The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) has hauled one Alfred Kwame Dzidefo, who is also identified with two other names – Alfred Derrick Mensah and Alfred Tsyi – to an Accra Circuit Court on the charges of forgery of official documents, possession of forged document, defrauding by false pretence, and money laundering.
According to the facts of the case, EOCO received a complaint from the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) to investigate certain transactions that were carried out by Decalf Trading Limited, which has the suspect a Director.
EOCO investigations disclosed that Decalf Trading Limited, which is a registered Ghanaian company that was incorporated on August 2, 2017, operates the following accounts, 000601150959, which is a cedi account, 0004051503755 and 006041505072, which are also dollar account held with Zenith Bank Ghana Limited at the Tema Industrial Area branch.
The facts stated that Alfred had operated the said accounts since September 15, 2017 under the name of Decalf Trading Limited, managed by two directors – Alfred Tsyialso, identified as Alfred Dzidefo, and Alfred Derrick Mensah and another, Marcus Addae.
These two individuals are holding 50 percent of the company’s shares, with Alfred Tsyi, aka Alfred Dzidefo, Alfred Derrick Mensah as the sole signatory to the above stated accounts.
Alfred’s cover for suspected money laundering was blown after the bank received an inflow of US$206, 000.00 in favour of the company into the account number 0004051503755 from Everest Investment Group Luxembourg on December 11, 2019.
The facts added that the suspect allegedly transferred GH¢100,000.00 out of the amount into the company’s cedi account which was subsequently withdrawn by Alfred and one other person by name Louisa Sedenam Esi Dogbe.
The court was also told that another transfer of US$100,000.00 from the account to Ming Bright Industrial Corporation Limited of China, for payment to print polo shirts and caps was also made.
However, when Alfred was confronted about the reason for the transfer of the funds into the company’s accounts held at the aforementioned bank, he indicated that it was a contribution Everest Investment Group made towards a joint venture with DTL, also called Reseed Limited, a real estate company.
Interestingly, on December 13, 2019, the bank received another inflow of the same amount, US$206, 000.00, in favour of Decalf Company from the same remitter.
The facts revealed that when Alfred was questioned, he, this time round, claimed that the funds were payments for setup capital and equity shares in their joint venture.
Meanwhile, documentary evidence provided by Alfred could not match his claim.
The facts stressed that Alfred’s proof of claim was so inconsistent, stating that an earlier report received in the course of investigation indicated that the remitter did not know Alfred Tsyi but at all material time dealt with Derrick Mensah as the representative of Decalf Company Ltd.
“The report further indicates that an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) was entered between Decalt, Everest Everop and Oaktree Participation SA,” it discloses.
Nonetheless, the representative of Decalt Company Limited in the agreement is Derrick Mensah and not Alfred Tsyi.
The remitter director in communication said he had visited Ghana on three different occasions and in all these instances, it was Derrick Mensah that was engaged.
Alfred has been granted bail of GH¢400 million.
The post EOCO drags businessman to court over alleged money laundering appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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