The Executive Director of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), COP Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah, has revealed that the government cannot prosecute the embattled Chief Executive Officer of gold dealership firm, Menzgold Ghana Limited, Nana Appiah Mensah, a.k.a NAM1.
The inability to prosecute NAM1 was due to « insufficient evidence ».
NAM1 is currently on bail following his arrest on July 11, 2019, upon his return to the country from Dubai where he was put in detention on charges of defrauding a business partner.
After months of a legal tussle in Dubai, NAM1 was released as prosecutors could not prove their case of fraud against him, apparently paving the way for him to come back to Ghana to stand trial.
He was initially charged for money laundering and defrauding by false pretences by taking deposits without a licence, and has since been going in and out of courts, facing over 50 charges.
COP Tiwaa Addo-Danquah said the state had looked into prosecuting NAM1, but there is insufficient evidence to give rise to a realistic prospect of convicting him of any criminal offence arising from the circumstances of his Ponzi scheme activities.
Speaking at a forum, the EOCO boss said they were finding it difficult to obtain evidence to prosecute NAM1 due to the lack of relevant laws to support the case.
According to her, it is easy for public institutions such as hers to sometimes notice the commission of a crime by some individuals, but could not be prosecuted due to a lack of relevant laws to capture the action as a crime.
She said: « An example is the Menzgold case. Which law or which Act did he break? And it is becoming difficult even prosecuting that case because no law will define the offence. »
However, the aggrieved customers of Menzgold have described the comments attributed to the EOCO boss, Maame Tiwa Addo-Danquah as a national disaster.
« What was the motive of the government in arraigning the CEO of Menzgold when they know the man cannot be prosecuted? » the aggrieved customers asked.
Frederick Forson, the spokesperson for the aggrieved customers in an interview on Accra FM on Monday, August 22, 2022, said « It has always been our belief that the government was not committed to having Nana Appiah Mensah popularly known as NAM1 prosecuted to serve as a deterrent to others. »
He stated that the mindset of Maame Yaa Tiwa Addo-Danquah had always been the mindset of the government regarding the prosecution of NAM1.
« It is the reason we earlier threatened to withdraw our support for the prosecution.
« As customers, we stand vindicated that the government was not committed to prosecuting the CEO of Menzgold, » he stressed.
Pulse
