The Gbese District Court has dismissed a preliminary objection filed by lawyers of Frederick Kumi, also known as Abu Trica, against extradition proceedings.
The lawyers had argued that, per the UK and US Extradition Treaty of 1931, as well as the Extradition Act 1960, being enforced in Ghana, the charges levelled against Abu Trica are not extraditable offences.
Abu Trica has been charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering involving a $8million romance scam in the United States.
He is said to have duped elderly US nationals, and by a request from the FBI, is to be extradited to answer for the alleged crimes.
But his defence lawyers argue that neither wire fraud nor money laundering is expressly listed as an extraditable offence under the treaty, and that the inclusion of conspiracy is limited to specific categories that do not apply in this case.
In her ruling, however, the presiding Magistrate Anna Akosua Appiah Anaafi explained that offences of money laundering and conspiracy to commit wire fraud had been outlined in the UN Treaty, Article 5 and 6.
Article 5 explains the criminalisation of participation in an organised criminal group, while Article 6 outlines the criminalisation of the laundering of proceeds of crime.
She added that section 54 of Act 1044 specifically makes money laundering an extraditable offence.
With the dismissal of the preliminary objection to the extradition proceedings, the case is set to continue.
