An Accra Circuit Court has acquitted and discharged Monalisa Abigail Semeha, popularly known as Mona Gucci, of defrauding a trader of GHC103,400. Mona Gucci, a Travel/Event Consultant, was accused of collecting the amount to secure American visas for clients of Comfort Obiri, the complainant, in February 2019, but failed to deliver.
Mona Gucci had pleaded not guilty to the charge of defrauding by false pretences. According to the prosecution, Mona Gucci had promised to secure the visas at a cost of GHC40,000. The complainant had introduced three people to Mona Gucci, who collected GHC103,400 from them under the pretext of securing the USA visas.
However, Mona Gucci failed to honour her promise to refund their money. The prosecution, led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Seth Frimpong, called three witnesses during the trial.
In a submission of no case, Defence Counsel argued that the prosecution had not made out a prima facie case against Mona Gucci. The court, presided over by Mr Isaac Addo, upheld this submission, ruling that the case was a “civil matter” that had gone bad.
In his ruling, Mr Addo acquitted and discharged Mona Gucci, bringing an end to the trial. The case had begun in February 2019, when the complainant, Comfort Obiri, was introduced to Mona Gucci by one Esther as a person who could secure a United States of America Visa for her.