An Administrative Manager at the Procurement Unit of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Mr. Paul Kumi Kyeremeh, has been arrested by the police for allegedly duping some people, including some staff of the hospital of thousands of Ghana cedis with the pretext of building houses for them.
The suspect, who is currently in the custody of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) at the Police Headquarters, Accra, claimed also to be an estate developer.
He is alleged to have admitted before the police that 50 people have so far paid monies to him, ranging between GH¢4, 000 and GH¢24, 500 as part payments for the houses.
However, Mr. Kyeremeh said he could not trace or locate the land owners to whom he paid the monies for the lands for the project, alleging that he paid the monies to them in two tranches; the first one at a drinking bar and the second at the site.
Mr. Kyeremeh is also reported to have told investigators that receipts and other documents covering the lands were stolen from him by the land owners together with a taxi driver when he alighted from the taxi they were travelling.
The Head of the Commercial Crime Unit at the CID headquarters, Superintendent Felix Koku Mawusi, told the Ghanaian Times Wednesday that a number of victims reported to the police that the suspect collected money from them with the assurance of building house for them.
He is said to be the owner of a Construction Company called “Bon- Tair”.
Consequently, Mr. Mawusi said Mr. Kyeremeh succeeded in collecting the monies which was part payment from the victims between 2010 and last year.
Kyeremeh, the police said, told the victims that he would give them a key each to the house after completion, but the remaining keys would be released after full payment.
Supt. Mawusi said Kyeremeh, however, could not honour the promise and a report was made to the police, which led to his arrest.
Investigations into the matter are ongoing and so far 10 people, including nurses, have written their statements on the issue.
He noted that following the report, Kyeremeh was arrested on Tuesday to assist in investigations.
Superintendent Mawusi said when Keremeh was interrogated; he admitted the offence but said his inability to locate the land owners who he paid the monies to had stalled the proposed project.
Besides, he also gave some money to consultants to design the structures and layout for the project.
Mr. Mawusi noted that so far, 10 people including nurses of the hospital who claimed they had been duped had written their statements.
He said Kyeremeh, would be put before court after investigations and warned the public, especially prospective house owners, to ensure that they used the appropriate means to acquire land or completed houses and should not be swayed into a believing that property could be acquired while they had not seen or visited the site of the project.
