The Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) has launched an investigation into a Lebanese national who was sentenced to five years in prison for fraud.
After being investigated for serious offenses, Naji Khalil was arraigned on August 5, 2020, before the Accra Circuit Court 4 presided over by His Honour M.E. Essandoh.
During the investigation, the accused was a member of a notorious international organized criminal group that included Nabil Zayani (Lebanese), Abraham Faouri (Jordanian), and Tony Michaelis.
They were charged with conspiracy to defraud by false pretence, defrauding by false pretence, being a member of an organized criminal group, and conspiracy to commit a crime, specifically money laundering.
His Honour M. E. Essandoh sentenced Naji Khalil to five (5) years in prison with hard labour on two counts of Conspiracy to Defraud by False Pretence and Defrauding by False Pretence on June 22, 2022.
The convict was tried in absentia because he jumped bail during the trial, and the court issued a bench warrant for his arrest.
The three (3) others were at large at the time of the court action and thus were unable to enter their pleas.
EOCO has thus appealed to the general public for assistance in locating and apprehending the said convict so that he can serve his just prison sentence.
In April 2019, the victim, Dr. Khadidja Katir, an Algerian national, reported to EOCO that she had been defrauded to the tune of USD 138,000.
This was done under the guise of transporting ‘rough crystals’ valued at USD 4 billion to her in Malta.
Following several phone calls from the victim after she had transferred the funds, the accused refused to return her calls. However, when they finally answered her call, they threatened to kill her if she ever returned to Ghana.
Despite the threats, the victim, Dr. Khadidja Katir, arrived in Ghana and filed a complaint with EOCO.
Investigations revealed that the suspects are members of an international organized crime syndicate that defrauds unsuspecting members of the public.
