Court orders arrest of late NRC chairman's son

Accra June 23, GNA - Two legal practitioners were dragged before an Accra Circuit Court on Monday for forgery and fraud.

They are Joseph Kwame Owusu Asamani and Ekow Amua-Sekyi, who were jointly charged for conspiracy, forging judicial service writ of summons, deed of assignment documents, and uttering forged documents.

They were alleged to have forged judgment of a High Court Judge, Mr Justice Ofori-Atta, compelling Mr Howard Eric Ewen, Managing Director of Keegan Resources to issue a cheque of 850,000 United States dollars to Asamani.

When Asamani received the money, Amua-Sekyi signed as a witness. When the case was mentioned in Court, the two were absent. However, Mr James Agalga, who represented Asamani, told the court that his client had been taken ill and had not been served. There were, however, no indications as to why Amua-Sekyi was not in court.

The court presided over by Mr D.E.K. Daketsey, issued a bench warrant to arrest Amua Sekyi, saying his non-appearance before the court constituted disrespect.

Prosecuting, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) P.K. Frimpong denied that the accused persons had not been served.

The facts before the court named the complainant as Mr. Samuel Gordon Etroo, a businessman in Tarkwa.

Prosecution said on March 14, 2007, Asamani acted as a lawyer for Axex Company Limited and obtained judgment in a suit against Kwame Opoku and two other defendants.

After the judgment, Asamani conspired with Amua-Sekyi who acted as counsel for Mr Etroo and they forged a suit number BMIS 350 / 07. They further gave a title of the writ as Alex Company Limited. Accused persons further fraudulently inserted SAMETRO Company Limited as the fourth defendant in the writ although the said company was not a defendant in the suit.

Prosecution said on March 18, 2007, the accused persons forged a judgment titled Axex Company Limited versus four other defendants and inserted an order by Mr. Justice Ofori Atta for the recovery of a mine known as Esaase Gold Mine.

In addition, they prepared a Deed of Assignment unknown to the complainant, Gordon Etroo, and scanned his signature on it and registered it at the Lands Registry and presented same to Mr Eric Ewen, Managing Director of Keegan Resources who also signed. The two lawyers without the knowledge of Gordon Etroo and Mr Kwame Opoku initiated a civil suit number BL35/07 and initialled it as Kwame Opoku versus SAMETRO Company Limited. The two appeared before another Judge, Mr Justice Lartey Young on March 20, 2007. At the said court, Amua Sekyi made certain admissions upon, which the trial judge ordered that Bonte Esaase Mine be assigned to Kwame Opoku.

With that judgment, the accused persons obtained the consent of the then Minister of Land, Forestry and Mines to assign Esaase Mines to Howard Eric Ewen of Keegan Resources.

On June 18, 2007 Mr. Eric Ewen issued Stanbic Bank cheque for 850,000 dollars to Asamani to complete the fraudulent assignment of Bonte Gold Mine from Mr Etroo to him (Eric Ewen). Prosecution said on June 18, 2007 Asamani issued a hand written receipt and Amua-Sekyi signed as a witness.