Two of the three armed robbers arrested in connection with the murder of an Italian businesswoman, Poaloa Badalass, in Accra on June 18, 2012 have been sentenced to a total of 80 years imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court.
Mumuni Fuseini Gariba, alias Burger, 32, and Awudu Mumuni, alias Baba Ayittey, 45, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery and the court, presided over by Mr Francis Obiri, Tuesday convicted them on their own pleas.
They were sentenced to 40 years imprisonment each. They, however, pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to rob and two other counts of robbery. Therefore, those charges still stand, for which they will be tried.
Burger is also facing an additional charge of murder, for which his plea was not taken because he had to be sent to the magistrate court for committal. A third accused person, Charles Agyemang, alias Nana Yaw, 23, pleaded not guilty to all the five charges. He was remanded until July 24, 2012. Handing out the sentence, Mr Obiri said the convicts deserved harsh sentences to serve as a deterrent to others, since society should be protected from the likes of the convicts.
According to him, robbery cases had become rampant, and especially when the victims were foreigners who were in the country for investment purposes, the sentence had to be severe to tell other investors desirous of coming into the country not to lose that interest.
Prosecuting, Deputy Superintendent of Police Mr Reindorf Agyemang said the deceased, aged 49, together with Donnini Lorenzo and Rossono Lungi, was an Italian who had a herbal company back in her country.
He said the three arrived in the country on April 16, 2012 to look for and train distributors for their products and were initially residing at Ashaiman, near the Bamboo and Sticks Restaurant, until June 17, 2012 when they moved to their residence at Teshie Malik.
DSP Agyemang said about midnight on June 18, 2012, the victim and a Ghanaian lady friend called Angela Addico arrived at the entrance of their house from Osu in a VW Passat, with number GT 6997-10 and being driven by Lorenzo, when the convicts and the other accused person attacked them at gunpoint.
He said after beating their victims, the three attackers made away with a bag containing travelling documents, four mobile phones, a laptop and GH�695 and 1,000 euros.
The deceased, who was seated in the front passenger seat, was shot in the head by Nana Yaw and she was subsequently rushed to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, where she passed away about 5 p.m. the following day.
In their haste to flee the scene of the robbery, a mobile phone, Nokia C2, fell from Burger�s pocket which was retrieved by the police who traced him with the phone and got him arrested at his hideout at Weija on June 26, 2012.
The other robbers were also arrested after they had escaped to Kumasi where they were arrested by the Buffalo Unit of the Ashanti Regional Police Command during another robbery.
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