Two Nigerians in court for fraud, stealing

Accra, March 20, GNA - Two Nigerians who allegedly lured a Spaniard to Ghana under the pretext collecting eight million dollars worth of property allegedly bequeathed to him by his deceased business counterpart appeared before a Circuit Court in Accra on Friday. Augustine Dife and Gelige Morrison, who posed as solicitors, managed to collect 2,750 Euros from the victim to facilitate transfer of the property.

Charged with defrauding by false pretences and stealing, the two accused persons pleaded not guilty.

The court remanded them into prison custody to reappear on March 31. Chief Inspector R.K. Dogbeti said Ripolles Viciedo, a fruit and vegetable farmer resident in Spain, had a business partner in Zimbabwe to whom he had been supplying his farm produce. In January this year, Viciedo received a mail that his counterpart in Zimbabwe died and left property worth eight million dollars to be inherited by him (Viciedo). The accused managed to lure the complainant to Ghana on March 4, so that documents on the inheritance could be processed at the High Court of Ghana.

The prosecution said Viciedo, who was then residing at Coco Beach Hotel, checked out and joined the accused persons who introduced themselves as solicitors Brain and James. They managed to collect 1,600 Euros and 1,000 Euros on two different occasions to process the said documents. On March 16, the accused persons collected another 150 Euros he had cashed from the bank. Further, his palm top computer which he left in their room also disappeared. Viciedo therefore reported the matter to the Police.