The Supreme Court has today, ordered that the bank accounts of Dr. Stephen Opuni be defrozen.
The court further ordered that the said Ghc 25,000 which is said to be the only amount in Dr. Opuni’s accounts to have been allegedly tainted by proceeds of crime, remain frozen.
Dr. Opuni’s bank accounts at Ecobank and Standard Chartered were frozen in 2017 by the Economic and Organised Crime Unit after investigations of financial crimes against Dr. Opuni.
On 24th April, 2018, EOCO obtained an order Ex-parte from the High Court to freeze the two accounts earlier stated after the one-year stipulated time for freezing accounts during investigation by EOCO, elapsed.
Dr. Opuni then filed an application to set aside the order for freezing his account but the Court dismissed the application on 21st May, 2018.
It was the argument of the Dr. Opuni that the ruling of 21st May, 2018, by Her Ladyship Justice Georgina Mensah-Datsa, breached his right to be heard.
Counsel for the Plaintiff, Mr. Samuel Codjoe said that by law when one’s entire account is frozen the affected person must be heard but the order for freezing the Plaintiff’s account which was obtained exparte denied Dr. Opuni a hearing.
Mr. Codjoe added that the High Court judge, Justice Georgina Mensah- Datsa, committed an error when she refused to set aside the freezing order on the grounds that the sum total of the monies in the charges against Dr. Opuni is more than the balance in both of his accounts.
In opposing the application, Counsel for the interested party (EOCO), Mrs. Jacqueline Avotri said that the trial judge did not act in excess of her jurisdiction and the rules of natural justice were not breached.
She argued that the entire accounts of Dr. Opuni were frozen because he was standing trial and also because the sum total of monies in the charges are in excess of both accounts.
She added that one of the mandates of EOCO is to recover proceeds of crime.
The Court quashed the ruling of the High Court judge, Justice Georgina Mensah- Datsa, dated 21st May, 2018.
Source: GhanaJustice/F.Kyeremateng
