Supreme Court criticizes police bias in $270,000 gold export fraud case, upholds acquittals

The court strongly criticized a police investigator, Detective Chief Inspector George Kingsley Adu, for displaying a "real likelihood of bias" during the investigation. The five-member panel, presided over by Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, found that the investigator developed an unusually close relationship with the complainant, Roberto Maria Di Lorenzo, a foreign national. Evidence showed the investigator accompanied Di Lorenzo to the airport and admitted that "every potential caller is an ally," while treating the original investigator, Chief Inspector Adaba, with hostility.

Justice Kweku Tawiah Ackaah-Boafo, delivering the lead judgment, stated that the investigator's closeness to the complainant and hostility towards a fellow officer undermined impartiality. The court emphasized that prosecutors are "ministers of justice" whose primary duty is to pursue the truth, not secure convictions, and must maintain independence. The case originated from a 2015 gold transaction where Di Lorenzo alleged he was defrauded.

Amponsah and Obareke were convicted by the High Court in 2019, but the Court of Appeal overturned these convictions in 2021. The Supreme Court affirmed the acquittal, citing the prosecution's failure to produce the complainant as a witness and reliance on hearsay evidence. It also noted that evidence linki