Fake dollar syndicate busted in Accra

Suspected hardened criminals believed to be Yemenis and Syrians – Sanousi Khalifa Mohammed and cousin Amel are in the police grips after countless failed attempts to arrest them, GhanaWeb has gathered.

Reports say the suspects were on Thursday picked up by the Tesano Police Intelligence team at the Landing Restaurant at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) to conclude an ‘Unfinished business’ with the victims-El Klink Moustapha and Haidor Ibrahim.

Few weeks ago, the suspects succeeded in allegedly defrauding the victims to the tune of $270, 000 (part payment) under the pretext of a crystal stash business transaction.

Suspecting foul play, the victims suggested the balance of $80,000 be paid at a future date in Accra.

On Monday, the culprits agreed with the victims to conclude the deal but the suspected criminals failed to show up per the original agreement until they finally agreed to present the boxes of crystal sash and pick the balance on Thursday, February 20, 2020.

A well orchestrated collaborated plan involving private investigative firm, Tiger Eye PI and the police service, laid ambush at the Kotoka International Airport area and succeeded in arresting the suspects in the afternoon.

The core syndicate comprising -Sanousi Khalifa Mohamed, one William (Agent), Amel (Cousin of Khalifa) Khalifa’s wife and mother claim to be family of Muammar Gaddafi, the former leader of the Islamic Republic of Libya.

They told the victims that they have stash of cash crystals parked and needed safe means of transporting same out of Ghana.

The syndicate alleged that due to the ill-health of their aged mother, customs duties as well as some fees and charges required of them at the Free Zones office at the airport, as well as other debilitating circumstances, they are unable to carry out the safe transportation of the money out of Ghana.

The money had been kept at the Free Zones office located at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).

As a result, they needed an honest person who is willing to partner them, and sponsor all the bills associated with the safe transport of the stash of cash (millions of United States Dollars) for a specified share, upon a successful completion of everything.

Security personnel and residents in their Devtraco and Community 18 residence confirmed their nefarious acts including allegedly using Ghana to defraud victims in and outside the country.

A security personnel at the gated Devtraco community questioned the team that effected the arrest “… Why are these men in handcuffs? the light-skinned man particulary is a thorn in our flesh, he gives us troubles.”
They are currently in the cooler pending further investigation regarding their alleged fake dollar business.

They hold passports of many countries and have allegedly defrauded countless victims in and outside Ghana. They are expected to appear before the law courts in the coming days.

Below is a petition against the two suspected fraudsters to the police

FRAUD AGAINST HAIDOR IBRAHIM AND EL KLINK MUSTAPHA

We act as counsel for and on behalf of MR HAIDOR IBRAHIM AND EL KLINK MUSTAPHA (our Clients), upon whose instructions we write the instant petition.

Our Clients instruct us that they are Lebanese nationals, but ordinarily resident in Nigeria, West Africa. They inform us that they are humble mechanics and law abiding residents of their hosts country making decent income and relying on same for their livelihood and that of their immediate family.

Our Clients intimate to us that sometime in November 2019, they were contacted by some persons resident in Ghana (somewhere around Spintex) and operating an inter-connected syndicate, with some of them posing as officers of the Immigration Service, others as Customs officials amongst others, whilst the main organ remote controlling their entire operations. The main actors include one Al SANOUSI KHALIFA MOHAMED, one WILLIAMS (Agent) and AMEL (a cousin of Khalifa), the wife of Khalifa and their mother.

The core syndicate, according to our Clients, claim to be family members of Muammar Al Gaddafi, the former leader of the Islamic Republic of Libya. According to our Clients, the syndicate is led in this particular operations by AL SANOUSI KHALIFA MOHAMMED who informed them that they have a stash of cash/crystals packed in Forty-five (45) metal boxes weighing about 13.8 tons, and needed a safe means of transporting same out of Ghana. Each of the metal box, they alleged contained about Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars (USD 500,000), making a total of Twenty Two Million and Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars (USD 22,500,000)

The syndicate alleged that due to the ill-health of their aged mother, customs duties as well as some fees and charges required of them at the Free Zones office at the airport, as well as other debilitating circumstances, they are unable to carry out the safe transportation of the money out of Ghana. The money had been kept at the Free Zones office located at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).

As a result, they needed an honest person who is willing to partner them, and sponsor all the bills associated with the safe transport of the stash of cash (millions of United States Dollars) for a specified share, upon a successful completion of everything.

Our Clients indicate to us that the leader, Al Sanousi Khalifa Mohamed, presently holds a passport of the Republic of Niger which indicates his date of birth as 25th day of May 1982. His Nigerian passport number is indicated as 08PC78697.

Our Clients inform us that they reluctantly, out of the representations and assurances of the syndicate agreed to help. Our Clients intimates to us that they were lured into Ghana on the first instant to inspect the stash of crystals/cash. They were sent a visa in November 2019 and came to Ghana, through KIA. They were met on their arrival by members of the syndicate at the airport.

They were taken to the premises of the syndicate, located somewhere at Spintex, and, in the presence of persons claiming to be members of the security services of Ghana. From there they went to the offices of the agent (Williams) somewhere behind the Airport. At their residence, there was an old woman, they pointed out as their mother, who faked illness, amidst constant shaking, jerking and coughing and crying.

They asked for a total of Three Hundred and Fifty Thousand United States Dollars (USD 350, 000) to be paid before the transaction could be completed, an amount our Clients were very clear that they could not raise under any circumstances. The syndicate agreed and requested that our Clients should do whatever they could, and that once they are able to raise some amount, the syndicate will do the rest.

Our Clients then returned to Nigeria after some few days in Ghana. Whilst, away, the syndicate get calling and pleading and harassing them to do whatever they could the safe them from their predicament for a handsome reward. Became claimed that their condition was so bad and dangerous that something ‘bad’ could happen, if they do not act fast enough to salvage them from their predicament.

Our Clients affirm that the syndicate sent them a visa with which they returned to Ghana for the second time sometime in January 2020. The syndicate took them through substantially the same protocol as in the first visit. On the 27th January 2020, they were taken to the residence of the syndicate in Spintex, where Khalifa Sanousi Mohamed took an amount of One Hundred Thousand United States Dollars (USD 100,000) from them, gave it to Amel to count and finally handed to their mother who claimed that she was going to use it soften the hands of the officials at the Free Zones office. They returned to their hotel, and after some few hours, Khalifa and his wife, came asking additional Forty Thousand United States Dollars (USD 40,000) for the same purposes that they mother had taken the earlier amount. Instead, our Clients gave them Twenty Thousand United States Dollars (USD 20,000).

After some two additional hours, Khalifa returned with his wife asking them to join them to the Free Zones, and that the officers were ready to release the packages but some more cash was needed. They joined them in their car to the offices were the agent (Williams) and his people had gathered, some of them wielding guns and other weapons. After a lengthy discussion, additional One Hundred and Fifty Thousand United States Dollars (USD 150,000) was taken from them.

They were asked to wait outside whilst the documentations were done to release the goods, but after several hours it did not happen. Several calls for receipts for the moneys paid, and documentations for the transactions were met with occasional threats and constant excuses without supplying them. However, despite the persistence of our Clients to get the stash of cash out of the country, same fell on deaf ears.

But instead, the syndicate kept one excuse over the other until our Clients left the shores of Ghana. Upon several pressure and calls from our Clients, the syndicate requested for additional amount of money, and on this occasion, they demanded One Hundred and Ten Thousand United States Dollars (USD 100,000). They were given a pro forma invoice dated the 2nd December 2019, from a company referred to as GREENWHICH SHIPPING LTD.

Our Clients naturally became suspicious and decided to get help, in order to get the syndicate arrested and brought to book in accordance with the laws and practices of Ghana, and retrieve their lost money.

To this end, our Clients sought help from a private investigation team, amongst other respected persons, including lawyers, journalists and security experts, in Ghana. Our Clients then contacted the leader of the syndicate and informed him that he had secured the additional funding of about One Hundred Thousand United States Dollars (USD 100,000) and were willing to bring it for the final transaction.

The syndicate accepted the offer and swiftly sent them a visa to come to Ghana on the 18th day of February 2020. They booked the usual hotel and met upon the arrival by the members of the syndicate. Suffice to state that at all material times, our Clients were in Ghana, and had been wired, and their hotel rooms had also been wired. Thus enabling the team record both voice and video of everything that transpired between the syndicate and our Clients.

Prior to the surveillance arrangements, the Ghana Police Service had also been informed to enable them arrest the syndicate red-handed (at the point of completing the transaction and or taking the additional money from our Clients. On the 20th day of February 2020, the syndicates were arrested whilst completing the transaction by the Police with the support of the people our Clients sought help from.

It is our respectful prayer, on behalf of our Clients that the syndicate be arrested, investigated and prosecuted in accordance with the laws of the country in order to serve as a deterrent to other persons.

They also pray fervently for their entire money to be retrieved and same returned to them swiftly to enable them return to their normal activities as decent and responsible residents of their host country.

Finally, our Clients are willing and ready to be available to the security agencies to assist in the arrest, investigation, and prosecution of the syndicate and everyone culpable in this criminal enterprise.

Yours sincerely

JUSTICE ABDULAI ESQ
LAWYER FOR PETITIONERS

Source: www.ghanaweb.com