Computer engineer fined for fraudulent transaction

An Accra Circuit Court has sentenced a computer engineer to a fine of 7000 penalty units for making a conflicting grant of land at Tse Addo in Accra to two people.

Charles Bilson pleaded not guilty to fraudulent transaction and defrauding by false pretence.

After a full trial, the Court presided over by Kwabena Obiri-Yeboah found Bilson guilty of fraudulent transaction and convicted him to pay a fine of 7000 penalty units.

It ordered that if Bilson failed to pay the fine, he will serve seven years imprisonment with hard labour.

Bilson was acquitted and discharged on defrauding by false pretense as the prosecution failed to prove its points.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Emmanuel Nyamekye said the complainant Mr George Dadzie Amonoo, who resided at Gbawe, Accra was a system engineer while the accused person resided at Santa-Maria.

The prosecution said in June 2017, the accused person approached the complainant that he owned a half plot of land at Tse-Addo near the Mayfair Estates which he was offering for sale.

It said the complainant developed an interest in acquiring the said land after the accused person took him to the land and showed the same to him as his property.

The prosecution said the complainant then paid an amount of GH₵50,000.00 to the accused person as consideration for the half plot and was issued with receipts to that effect.

It said the accused person again demanded and collected the sum of GH₵3,500.00 from the complainant to construct a fence wall around the land for him.

The prosecution said the accused person made the complainant believe that he had constructed the fence wall.

It said the complainant visited the land and detected that the land was being developed by one Mr Sherifatu Abubbakar.

The prosecution said the investigation established in October 2021, revealed that the accused person sold the same piece of land to Sherifatu Abubakar for the sum of GH₵120,000.00.

It said Sherifatu Abubakar took possession of the land by putting up a two-bedroom building footing on it and erected a fence wall.

“Further investigation established that the accused person indeed collected the sum of GH₵50, 000.00 from the complainant in 2017 for the half plot of land,” it said.

The prosecution said, “Again, the accused person demanded and collected the sum of GH₵120,000.00 for the same piece of land from Sherifatu Abubakar in 2021.”

It said it was also established that the fence wall was constructed by Sherifatu Abubakar and not the accused person but went ahead and collected money for it.