AG takes over alleged forged will case by lawyer, four others

The case in which a lawyer and four others are being held for allegedly falsifying a Will has been taken over by the Attorney General.

Mr Dominic Bakoma, Principal State Attorney, said after the Attorney General went through a petition in relation to the matter, he has decided to continue with prosecution.

Mr Bakoma therefore prayed that he would be furnished with the proceedings of the court so that all hurdles in the matter would be cleared.

Meanwhile lawyers for the accused drew the attention of the Achimota Circuit Court judge to the fact that a new charge sheet and new disclosures have been filed.

According to the lawyers, they were expecting the Court to re-take the pleas of the accused persons, and file new disclosures for the Case Management Conference to commence.

The accused Joseph Kwow Addo Sam, a lawyer, Chief Alhaji Seidu Adam Baba, the Chief of Banda in Accra, Saeed Salia and Abubakar Salia, were present in court.

Abdulai Salia aka Abdulai Salia Junior and Abubakar Salia are still at large.

The accused have been charged with conspiracy, forgery of documents, uttering of forged documents and perjury.

The accused, who were present in court, have denied the charges and they have been admitted to bail.

Meanwhile, the Trial Judge ordered the court’s Registry to furnish the state with records of proceedings.

The matter has been adjourned to March 11, 2025.

Prosecution's case before the court was that the complainant, Idris Salia, a businessman, Saeed Salia, Abdulai Salia and Abubakar Salia were siblings.

The Court heard that the late Alhaji Salia Abdulai was the father of the complainant, Idris Salia, the three accused siblings and 13 others.

Prosecution said after the death of Alhaji Salia Abdullai on June 23, 2021, the complainant, Idris Salia, and the other children of the deceased, were informed that their father died testate and before his demise, he had a will and same had been deposited at the Registry of the High Court, Probate Division.

According to prosecution, the complainant indicated that the said will came as a surprise to him because before the demise of his father, he told them (Children) that he was guided by Islamic principles which forbade a father to leave a will for children, wives and immediate family related by blood.

Aggrieved by the notification of the purported will of his late father, the complainant petitioned Director General CID to conduct criminal investigations to unravel the circumstance which brought about the Will of his father as he suspected the Will was forged.

The prosecution said as part of the investigation procedure, the purported will was procured from the High Court, Probate Division.

It was patented on the face of the will that Ahaji Seidu Adam Baba, the second accused person and one Tony Kenyin Foli, now deceased, were two witnesses to the Will of the late Alhaji Salia Abdulai with their respective signatures, the Prosecution said.

The Court was told that, “Patent, also on the Will, is the purported signature of late Alhaji Salia Abdullai. It was also found that the disputed Will was prepared by lawyer Addo Sam who corroborated this fact in his caution statement.”

Prosecution said to ascertain the signatures on the will, registration documents of Alhaji Salia Abdulai were obtained from Ecobank, GCB Bank and the Registrar General's Department where signature samples of Alhaji Salia Abdullai were.

Before the demise of Tony Kenyin, Prosecution said, he submitted a statement to the Greater Accra Regional Police Command and subsequently signed same.

The said statement was also procured, and samples of Alhaji Seidu Adam Baba could not be obtained as he declined to submit his statement to the Police and declined to provide sample signature for forensic examination.

The sample signatures of Alhaji Salia and Tony Kenyin Foli were sent to Comptroller General, Ghana Immigration Service Forensic Department and Spotlight Security Solution for forensic examination.

Prosecution said reports from reputable institutions on the Will indicated that the signatures were not those of late Alhaji Abdulai and Tony Kenyin Foli.

On November 8, 2021, the three siblings standing trial applied to High Court 2, Accra to grant probate based on the forged will.

The complainant petitioned the Police and Lawyer Sam Addo was arrested and in his caution statement to the Police, he admitted that he prepared the last Will of late Alhaji Salia and deposited it at the Registry of the High Court, Probate Division on May 7, 2004.

Prosecution said Abubakar Salia and Saeed Salia signed the probate form which was procured through fraud.

GNA