Monalisa Abigail Semeha, also known as Mona Gucci, faced accusations of defrauding a trader of GHC103,400 but was acquitted and discharged by an Accra Circuit Court.
Mona Gucci, working as a Travel/Event Consultant, allegedly collected the money to obtain American visas for clients of Comfort Obiri, the complainant, in February 2019 but did not deliver the promised visas.
Charged with defrauding by false pretences, Mona Gucci maintained her innocence throughout the trial. The prosecution, led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Seth Frimpong, presented three witnesses to support their case.
However, the Defence Counsel argued that the prosecution had not established a prima facie case, filing a submission of no case.
Judge Isaac Addo, presiding over the case, ruled that it was essentially a civil matter that had gone awry. Consequently, the court acquitted and discharged Monalisa.
The prosecution contended that Comfort Obiri, a resident of Ofankor, Accra, was introduced to Mona Gucci, who resides in Odorkor, Accra, by an intermediary named Esther. Mona Gucci assured Comfort Obiri that she could secure the visas at a cost of GHC40,000 each.
The court learned that Comfort Obiri introduced three individuals to Mona Gucci for her to facilitate their USA visas. Mona Gucci reportedly received GHC103,400 from them under the guise of arranging these visas but failed to follow through. Although she promised to refund the money, she could not fulfill that promise.