A private legal practitioner, Joseph Kwow Addo Sam, has been dragged before the Achimota Circuit Court in Accra for allegedly forging a Will.
The 52-year-old lawyer has been charged together with four others with four counts of conspiracy, forgery of official documents, altering of official documents and perjury to which he pleaded not guilty.
He was granted a bail of GH¢200,000 by the court presided over by Her Honour Akosua Anokyewaa Adjepong and is to produce three sureties, one of whom must be a public servant earning not less than GH¢3,000 and residing in Accra.
Other accused persons include Alhaji Seidu Adams Baba, said be the Chief of Banda in Accra, Abdul Salia alias Abdallai Salia Junior, Abubakar Salia and Saeed Salia, who are siblings.
The court took the pleas of the lawyer and the chief while the plea of Saeed Salia has been deferred to August 15, 2024 as he had just been arrested and the charge sheet is yet to be amended.
Alhaji Seidu Adams Baba, was earlier admitted to bail of GH¢150,000 with three sureties, while Abdul Salia alias Abdallai Salia Junior and Abubakar Salia are on the run.
Prosecution’s Brief Facts
Court documents named the complainant as Idriss Salia who is a brother to Abdulai Salia, Abubakar Salia and Saeed Salia.
The facts presented by ASP Isaac Babayi indicates that after the death of the their father Alhaji Salia Abdulai in June 23, 2021, a document purporting to be the last Will of the deceased emerged and had been deposited at the registry of the High Court since May 7, 2024.
The said Will was allegedly witnessed by Tony Kenyin Foli (now deceased) and Alhaji Seidu Adam Baba.
The Prosecutor said the complainant became suspicious when he obtained copy of the said Will and conducted his private checks and found out that his late father Alhaii Salia Abdullai and the late Tony Kenyin Foli signatures on the said Will had been forged and he petitioned the Director-General CID for investigation.
A certified true copy of the said Will was obtained from the Registrar, High Court (Probate Division), and the Police also obtained from the Regional Police Headquarters/CID a copy of a statement of Tony Kenyin Foli, previously submitted, whose name appeared on the said Will as a witness.
Investigation was extended to the Ecobank, Ghana Commercial bank and the Registrar General Department where signature samples of the late Alhaji Salia Abdullai were obtained.
“Both undisputed signature samples of the late Alhaji Salia Abdullai and the late Tony Kenyin Foli, together with the disputed signature samples on the purported Will were sent to the Comptroller General, Ghana Immigration Service Forensic Department, and Spotlight Security Solution, for forensic examination,” he said.
The facts said investigations revealed that the disputed signatures on the purported Will and probate form were not authored by the named persons.
It was established that the accused lawyer conspired with the other accused persons to prepare the forged Will of the late Alhaji Salia Abdulai and Chief Alhaji Seidu Adams Baba signed as a witness for it to be believed as a true document.
“Upon the preparation of the said Will, they presented same at the High Court Registry together with a Probate form,” the facts pointed out.
On November 11, 2021, the three accused children of the late Alhaji Abdulai applied to the High Court 2, Accra for grant of Probate based on the forged Will, and the complainant who was suspicious of the Will petitioned the Police.
Joseph Kwow Addo Sam was arrested and in his investigation caution statement to the police, he admitted that he prepared the last Will of the late Alhaji Salai Abdullai and deposited same at the Registry of the High Court, on May 7, 2004.
Alhaji Seidu Adam Baba was also arrested and he refused to give a statement to the Police.
Abubakar Salia and Saeed Salia signed on the probate form which was procured through fraud.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak