property, either movable or immovable.
The number of people affected by the exercise was not also available but it was believed to include six suspects who are being tried for their alleged engagements in narcotic- related business.
The motion to freeze the assets was moved by a Principal State Attorney of the Attorney General’s Department on behalf of the SFO and was accordingly confirmed by the court.
When contacted for details, officials of the SFO confirmed the court order, but the public relations officer said she was yet to compile the list of those affected and issue a press statement on it this morning.
The officials said under the law that mandated the SFO, it could freeze assets but that could become effective after it sought a court confirmation.
According to some sources, those affected include the six persons standing trial at the circuit court for drug related offences, namely Prince Tsibu Darko, a Tema based business man, and five others who were arrested in connection with the missing 77 parcels of cocaine on board the vessel MV Benjamin.
The five, including the four who were rounded up in the course of the Justice Georgina Wood Committee sitting investigating the cocaine theft, are Kwabena Amaning, alias Tagor, Alhaji Abass Issah, Kwabena Acheampong, Kwadwo Ababio and Victor Kissei, alias Yaw Billah.
They have all refused bail and are on remand. Meanwhile, the Accra Circuit Court have refused bail for the five suspects after their counsel had renewed applications for bail.
The court, however, gave a firm order to the prosecution to go ahead to prosecute the suspects “if there is something against them or withdraw the case to set them free” rather than using the court process as a sort of punishment.
Source: Daily Graphic
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