Police forward Ashie Moore case docket to AG for prosecution over alleged theft

By Isaac Yeboah The Ghana Police Service has forwarded the case docket involving Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Emmanuel Nii Ashie Moore, to the Attorney-General’s Department for prosecution over allegations of stealing from a Singaporean businessman. The forwarding of the docket, with a covering letter dated October 28, 2026, marks a new development in a case that has been under police investigation since 2025, and in which the Attorney-General’s Department had, as far back as March 16, 2026, advised that Mr Ashie Moore be prosecuted. Ashie Moore, on the other hand, has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, insisting that the allegations constitute a smear campaign against his political acumen. The latest police action brings the case a step closer to prosecution, following months of investigations and questions over when the Attorney-General’s directive would translate into formal prosecutorial action. The case stems from a complaint by Singaporean businessman Toh You Kang, who accused Mr Ashie Moore of taking his personal belongings, including his passport, luxury luggage, electronic gadgets and US$10,000 in cash, while he was in police custody in June 2025. The Attorney-General’s Department, after reviewing the police investigation docket, advised that Mr Ashie Moore be charged with stealing, contrary to Section 124 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). The advice, issued by Senior State Attorney Nana Ama A. Prempeh, followed an assessment of statements from the complainant, the suspect and police investigators, as well as CCTV footage and a cybercrime analysis report obtained from Fiesta Residences in Cantonments, Accra. How the case started According to the investigation docket, Mr You Kang travelled to Ghana in May 2025 following an invitation from Mr Ashie Moore for a proposed business investment. The complainant told investigators that he had been introduced to the NDC regional chairman through a business associate and arrived at the Kotoka International Airport on May 28, 2025, accompanied by a second suspect, identified as Luibing Liang, a Chinese national. He alleged that upon arrival, Mr Ashie Moore took custody of his Singaporean passport under the pretext of facilitating VIP clearance procedures. The complainant was subsequently accommodated at Fiesta Residences in Cantonments before being taken to a property in Adenta, which he said was presented as Mr Ashie Moore’s residence. There, according to his account, he was accused of fraud and asked to pay US$5.5 million. He alleged that Mr Ashie Moore threatened police involvement and detention if he failed to comply. Mr You Kang was subsequently arrested on May 28, 2025, following a complaint of defrauding by false pretences lodged by Mr Ashie Moore. A police investigator, Detective Corporal David Agbeve, told investigators that he led a team to arrest the businessman at a residence in Adenta at about 10 p.m. that day. The complainant was cautioned and charged on May 29 before being arraigned in court on May 30, 2025, and remanded into custody. Missing belongings and hotel CCTV footage The alleged stealing at the centre of the prosecution’s advice concerns the complainant’s personal belongings at Fiesta Residences while he was in police custody. Mr You Kang told investigators that he encountered difficulties retrieving his medication and luggage from the hotel during his detention. A police officer, D/Cpl. Agbeve, said he accompanied the complainant to what they initially believed was Fiesta Royale Hotel in Dzorwulu, but they subsequently established that his accommodation was at Fiesta Residences in Cantonments. The officer said the complainant’s lawyer confirmed the correct location and indicated that hotel management had locked him out of his room over alleged indebtedness. According to the investigator, Mr Ashie Moore later brought medication the complainant had requested to the Accra Central Police Station cells. When questioned about how he obtained the medication, Mr Ashie Moore reportedly said he had appealed to the hotel management to retrieve it from the complainant’s luggage. The case was subsequently reassigned to another investigator, who indicated that he would follow up with the hotel management to retrieve the complainant’s belongings. Mr You Kang later alleged that while he was in custody, Mr Ashie Moore and others had checked him out of the hotel and removed his personal effects. The missing items listed in his statement included a Louis Vuitton duffle bag, a Bugatti luggage bag, four mobile phones, an iPad, credit and debit cards, house keys, two luxury vehicle keys, watches, clothing, perfumes, accessories, medication, his Singaporean passport and US$10,000 in cash. He told investigators that none of the items had been returned to him. Police investigation and evidence The matter was referred to the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters following a petition submitted on behalf of the complainant by Cletus Bayor on June 27, 2025. Chief Inspector Gabriel Ametame, an investigator with the SIU, told the police that the petition alleged that Mr Ashie Moore had collected the complainant’s personal belongings from Fiesta Residences after his arrest and remand. The police subsequently obtained a court order directing the management of Fiesta Residences to produce CCTV footage covering the relevant period. According to the statement of Detective Chief Inspector Timothy B. Asamoah of the SIU, who received the docket on July 24, 2025, investigators reviewed the footage alongside a cybercrime analysis report. The analysis provided a chronological account of activities at the hotel, including the arrival of individuals, the movement of luggage and the handling and retrieval of items considered relevant to the investigation. Following an examination of the footage and other investigative findings, Mr Ashie Moore was charged with stealing on July 28, 2025. He, however, denied the allegation in his statement to the police, maintaining that he had not taken the complainant’s belongings and did not have any of the items in his possession. Attorney-General’s directive In her legal advice dated March 16, 2026, Senior State Attorney Nana Ama A. Prempeh said a review of the entire docket, including the statements of the complainant, the suspect and investigating officers, the CCTV footage and the accompanying cybercrime analysis report, provided sufficient evidence to support a charge of stealing against Mr Ashie Moore. The advice noted that the CCTV footage corroborated the removal of the complainant’s luggage from the hotel by Mr Ashie Moore and other unidentified persons. It also identified what it described as unexplained circumstances surrounding the suspect’s possession of the complainant’s medication and how the passport eventually came to be deposited at the High Court Registry. The Attorney-General’s Department concluded that the circumstances supported an inference that the complainant’s belongings had been dishonestly appropriated without lawful justification. It consequently directed the police to charge Mr Ashie Moore with stealing under Section 124 of Act 29, obtain a charge statement from him and forward it to the Law Office. The duplicate SIU docket, with reference number R.O. 204/2025, was retained for prosecution. The police forwarding of the case docket on October 28 is the latest indication that the process is advancing following the Attorney-General’s assessment. Passport deposited at High Court Registry The whereabouts of the Singaporean businessman’s passport also featured in the investigation. In a further statement, Mr Ashie Moore told the police that he did not have the passport and believed it had been deposited at the Registry of the High Court’s Criminal Division in Accra as part of the complainant’s bail conditions. Investigators subsequently contacted the court registry. An Assistant Registrar confirmed that the passport had been deposited there but said he could not recall the identity of the person who submitted it. The case docket also identifies a second suspect, Luibing Liang, who was invited by the police to assist with investigations but reportedly failed to honour the invitation. The police indicated that she remained at large at the time of the investigation. The Attorney-General’s advice specifically recommended prosecution of Mr Ashie Moore for stealing and did not make a similar prosecution recommendation against Ms Liang.