By Joyce Danso
Accra, Aug. 27, GNA – The Achimota Circuit Court has admitted one more person to bail in the alleged forged will case.
Saeed Salia, the third accused person, was granted bail in sum of GHC120,000 with three sureties one of whom must be a civil servant with monthly salary of not less than GH1,500.
The court also ordered Saeed Salia to report to the Police every two weeks.
At the last sitting, the court could not take the plea of Saeed Salia because he had just been arrested.
Prosecution also amended the facts of the case when the matter was called.
Joseph Kwow Addo Sam, a lawyer, Chief Alhaji Seidu Adam Baba, the Chief of Banda in Accra, Saeed Salia, Abdulai Salia aka Abdulai Salia Junior and Abubakar Salia both large are being are before the court over forged will.
The accused persons have been charged with conspiracy, forgery of documents, uttering of forged documents and perjury.
The accused persons except those at large have denied the various charges and have also been admitted to bail.
Prosecution did not oppose Saeed Salia bail but urged the court the condition of the bail should be compelling enough.
The court ordered the prosecution to file their witness statements and disclosures.
The matter has been adjourned to September 19, 2024.
Narrating the facts of the case, the prosecution, led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Isaac Babayi, said the complainant, Addris Salia, a businessman. Saeed Salia, Abdulai Salia and Abubakar Salia were siblings.
The Prosecution said the late Alhaji Salia Abdulai was the father of the complainant, Idris Salia, the three accused siblings and 13 others.
Prosecution said after the death of Alhaji Salia Abdullai on June 23, 2021, the complainant, Idris Salia, and the other children of the deceased were informed that their father died testate and before his demise, he had a will and same had been deposited at the registry of the High Court, Probate Division.
ASP Babayi indicated that the complainant said the said will came as a surprise to him because before the demise of his father, he told them (Children) that he was guided by Islamic principles which forbade a father to leave a will for children, wives and immediate family related by blood.
Aggrieved by the notification of the purported will of his late father, the complainant petitioned Director General CID to conduct criminal investigations to unravel the circumstance which brought about the Will of his father as he suspected the will was forged.
Prosecution said as part of the investigation’s procedure, the purported will was procured from the High Court, Probate Division.
It was patented on the face of the will that Alhaji Seidu Adam Baba, the second accused person and one Tony Kenyin Foli, now deceased were the two witnesses to the Will of the late Alhaji Salia Abdulai with their respective signatures, prosecution said.
“Patent, also on the Will, is the purported signature of late Alhaji Salia Abdulai. It was also found that the disputed Will was prepared by Lawyer Addo Sam who corroborated this fact in his caution statement.”
To ascertain the signatures on the will, registration documents of the Alhaji Salia Abdulai were obtained from Ecobank, GCB Bank and the Registrar General’s Department where signature samples of the late Alhaji Salia Abdullai were.
Prosecution said before the demise of Tony Kenyin Foli, he submitted a statement to the Greater Accra Regional Police Command and subsequently signed same.
According to prosecution, the said statement was also procured, and sample signature of Alhaji Seidu Adam Baba could not be obtained as he declined to submit his statement to the Police and declined to provide sample a signature for forensic examination.
Prosecution said the sample signatures of late Alhaji Salia and Tony Kenyin Foli were sent to the Comptroller General, Ghana Immigration Service Forensic Department and Spotlight Security Solution for forensic examination.
“The reports from the reputable organisations on the Will indicated that the signatures were not those of the late Alhaji Abdulai and that of Tony Kenyin Foli. Further investigations disclosed that before other siblings of the late Alhaji Salia Abdulai were informed about the will, Chief Alhaji Seidu Adam Baba, Abdulai Salia and Abubakar Salia were already seized with information about the Will.
Prosecution said on November 8, 202, the three accused siblings who knew about the forged Will applied to the High Court 2, Accra, for grant of probate.
It said the probate forms were endorsed and signed by Saeed Salia and Abubakar.
Prosecution said it was disclosed that an affidavit in support of the application for the grant of the probate filed at the Probate and Administration Division of the High Court, Accra showed in paragraph 2 of the said affidavit that Lawyer Addo Sam who admitted having prepared the Will of late Alhaji Salia Abdulai was also one of the executors and or trustees of the Will.
Additionally, Prosecution said it was found that Abdulai Salia, the four accused person, at all times had Lawyer Addo Sam as his lawyer and Lawyer Addo Sam acted as secretary and Director to some companies established by Abdulai Salia.
Prosecution said after investigations it was established that lawyer Addo Sam acted with the rest of the accused persons to forge the Will of late Alhaji Salia Abdulai.
GNA