Court issues bench warrant for arrest of businessman for $61m theft

A Circuit Court has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of a businessman accused of stealing $61,646,625 belonging to his partners.

The warrant was issued when Huocheng Luo alias Peter, who has been charged with stealing, failed to attend Court.

He is expected to appear before Circuit Court Eleven presided over by Mr Isaac Oheneba-Kuffour on August 7, 2023.

The facts as given by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Emmanuel Nyamekye was that Mr Issaka Alhassan, the complainant is an accountant with Knights A.S, Ghana Limited, a company registered under the laws of Ghana.

Huocheng Luo also known as Peter who resides in Ejisu and Tema, is the Managing Director of Yangtse River International Company Limited; a construction company also registered under the laws of Ghana.

He said in 2021, the complainant’s company was awarded contracts to construct 50 bridges across the country by the Ghana government.

The complainant’s company being the main contractor divided the country into three lots- Southern Ghana, Middle Ghana, and Northern Ghana.

The court heard that the complainant’s company subcontracted other companies including the accused person’s firm to construct the bridges.

DSP Nyamekye said the accused was assigned the bridge at Anto-Dompim in the Western Region, and as part of the agreement, the complainant was to provide iron rods and cement for the construction of the project.

He said on May 18, 2021, the complainant’s company sent a Local Purchase Order to B5 Plus Limited, their supplier in Kpone near Tema to deliver 82.1955 tons of iron rods to the accused person’s site at Anto-Dompim.

The prosecution said B5 Plus Limited supplied the iron rods short of 1,230 pieces of 12mm Rods and 917 pieces of 20mm Rods.

Those shortages, the court heard, were supplied on May 26, 2021.

Investigation however revealed that two months after all the iron rods had been supplied, the accused person informed one Mr August Emmanuel, a former worker of Knights A.S Ghana Limited, that he had not received any consignment from B5 Plus Limited.

This caused the witness to send an email to B5 Plus Limited to check and rectify the matter.

But officers of B5 Plus Limited misinterpreted the query and sent another consignment of 82.1955 tons to the accused.

DSP Nyamekye said the complainant later detected that the accused had been oversupplied with iron rods and detailed his company’s officials to Anto-Dompim to recover the excess stock.

But the officials were informed that the accused ordered the drivers of B5 Plus Limited to carry the excess iron rods to his house at Ejisu in the Ashanti Region.

On March 24, 2023, police extended investigations to the house of the accused person in Achiawkrom near Ejisu and found quantities of assorted iron rods deposited in front and inside his residence.

He said photographs of the exhibits were taken and after investigation, the accused person was charged with the offence.