Accra: The case in which a lawyer and four others are being held for allegedly falsifying a will has been taken over by the Attorney General. Mr. Dominic Bakoma, Principal State Attorney, said that after the Attorney General reviewed a petition related to the matter, a decision was made to continue with the prosecution. Mr. Bakoma requested that he be provided with the court proceedings to clear all hurdles in the case.
According to Ghana News Agency, lawyers for the accused informed the Achimota Circuit Court judge about a new charge sheet and newly filed disclosures. They anticipated that the Court would re-take the pleas of the accused and file new disclosures for the commencement of the Case Management Conference. The accused, Joseph Kwow Addo Sam, a lawyer, Chief Alhaji Seidu Adam Baba, the Chief of Banda in Accra, Saeed Salia, and Abubakar Salia, were present in court. Abdulai Salia aka Abdulai Salia Junior and Abubakar Salia remain at large.
The accused have been charged with conspiracy, forgery of documents, uttering of forged documents, and perjury. They have denied the charges and have been admitted to bail. The Trial Judge ordered the court’s Registry to provide the state with records of proceedings. The matter has been adjourned to March 11, 2025.
Prosecution’s case before the court stated that the complainant, Idris Salia, a businessman, along with his siblings Saeed Salia, Abdulai Salia, and Abubakar Salia, were involved in the case. It was heard that the late Alhaji Salia Abdulai was the father of the complainant and his siblings. After Alhaji Salia’s death on June 23, 2021, the complainant and other children were informed that their father died testate and that his will had been deposited at the Registry of the High Court, Probate Division.
Prosecution said the complainant was surprised by the will, as their father had previously told them he was guided by Islamic principles, which forbade a father from leaving a will for his children and immediate family. Aggrieved by the revelation of the will, the complainant petitioned the Director General CID to conduct criminal investigations, suspecting the will was forged.
The prosecution detailed that the will was obtained from the High Court, Probate Division, and showed that Alhaji Seidu Adam Baba and the now-deceased Tony Kenyin Foli were witnesses. It was noted that the disputed will was prepared by lawyer Addo Sam, who confirmed this in his caution statement.
To verify the signatures on the will, signature samples of Alhaji Salia Abdulai were obtained from Ecobank, GCB Bank, and the Registrar General’s Department. Before Tony Kenyin’s demise, he had submitted a statement to the Greater Accra Regional Police Command. Samples of Alhaji Seidu Adam Baba’s signature could not be obtained as he declined to submit his statement or provide a sample signature for forensic examination.
The sample signatures of Alhaji Salia and Tony Kenyin Foli were sent to the Comptroller General, Ghana Immigration Service Forensic Department, and Spotlight Security Solution for forensic examination. Reports indicated that the signatures were not those of the late Alhaji Abdulai and Tony Kenyin Foli.
On November 8, 2021, the accused siblings applied to High Court 2, Accra, for probate based on the alleged forged will. The complainant petitioned the Police, leading to the arrest of Lawyer Sam Addo. In his caution statement, he admitted to preparing the last will of the late Alhaji Salia and depositing it at the Registry of the High Court, Probate Division, on May 7, 2004. The prosecution stated that Abubakar Salia and Saeed Salia signed the probate form, procured through fraud.
