Hajia4Reall: EOCO Talks Tough About Cracking Down On Persons With Unexplained Wealth
- The Economic and Organised Crime Office plans to crack down on unexplained wealth
- These signals from EOCO come as socialite Hajia4Reall pleaded guilty in the romance scam case against her
- The head of Administration and Investigations at EOCO, Edward Cudjoe, said processes were underway to initiate lifestyle audits
The Economic and Organised Crime Office wants to launch lifestyle audits targeting individuals suspected of possessing unexplained wealth following the socialite Hajia4Reall pleading guilty in the romance scam case against her.
The head of Administration and Investigations at EOCO, Edward Cudjoe, said processes were underway to initiate lifestyle audits.
Source: Facebook
Cudjoe was speaking on the issue in a Joy News interview.
He stressed EOCO's desire to deviate from the current law, which requires a person to be a subject of investigation before being questioned about the source of their wealth.
"Any disparities must be clarified to law enforcement, and the burden of proof rests on the individual to explain the origin of those resources," he said.
Developments in Hajia4Reall case
According to the US Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York, she pled guilty on February 21, 2024, to one count of conspiring to receive stolen money.
This charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The 31-year-old also agreed to pay forfeiture for $2,164,758.41 and make restitution in the same amount.
Hajia4Reall is said to have controlled bank accounts that received over $2 million in fraudulent funds.
She was arrested in the UK on November 12, 2022, over alleged fraud.
During the case, she was denied bail because of the severity of her charges and the argument that she was a flight risk.
Hajia4Reall is believed to have been engaged in romance fraud from about 2013 to 2019 as part of a criminal enterprise based in West Africa.
The enterprise is said to have committed a series of frauds against individuals and businesses in the US, including romance scams.
Many romance scam victims were vulnerable, older men and women who lived alone.
Hajia4Reall paid $2m, allegedly named four partners to get a few years
Meanwhile, Hajia4Reall reportedly paid $2m in restitution after pleading guilty to one of the charges in her US romance scam case.
According to Nigerian journalist Dr Kemi Olunloyo, Hajia4Reall has released some names as part of her plea deal with US authorities.
The Ghanaian star now faces up to five years in jail, with Dr Olunloyo predicting a lesser sentence, like three years, because of her cooperation.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
