Sports consultant charged in 800 million cedis fraud case

James Yalley, chairman of Sports Supporters of Ghana (SS0G), on Friday appeared before a circuit tribunal in Accra charged with fraud. He allegedly collected 22,000 dollars (56 million cedis) and 27 million cedis from 10 persons with the view to sending them to the United States to watch the Women's World Football Cup.

Yalley, 42, whom the police described as a sports consultant, pleaded not guilty.

The tribunal, chaired by Mrs Elizabeth Anderson-Yeboah, granted him 70 million cedis bail with a surety to be justified and re-appear on September 28.

The tribunal ordered that the surety must have property situated in Accra so that if the accused fails to turn up for trial, it would be confiscated The prosecution said in May, this year, Yalley claimed that he was organising a group of sports enthusiasts to watch the just-ended Women's World Cup in the US. The prosecution said the accused person demanded 4,000 dollars from each person to enable him to obtain visas and other travel documents for them. Some paid in cedis while others paid in dollars. However, the accused failed to organise the trip and failed to refund the amounts paid to them.