Chinese man in court for altering false documents

A 42-year-old Chinese businessman was on Tuesday granted a GH?100,000.00 bail with four sureties, two of whom are to be justified, for allegedly operating gambling machines without license and evading tax.

Jason Gong Peng Fei, who was also charged for altering false document and money laundering, is to ensure that the sureties were gainfully employed.

He pleaded not guilty to all the charges except that of the money laundering of which his plea was not taken.

The Court ordered him to deposit his passport and the sureties were to deposit photocopies of their identification cards with the Court’s Registry.

The accused will make his next appearance on February 27, 2020.

Police Chief Inspector Godfred Asiedu Bampoe told the Court presided over by Mrs Hellen Offei that the complainant in the case is Mr Carl Unicom, the Manager of Win Forever Jackpot Company located at Westland in Accra.

He said while the complainant lives at Osu, the accused also lives at Tantra Hills, all in Accra.

He said in September 2019, the accused acquired 45 jackpot machines and installed them at various points within the Accra Metropolis and its environs.

Chief Inspector Bampoe said the accused started operating by using fake license made in the form of stickers fixed on each of the machines.

He said the accused made an average income of GH?54,000.00 monthly and he operated for three months and allegedly made GH?162,000.00 without paying tax.

He said on December 12, 2019, the complainant had information that the accused had fixed some miniature of the complainant’s company license on his jackpot machines.

The Prosecution said a formal complaint was lodged with the police which led to the arrest of the accused, and in the course of the investigations the Police in collaboration with the Gaming Commission retrieved 42 jackpot machines from him.

Prosecution said that in his cautioned statement the accused admitted the offences and told the police that the miniature license was given to him by one Wang Dong, currently in China.

After investigations, he was charged and put before the Court.

Mr Richard Oduro Abban, who held brief for Mr Yaw Dankwa, the accused’s lawyer in praying for bail said the accused had a fixed place of abode and a businessman.

He said the accused had assisted police in their investigations and he was prepared to stand trial to defend his innocence by making himself available any time the court requires him.

He also pleaded that the bail conditions should be such that the accused can execute it.