Court detains businessman over alleged GH¢1,141,590 fraud

An Accra Circuit Court has remanded a businessman, who allegedly took GH¢1,141,590.00 and $1900 from a Chinese man under the pretext of supplying him with oil from Singapore but failed.

Abdul Hayyu Oudou is also said to have taken the said amount of money under the pretext of supplying him with painting materials from China.

Oudou, who was charged with defrauding by false pretense, pleaded not guilty.

Initially, Counsel for the accused person prayed for bail for his client saying, “since the accused person was granted Police enquiry bail, he had comported himself and had not interfered with Police investigations.”

“When the accused person is granted bail, he will always avail himself to stand trial,” the Counsel added.

The Court presided over by Mrs Kizita Naa Koowa Quarshie, refused the bail application made by the Counsel on the grounds that “the accused person has not been able to show the Court that he has a fixed place of abode and do not have people of substances to stand as sureties.”

It, therefore, remanded the accused person into Police custody to reappear on August 3, 2023.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Coleman Afesi, prosecuting narrated to the Court that the complainant was a Chinese National and a businessman living in Ghana, while the accused person was a Ghanaian businessman dealing in forex bureau.

The prosecution said the accused person had been in the business of changing Ghana cedis into dollars for the complainant for about five years now.

It said on May 17, 2023, the accused person demanded and took GH¢1,141,590 and $1900 from the complainant under the pretext of supplying him oil from Singapore and painting materials from China.

The prosecution said the accused person sent his brother one Alhassan Adamu to go with the complainant to FBN Bank Makola Branch, where they said was to be withdrawn and handed over to Adamu, who in turn gave the same to the accused person.

It said the accused person, who was poised to defraud the complainant, later gave him fake swift receipts indicating payments by him on behalf of the complainant.

The prosecution said the accused person also alleged that on March 1, 2023, the complainant called him with a private number and took $30,000 from him which the complainant refuted the allegation.

It said the accused person admitted having received the GH¢1,141,590 and $1900 from the complainant but alleged that he in turn gave the same out to his friend one Frank, who also gave him the fake receipts.

The prosecution said the accused person, who allegedly said he knew the office of the said Frank led police to Tema Community 1 old Ghana Commercial Bank, where they were told that the Bank had been moved to a different location five years ago.

It said enquiries were extended to the new location, where it revealed that for the past five years, only ladies have been working in the MoneyGram section of the Bank.