The Deputy Minister of Finance, John Kumah, has described as erroneous the comments by the Executive Director of the Economic and Organised Crimes Office (EOCO), Maame Tiwaa Addo-Danquah, that government is struggling to put forward a viable prosecution against former Menzgold boss Nana Appiah Mensah, also known as NAM 1.
According to the Deputy Minister, as far as the government is concerned, the case is still in court and being prosecuted to the fullest letter of the law.
Maame Tiwaa Addo-Danquah during a recent forum appearance cast doubt on the long-running prosecution of the rogue businessman on 14 charges of money laundering, stealing, taking deposits without authority, defrauding by false pretences, abetment of crime, sale of minerals without license, carrying on a deposit without license amongst others.
She used the NAM 1 prosecution as a case study of crimes difficult to prosecute because of lack of case law.
Maame Tiwaa said: “An example is the Menzgold case. Which law, which Act did he break? And it is becoming difficult even prosecuting that case because no law will define the offence.”
John Kumah quickly debunked her claims after a public firestorm erupted over her comments at the possibility of Appiah Mensah going scot-free.
Kumah said: “First of all, let me just put it out there that the Attorney General has not come out with nay statement on the prosecution status of Menzgold, and so a comment by the Executive Director of EOCO does not represent the position of the prosecutors in this matter. So we need to put that clear,”
He added: “As far as government is concerned we think that the matter is in court. We have heard the difficult painful stories of customers and victims of Menzgold, but sometimes if you can recall, when government decided to intervene in this illegality, the posture of the same customers and victims and how they even fought against government not to interfere and leave NAM1 alone and they trusted that he’ll deliver and come and pay them.
“So some of these things we have gone a full haul to get to where we are but as far as government is concerned the prosecution is going on,”
Source: theGhanaianVoice.Com
