Monday, 4 June 2012

BENCH WARRANT FOR LAWYER FOR STEALING CLIENT'S MONEY


Felix Engsalige Nyaaba
An Accra Circuit Court yesterday issued a bench warrant for the arrest of lawyer Jah Josiah, an Accra Based legal practitioner, for failing to appear before the court to answer charges of stealing and dishonestly appropriating cash the sum of US$23,125.00 belonging to his client.
He has been charged with one count of stealing contrary to the criminal offence Act 1960 of Act 29.
He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge on his first appearance on the case and the court admitted him to bail in the sum of GH¢30, 000 with two sureties.
But Lawyer Josiah has since refused to appear before the court.
 The court presided over by Mrs. Patience Mills-Tetteh, therefore took the decision yesterday and  issued the warrant after he failed to appear in court on several adjourn dates.
Lawyer Josiah was arrested by the police in February this year, after Mr. John Oscar Hanson had lodged a complaint of appropriation and stealing in the sum of $ 23, 125.00 that was meant to the Bank of Ghana to defray his debt.
According to the prosecutor, superintendent of police, Mr. Kofi Bladgozi, sometime this year, the complainant’s company, Financial Investment Company was fingered by the Bank of Ghana (BOG) for allegedly collecting monies from public without license.
 The prosecutor said the complainant hired Lawyer Josiah as his defence counsel and later procured an amount of $23,125.00 to be paid to the Bank of Ghana for the license and quickly informed him.
 He said the accused collected the money with the intension to pay to the Bank of Ghana but failed to pay and bolted with it.
According to the prosecutor, a formal complaint was lodged to the police and the accused was arrested at his hideout at Osu in Accra and during his caution statement, he admitted the offence and promised to pay.
The prosecutor said the accused pleaded with the police to give him time to pay back the money claiming that he had used for investment into his business but failed to pay.
  

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