Three charged for selling fake Agenda 111 contract for over GH¢1million

Three persons have been charged with three counts of defrauding by false pretences for allegedly selling a fake government contract and machinery to a private company.

According to a report by Graphic.com sighted by GhanaWeb.com, the suspects, identified as Ebenezer Kwame Boadi, Frank A-Ugidimah-Ananvura Aborigo and a third suspect only identified as Mike, allegedly convinced a business executive to part with more than GH¢1 million in exchange for a government contract and four vehicles.

The first two suspects were arraigned before an Accra Circuit Court presided over by Afia Owusua Appiah on February 27, 2023.

The third suspect, however, is said to be on the run.

According to the police, the suspects offered to sell a contract for the construction of a hospital under the government’s flagship Agenda 111 programme.

The three allegedly convinced the complainant that they were no longer interested in executing the contract and were willing to hand it over for a fee.

Police prosecutor, Chief Inspector Samuel Ahiabor, told the court that in April 2021, Boadi led Frank to the complainant and convinced him that they had been awarded the government’s Agenda 111 project contract and were willing to sell it.

“Boadi and Frank presented a purported contract document in the name of Obenewaa And Sons Limited.

“The managing director, who expressed interest in the proposal, requested the accused persons to legally transfer the contract into his company’s name,” the prosecutor said.

The prosecutor told the court that Boadi and Frank promised they could facilitate the change and subsequently collected GH¢20,000 from the complainant for that purpose.

He added that the complainant also issued a bank cheque with a face value of GH¢381,465 to the accused persons.

“Boadi again convinced the complainant that he and Mike were tasked by a national security operative to look for prospective buyers and that they had three tipper trucks and one backhoe machine at Tema Harbour for auction, which cost a total amount of GH¢720,200,” he said.

Chief Inspector Ahiabor further explained that Boadi allegedly sent the complainant pictures of the purported trucks and backhoe machine via WhatsApp, requesting the amount to be paid into an auction sales account in advance of the actual auction.

“The accused persons, after cashing out the money, issued a receipt to the complainant and promised to deliver the vehicles within one week. The accused persons, after taking these sums of money, failed to fulfil their promises and went into hiding,” he stated.

The prosecutor said that after several unsuccessful attempts to reach the accused persons, the complainant reported the matter to the police on February 14, 2023.

Boadi was subsequently arrested, while Frank reported himself to the police on February 20, 2023.

The pleas of the two suspects were not taken by the court.

The court subsequently adjourned the matter to March 15, 2023, after admitting the two suspects to bail in the sum of GH¢800,000 with three sureties each.

GA/EA