Court jails businessman for fraud

Stephen Amoah Marfo, an Accra-based businessman, was on Friday sentenced to 10 years imprisonment by an Accra Circuit court for defrauding by false pretence.

Stephen was said to have defrauded Mr Benjamin Aryeh, the Member of Parliament for Upper Denkyira West in the Central Region.

He is to serve 10 years for defrauding by false pretence and five years for issuing of false cheque contrary to section 313A of Act 29/60.

The facts of the case as presented by Chief Superintendent of Police Duuti Tuaruka are that in August 2012, Stephen collected GH¢ 600,000 from the complainant.

He said the convict took the said amount under the pretext of using it to facilitate the documentation and transfer of an amount of $25 million from New York to Ghana.

Chief Superintendent of Police Tuaruka said Stephen promised Mr Aryeh that the process would be completed within two weeks, but failed to contact the complainant after collecting the money.

He said the complainant, upon his personal investigation, traced the convict to his hideout at Dome and upon seeing the complainant, he issued a Zenith Bank Cheque No.000157 dated 07/09/12 with a face value of GH¢ 600,000 to be drawn by the complainant.

The prosecution said when the complainant presented the said cheque to the bank, it was rejected for lack of funds and the accused failed to pay the money, and vacated his residence.

He told the court that on March 20, 2013 the complainant reported the case to the police, leading to the arrest of the convict.

He said further investigation disclosed that Stephen used a forged letter claiming to have been originated from a Financial Crime Enforcement Network, New York/ USA, dated 12/08/12, to convince the complainant but when the document was verified, it was found to have been forged.