Industrialist in Court for Fraud

An Accra Circuit Tribunal yesterday remanded Noble Wright Opoku, President/Chief Executive Officer of Noble Legacy Limited, for allegedly posing as a client of Nana Akufo-Addo, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice to defraud Kumfi Ameyaw Stephen, Samuel Yaw Adjei and Gyabaah Augustine, all businessmen of ?28 million.

The accused person pleaded not guilty and was remanded in police custody to re-appear 10th March, 2003.

The Prosecuting Officer, Chief Inspector Helena Sarpomah, told the court that, the complainants, Kumfi Ameyaw Stephen, Samuel Yaw Adjei and Gyabaah Augustine are businessmen residing in Accra and the accused person is an industrialist also residing in Accra.

The prosecutor said in August 2002, the accused person introduced himself to the complainants as the Chief Executive Officer of Noble Legacy Limited based in the U.S and said he wanted to establish a branch in Ghana and would need workers.

She said the accused person then told the complainants that the establishment would need an in-service training which would be carried out by his sister companies - Noble Energy and Strategic Research Institute all based in the U.S.

The Prosecuting Officer said the accused person showed them his business registration certificates, appointment and acceptance letters from the Attorney General, Nana Akufo-Addo who he said was the company's lawyer and on a salary of $2500 per month, to prove that he was genuine.

She said the accused, after convincing the complainants, demanded and collected on three different occasions an amount totalling ?28 million from the complainants to get them travel documents to go to the U.S for the in-service training course.

After collecting the money, the accused disappeared and a report was made to the Police. The accused was arrested and after the investigation charged with the offence.

Giving his version of what happened, Kumfi Ameyaw Stephen told the court that the accused person after using dubious ways to seduce him, ceased to have further contact with him. He said several attempts to reach him proved futile, because the accused person had switched off his mobile phone and when went to his residence at Zongo, he was told that the accused did not live there.

He said later when he used his brother's e-mail address to reach the accused, the accused cautioned him against letting a third party know what they were doing. The accused then started threatening him with letters on the e-mail.

Later, the accused told him that he could no longer do business with him. He said the complainants passport and other documents including the money had been given to one Sergeant Aboagye of Darkoman Police Station. Stephen said when he contacted the policeman, he admitted collecting the passport and the documents but denied receiving any money.

The complainant then lodged complaint at the Kaneshie Police Station which led to the arrest of Noble Opoku.