The Economic Crime Unit began its money laundering investigation in June 2009. A payment of £278,532.86, which was purportedly a refund from a property deal in Ghana, was transferred to a bank account in the name of H & W Enterprise Ltd. The investigation centred on the directors of the company, Williams and Hammond. A Restraint Order was immediately obtained to freeze the money which had been transferred from the bank accounts of a Ghanaian property development company, Regimanuel Gray Ltd, held with the HFC Bank (Ghana) Ltd in Ghana’s capital city of Accra.
The Economic Crime Unit worked with the Ghana Police and in 2010 detectives travelled to Ghana and obtained the evidence to prove the money was stolen. Fraudulent documents had been produced to the bank requesting international transfers. In total there were four unauthorised transfers totalling over US$1.27million stolen and sent to the UK and Cyprus.
Williams and Hammond were charged in January 2010. Shortly before the trial they provided sale contracts and plans purporting to show that Williams’ family had sold land in Ghana.As a consequence the trial was suspended and detectives again travelled to Ghana and obtained evidence to prove the documents were in fact false. As a result of this investigation both men pleaded guilty on the first day of the trial. They are due to be sentenced on 8 June.
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