Frederick Kumi, also known as Abu Trica, submitted a preliminary objection to US-initiated extradition proceedings, but the Gbese District Court rejected it.
The court, led by Judge Anna Akosua Appiah Gottfried Anaafi Gyasi, ruled today that the acts that form the foundation of the extradition, namely wire fraud, are extraditable under the 1931 treaty between Ghana and the United States.
U.S. investigators are seeking Abu Trica on charges of conspiring to commit money laundering and wire fraud.
The legal foundation for extradition between Ghana and the United States is provided by the 1931 extradition treaty.
The accused’s attorney had contended that since crimes including conspiracy, money laundering, and wire fraud are not listed in the treaty, extradition procedures cannot be justified.
But the court didn’t agree.
Although not expressly addressed in the 1931 treaty, money laundering and conspiracy are covered by the aforementioned UN Convention. As a result, the judge decided to overrule the preliminary legal objection.
Source: newsthemegh.com