Kessben CEO freed for want of prosecution

By Edmund Smith-Asante

The Accra Circuit Court Wednesday discharged the Chief Executive Officer of the Kessben Group of Companies, Mr Kwabena Kesse, who was standing trial for money laundering and forging documents.

At the court’s sitting in Accra Wednesday, a Principal State Attorney, Mrs Marina Appiah-Opare, said “My Lord, my instructions are to withdraw the charges against the accused,” and referred the court to Section 59, Act 1 of Act 30, as the grounds on which the withdrawal was being applied for.

Following the withdrawal of the charges, Mr Carl Adongo, counsel for the Kesse, pleaded with the court to release the travel documents of his client.

Mr Obiri accordingly granted the prosecution’s request, freed Kesse on grounds of want of prosecution and accordingly directed the court’s registry to release Mr Kesse’s passport within 24 hours.   

Facts of the case

Mr Kesse was arrested by the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) on Tuesday, July 29, 2014 together with three officials of Stanbic Bank for allegedly facilitating the laundering of $127,931,727.65 out of Ghana to alleged dubious locations, within a period of 14 months, as well as forging documents to the bank to facilitate the act.

He was charged with two counts of money laundering and forgery of documents, to which he pleaded not guilty, when he was arraigned on Thursday July 31, 2014. 

An application for bail was refused on that day but the court on August 7, granted him bail in the sum of GHȻ350 million with four sureties, two to be justified.

He walked out the courtroom a free man in the company of his lawyer and sympathisers.

This was first published by the Daily Graphic on August 21, 2014