Deputy Attorney General Joseph Kpemka has disclosed that the plaintiff in the gold case involving Menzgold boss Nana Appiah Mensah(NAM1) has filed an appeal to the ruling that set NAM1 free.
According to the Deputy Attorney General, the appeal filed is the reason why Menzgold boss is still in detention in the United Arab Emirates, and not because the government of Ghana wants him behind bars.
He added that Menzgold boss Nana Appiah Mensah(NAM1) will return to Ghana only after the case is ended.
Charged with fraud over the gold deal business worth $23million with a UAE company based in Dubai, Mr Mensah was acquitted and discharged on Tuesday, April 9.
BACKGROUND
NAM1’s arrest however, follows an alleged misrepresentation to security authorities in Dubai by a Dubai based company that he could be connected to an alleged botched gold business with a Ghanaian company, one of whose officials was known to him, close associates briefed on the matter have averred.
According to sources, NAM1 had landed in the Persian Gulf business hub in the late last year in the hope of retrieving some $39 million owed Menzgold by a Dubai-based company, Horizon Royal Diamonds DMCC, for the supply of gold.
The sources indicate that in 2016, an unnamed official of the Economic and Organised Crimes Office (EOCO) had recommended Menzgold to officials of Horizon Royal Diamonds for the supply of huge quantities of gold. That recommendation came because, according to the sources, the Dubai company had been duped by some Ghanaians previously.
Horizon Royal Diamonds and Menzgold duly established contact, however, before the deal could be struck, persons privy to the discussions presented themselves to Horizon Royal Diamonds with the promise of a better deal, to which officials of the Dubai-based company fell for.
It turned out that Horizon Royal Diamonds alleged later that it parted with no less than $51 million for which no gold whatsoever was supplied.
Officials of Horizon Royal Diamonds later reverted to Menzgold’s Nana Appiah Mensah in 2018, to supply them the gold, upon which request he is said to have demanded an undertaking not to be linked to the transaction with Just Gold Company Limited, the company Horizon Royal alleges it paid the $51 million to.
That undertaking duly arrived, spelling out Menzgold’s disconnection with the deal said to have gone bad and its lack of liability. Following that undertaking, Menzgold proceeded to supply 750kg of gold to Horizon Royal Diamonds, at an agreed price of $28 million at the time of supply.
Having gone through an agent to secure the contract with Horizon Royal Diamonds, payment was supposed to be remitted through the said agent. The agent however provided wrong swift transfer details, hence money remained unpaid when it was due
“Per the arrangement between the two companies, it is now worth $39 million and Nana had gone to Dubai to facilitate the retrieval of the money when the SWIFT transfer account details the guys in Dubai provided turned out to be fake. He wanted his money to be paid to help sort out the current situation with his company, but the guys rather reported him to the Dubai authorities accusing him of fraud. That is why he was arrested but God willing, he will be out by Wednesday to return to Ghana,” the source stated.
