Court acquits Mona Gucci over fraud charge

Monalisa Abigail Semeha, popularly known as Mona Gucci, has been cleared of charges related to an alleged fraud involving GH¢103,400. The Accra Circuit Court acquitted and discharged her following a trial.

Monalisa, who works as a Travel and Event Consultant, was accused of receiving the sum in February 2019 to assist clients of the complainant, Comfort Obiri, in obtaining United States visas. However, the visas were never delivered.

Facing a charge of defrauding by false pretenses, Monalisa entered a plea of not guilty. During the proceedings, the prosecution, led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Seth Frimpong, presented evidence through three witnesses.

Monalisa’s defense team filed a submission of no case, arguing that the prosecution had failed to establish a sufficient case against her.

In his ruling, the presiding judge, Mr. Isaac Addo, determined that the matter was a “civil dispute” that had unfortunately escalated. Consequently, the court dismissed the charges and set Monalisa free.

The prosecution had alleged that Comfort Obiri, a resident of Ofankor in Accra, was introduced to Monalisa, who lives in Odorkor, by an intermediary named Esther. Monalisa reportedly assured Comfort that she could secure U.S. visas at a fee of GH¢40,000.

Relying on this assurance, Comfort referred three individuals to Monalisa to facilitate their visa applications. The prosecution stated that Monalisa collected a total of GH¢103,400 with the promise of obtaining the visas but ultimately failed to deliver.

Although Monalisa later pledged to reimburse the funds, she was unable to fulfill this promise, leading to the legal action.