A businessman, who fraudulently transferred the property of his lover living in the United Kingdom (UK) into his name through a forged Deed of Assignment has been sentenced to one-year imprisonment in hard labour by an Accra Circuit Court.
The court also sentenced Victor Morgan to pay a fine of GH¢36,000.00 or in default serve additional year in jail.
The convict, according to the prosecution, forged the document to transfer Pristella Plaza Building into the name of his company Morgan Haiz Limited in February 2013.
The convict was said to be in an amorous relationship with the complainant, Pristella Boateng, who give him custody of her property after she travelled to the UK.
She was made to sign a document to authorize the convict to take control of the apartment.
Unknown to her, she signed a forged document to transfer the property to the convict.
Victor Morgan was hauled before the court in 2014 on three counts of forgery of document, fraudulent breach of trust and stealing.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges leveled against him and the prosecution, led by DSP Daniel Adjei, provided evidence to the court to convict him.
At the end of the trial, which lasted for almost four years, the court, presided over by Her Honour Patricia Quansah, found the convict guilty of two charges.
Victor Morgan was found guilty of fraudulent breach of trust and sentenced to one-year in jail in hard labour.
He was also found guilty of altering a document and was fined GH¢36,000.00 or in default serve one-year in jail in hard labour.
He was, however, discharged on the charge of stealing, as the court held that there was no evidence to prove that he stole wedding and engagement rings, earrings, necklace and pedals, as well as two bangles totaling GH?32,900.00.
DSP Adjei told the court that in 2010 the complainant met Morgan in Ghana and they entered into an amorous relationship.
He said owing to the relationship, the convict assisted the complainant to manage her tenants in the Pristella Plaza.
The court heard that in 2011 when the complainant was returning to the UK she left her valuable belongings in the care of the convict who she was cohabiting with.
The prosecutor said they included a Honda CRV car, documents on her Pristella Plaza, a house under construction at Sowutwom, keys to her house and gold ornaments for safe keeping.
DSP Adjei told the court that while the complainant was in UK, the convict, who took control of the property, informed the complainant that he was facing difficulties in collecting rent from the tenants.
He, therefore, invited the complainant to sign a document to empower him to take legal action against the tenants.
“Unknown to the complainant, the accused had prepared a Deed of Assignment transferring the complainant’s interest in the Pristella Plaza Building, together with the three-bedroom apartment, to himself under the name Morgan Haiz Company Ltd,” the court heard.
The prosecutor stated that on February 7, 2013, the convict, through a fraudulent Deed of Assignment, submitted to the Land Title Registry a title certificate transferring title of Pristella Plaza to Victor Morgan Agbotui’s Morgan Haiz Company Limited.
“In June 2014, the complainant, who realised strange developments in their relationship, returned to Ghana and demanded her valuables, including the Honda CRV and the title documents,” DSP Adjei told the court.
He said the convict returned all the property, except the document on Pristella Plaza and the gold ornaments.
He said the complainant, after several unsuccessful attempts to retrieve the items, reported the matter to the police and the convict was arrested.
By Gibril Abdul Razak