An Accra High Court has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of radio presenter Animwaa Anim-Addo on charges of fraud and multiple land transactions.
Presiding over the case, Her Ladyship Justice Kizita Naa Koowa Quarshie revealed that Animwaa is accused of defrauding the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Hon. Godfred Dame, of $50,000.
The charges include defrauding by false pretense under Section 131(1) of the Criminal Offenses Act, 1960 (Act 29), and making conflicting grants of the same land to multiple parties, an offense outlined in Section 277(2)(c) of the Land Act, 2020 (Act 1036).
The court has adjourned the case to January 21, 2025, to allow police sufficient time to execute the warrant and ensure the accused appears before the court.
Brief Facts
Assistant State Attorney (ASA) Maame Afua Osei Gyamerah, holding brief for ASA Isaac Wilberforce Mensah, presented the facts of the case, stating that the complainant, Honourable Godfred Dame, is the Attorney General and Minister for Justice, while the accused, Animwaa Anim-Addo, is a radio presenter.
The prosecution detailed that the complainant and the accused had known each other for about three years prior to the incident, during which the accused assisted the complainant with media engagements and public relations tasks.
In August 2021, the court heard that the accused approached the complainant, claiming she urgently needed $50,000 to undergo a life-saving medical procedure in India to address a curved spine condition.
She assured the complainant that she would refund the amount within a month after her return.
To secure the loan, the accused offered a piece of land at East Legon as collateral, stating that the money could serve as part payment for the land if she failed to repay it within two months.
Reluctant at first, the complainant eventually transferred the amount on September 20, 2021, after the accused insisted that her condition was life-threatening and she might die without the surgery.
The court heard that upon returning from a trip to the United States, the complainant contacted the accused, who claimed she had travelled to India, undergone the procedure, and resumed work.
However, subsequent investigations revealed that the accused never went to India for any medical treatment.
Further inquiries uncovered that the accused had purportedly sold the same East Legon land to an estate developer, Cod Company Ltd, collecting a down payment of $30,000 from them.
The prosecution told the court that, since the complaint was lodged, the accused has refunded $5,000 to the complainant, leaving an outstanding balance of $45,000.
The case remains under investigation.
