A 55-year-old Nigerian man identified as Aremu Timothy Adegboyega is alleged to have been arrested for allegedly smuggling fake currency in CFA France and Nigerian Naira denominations to Ghana.
Adegboyega was remanded by an Accra Circuit Court for the alleged crime.
Aremu Timothy Adegboyega was arrested by a joint security team as he entered Ghana through Togo using an unapproved route called Beat Zero in Aflao on Tuesday, January 17, 2023.
According to the Assistant Commissioner of the Aflao Division of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Ahmed Majeed Amandi, the personnel found CFA80 million in fresh notes, an additional CFA843,000 in the suspect?s waist bag and N110,500 in his wallet.
Adegboyega, who was charged with possessing fake notes, pleaded not guilty. The prosecution prayed the Court to remand the accused person because he was a flight risk and would interfere with Police investigation.
The Court presided over by Afia Owusuaa Appiah, remanded the accused person in Police custody for further investigations.
The prosecution was directed by the Court to file and serve all disclosures and witness statements. The case has been adjourned to February 9, 2023.
Prosecuting, Police Chief Inspector Isaac Anquandah, told the Court that the complainants were Customs Officers stationed at the Aflao Sector, while the accused person was based in Cote D?Ivoire.
The prosecution said on January 17, 2023, the complainants were on duty at Beat Zero, an unapproved route along the Ghana-Togo border within the Aflao Sector. It said at about 15:30 hours on the same day, the complainants accosted the Adegboyega sitting on a motorcycle as a pillion rider carrying a backpack.
The counsel added the accused person, who was travelling from Togo, entered Ghana through an unapproved route sparking suspicion by the complainants who conducted a search on his backpack. It said the search revealed bundles of CFA Franc notes and Nigerian Naira notes suspected to be counterfeit being smuggled into the country.
The prosecution said the currency notes were counted in front of the accused person and was found to be CFA80,653,000.00 and N10,500.00. It stated that the accused person was later escorted to the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority Headquarters, Accra for further investigations.
The suspect was on January 20, 2023, handed over to the Police for further investigations following which he admitted the offence.
The suspect is said to be aware that the notes were counterfeit and claimed, one Alhaji Dialo, a mallam in Abidjan, sent him to pick the currency notes from one Alhaji Saibu in Nigeria.
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