Pastor defrauded of sixty million cedsi

Juaso, (Ash), May 18, GNA - A 55-year-old farmer, Kwadwo Baafi, who defrauded a Pastor of 65 million cedis under the pretext of assisting him to travel abroad has been remanded into prison custody by the Juaso Circuit Court.

Baafi who pleaded not guilty to the charge will re-appear before the court on 29th May this year for trial.

Chief Inspector J.K Damanka, giving the facts of the case, told the court presided over by Mr J.B Boon, that both the accused and the complainant, Daniel Kwabena Nketia, the overseer of the Faith Tabernacle Church were residents of Hwediem near Agogo.

He said on the 13th December 2005, the accused who, claimed to have relatives in the United States of America approached the complainant and informed him that he could obtain an invitation letter as well as visa for the complainant to travel to the US. As a result, Inspector Damanka said the accused demanded 50 million cedis from the complainant in order to process the necessary documents, which the complainant paid.

The prosecutor said after sometime the accused went back to the complainant for an additional 500 dollars as "booking fee" to acquire a seat in the flight for the journey, but this time the complainant could not raise the amount.

Inspector Damanka said two weeks later the accused informed the complainant that since he could not raise the 500 dollars, he had missed the flight and that he should pay an additional 15 million cedis in order to rectify the previous documents to enable him travel. He said out of desperation the complainant's mother sold her three plots of land to raise the amount only for the accused to come back later demanding another 600,000 cedis for booking fee. The prosecutor said the complainant at that point suspected foul play and reported the case to the Agogo Police who arrested the accused and charged him with the offence after investigations.