Court grants ex-convict 50 million-cedi bail

Kumasi, July 5, GNA - A Kumasi circuit court has granted an ex-convict 50 million-cedi bail when he appeared before it for fraud.

Onasis Osei-Tutu, 50, pleaded not guilty to the charge and will re-appear on July 15.

Police Chief Inspector Joseph Odjidja told the court, presided over by Mr. Essel Mensah that Osei-Tutu, who is a fashion designer and claims to belong to the Association of Ghana Industries. He said in March last year, the complainant saw a publication in the dailies stating that the association was undertaking a trip to London and the United States of America and therefore, contacted Osei-Tutu for assistance who charged him 40 million cedis to send him abroad.

Chief Inspector Odjidja said the accused after taking the money from the complainant and issuing him with various receipts, promised that he would provide him with the travel documents within a few weeks, but failed to do so.

He said in order to satisfy the complainant, Osei-Tutu took him to Accra for the intended trip, which did not come on.

The prosecutor said the complainant therefore reported the case to the police who arrested the accused and after taking his caution statement was charged with the offence but he refunded eight million cedis out of the amount to the police.