Court frees former Miss Malaika Hamamat Montia of car theft allegation

An Accra Circuit Court yesterday ruled that Miss Malaika 2006, Hamamat Montia, did not steal a Toyota Highlander 4WD she had been accused of stealing and consequently dragged to court.

The court presided over by Abena Adjin-Doku held that prosecution had failed to prove that indeed the beauty queen committed the crime and therefore acquitted and discharged her.

Ms Montia had always insisted she was not guilty after she was accused by her Finnish ex-boyfriend Versa Keskinen of stealing the vehicle worth $35,000, which he claimed he bought for her.

She was arraigned before the court on April 22 last year with a charge of stealing contrary to Section 124 (1) of Act 29 of 1960.

Defence counsel Kwabena Addo Attuah, in the course of the trial, said that the prosecution was trying to rely on evidence that was not even supported by the facts of the case.

“Conviction based on circumstantial evidence which is not supported by facts is wrongful. It must lead to irresistible conclusion not only that the crime charged had been committed, but it was in fact committed by the person charged in order to arrive at a definite conclusion,” he argued.

However, DSP Cletus Abadamlora, prosecuting, insisted that the prosecution had led substantial evidence against Hamamat to secure conviction.

The court concluded that the witnesses presented by the prosecution, especially Versa Keskinen, were not credible and added that there were “so many material inconsistencies.”

It emerged during the trial that Versa Keskinen had happily bought the vehicle for Hamamat as a gift on her birthday and even registered it in her name but when their relationship turned sour, he turned around to accuse her of stealing it.

The court said Versa Keskinen could not prove that the car which was registered in the name of Hamamat indeed belonged to the Finnish even though he bought it for her.

The judge further said documents tendered in evidence by Hamamat showed clearly that the complainant and the accused were in a relationship, which the prosecution wanted to hide.

“The accused was far more credible with her overwhelming evidence,” the judge added.

After the judgement, Kwabena Addo Attuah, counsel for Hamamat, said “justice has truly and manifestly been done.”

After the court, an excited looking Hamamat told NEWS-ONE that she was falsely accused and the court had set the issues straight with her acquittal and discharge.

She expressed gratitude to her lawyer, Kwabena Addo Attuah, for defending her in the case and the court for letting justice prevail.