Accra, June 13, GNA – Godfred Kwashigah, a driver, who allegedly collected GHC100,000 from a businesswoman under the pretext of selling a land to her with an uncompleted building but failed has appeared before an Accra Circuit Court.
Kwashigah is said to have told the police that he used the complainant’s money to defray his indebtedness to avoid being taken to court and used same to purchase a vehicle.
Kwashigah, charged with defrauding by false pretences pleaded not guilty.
The court presided over by Mrs Afia Owusua Appiah admitted Kwashigah to bail in the sum of GHC100,000 with two sureties to be justified.
The accused person was further ordered by the court to be reporting to the police every fortnight.
The matter has been adjourned to July 18.
Prosecuting Chief Inspector Samuel Ahiabor said the Complainant Dussey Emefa was a businesswoman residing at East Legon while the accused was a driver residing at Community 25, Tema.
Chief Inspector Ahiabor said the accused approached the complainant and told her that he had embezzled an amount of GHC100,000 at his workplace and the case had been reported to the Police and that he wanted to refund the money to avoid being sent to court.
The prosecution said the accused pleaded with the complainant to assist him pay the said amount, but the complainant declined and told him that she had already budgeted to purchase land with the money.
It said a few days later, Kwashigah contacted the complainant again saying he had a plot of land located at Afienya with an uncompleted building on it and had decided to sell it to pay off his embezzlement.
The prosecution said the accused led the complainant to the site at Afienya and showed her the said property and the complainant expressed interest in acquiring it.
It said the complainant, therefore, engaged a surveyor to pick the dimensions of the plot to conduct a search before payment.
The prosecution said the accused demanded an amount of GHC150,000 from the complainant to sell out the said property to her.
It said the complainant insisted on obtaining the search report before making any payment and that a few days later, the accused person contacted the complainant and told her that he had been arrested by the Police and needed part payment of the money to settle his complainant at the Police station to avoid being sent to court.
The prosecution said the accused person succeeded in taking an amount of GHC100,000 from the complainant and asked her to start work at the site.
It said the complainant visited the site after payment and realised that the said property was newly fenced with an iron gate erected and the complainant was unable to access the place.
The prosecution said the complainant informed the accused person about her observation at the site and he told her that the said land belonged to one Bortey who had promised to refund the complainant’s GHC100,000 to her.
It said the accused person eventually went into hiding without refunding the complainant’s money and that on May 21, 2022, the complainant reported the matter to the Police and he was later arrested.
During investigations, the prosecution said, the accused admitted the offence in his investigation caution statement and that he had used the complainant’s money to defray his indebtedness and purchased a Nissan Urvan bus.
It said the Nissan Urvan with registration number GB 6509-21 was retrieved from the accused and same was being kept for evidential purposes.
GNA