We are not afraid to open our defence – NAM 1

Embattled Chief Executive Officer of defunct gold dealership firm, Menzgold, Nana Appiah Mensah has said his lawyers are prepared to open defence against the fraud charges brought against him.

An Accra High Court on Thursday, July 11 ordered NAM 1 to open his defense after it held that prosecution has established grounds of misdemeanor which he ought to provide answers for.

Nana Appiah Mensah, also known as NAM1 together with his companies – Menzgold Ghana Limited and Brew Marketing Consult Ghana Limited have been charged with 39 counts of offences.

Speaking to journalists after the court’s ruling on Thursday, NAM 1 maintained his innocence in the charges brought against him.

He said his legal representatives are prepared to subject themselves to the law and will open their defence stressing that they will explore all legal alternatives to seek redress.

“I read in the section of the media that said that we are afraid to open defence. No, nobody is afraid to open defence. For six to seven years we have been here. “We have subjected ourselves as law abiding citizens to what the law says all through from the Circuit court to the High court.

“The law permits us to observe our right of redress and it is for us to waive that right or exercise it but I will speak to my lawyers to come to that conclusion or otherwise,” he stated.

He continued: “When we exhaust all the legal remedies and it becomes inevitable and we need to open the defence why not? We will gladly and enthusiastically open our defence.”

The charges against NAM 1 include selling gold without a license, operating a deposit-taking business, inducement to invest, defrauding by false pretence, fraudulent breach of trust and money laundering.

In his almost 5-hour ruling on Thursday, July 11, Justice Ernest Owusu Dapaah dismissed the submission of no case application filed by counsel for the Menzgold boss, but noted that prosecution failed to provide evidence for charges 6,7, 8 and 24.