Alleged money launderers discharged by courtol following the death of their accomplice

By Ivy Benson
The Accra Financial Court adjudicating a case of money laundering involving an Accra-based lawyer, Charles Owusu Juanah, and two others, yesterday discharged two of the accused persons following the death of their accomplice.

The court, presided over by Justice John Ajet-Nasam, liberated the rest of the accused persons, after Mr. Edward Cudjoe, a state attorney at the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO), withdrew the charges of conspiracy and money laundering against the accused persons on hearing of the death of Nana Kwaku Agyei.

The new development to the case took place when Mr. Joseph Turkson, counsel for Nana Kwaku Agyei, informed the court that his client had passed on a day before, hence, his absence from court.

The accused persons, Charles Owusu Juanah, Victor Amoah and Nana Kwaku Agyei, who were then on bail, pleaded not guilty on the charges leveled against them.

Owusu Juanah and Amoah had pleaded not guilty to two counts of conspiracy and aiding and abetting money laundering activities.

They are accused of obtaining, through money laundering activities, $3.5 million from a Dubai-based businessman, Mohammed Shafiq, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Jampur Group, and his agents.

Juanah, who is alleged to be the principal architect, is said to have collected the $3.5 million from the GT Bank headquarters about 9:45 p.m. on November 17, 2011, after luring Mr. Shafiq and his agents into the country to establish business dealings in gold.

According to the prosecution, when Mr. Shafiq and his agents arrived in Ghana, they were informed that the gold had been lodged in a vault at the SG-SSB Bank, and were made to pay $3.5 million before it would be released.

The prosecution further indicated that the money was lodged in an account at the Abeka branch of the GT Bank, and the alleged gold subsequently handed over to the buyers.

The prosecution noted that when Mr. Shafiq and his agents decided to verify the authenticity of the 135 kilogrammes of gold after it had been delivered, only five kilogrammes was found to be authentic, adding that when Mr. Shafiq and his agents complained and threatened to lodge a complaint with the police, Juanah allegedly warned them not to dare, as they would be incarcerated for transacting an illegitimate business as illegal immigrants.

Mr. Shafiq and his agents quickly left the country for Dubai and were advised to lodge a complaint with the National Security, which referred the matter to EOCO, the prosecution told the court.

According to the prosecution, investigations had so far revealed that Juanah drafted the contract agreement for the transactions and acted as solicitor for both the buyer and the seller, while Amoah, a friend of Juanah and Agyei, acted as consultant to Mr. Shafiq.