Civil Servant allegedly swindled of GH¢200,000 by trader and mason

Two men—a trader and a mason—have been hauled before the Dansoman Circuit Court for allegedly conspiring to defraud a civil servant of GH¢200,000 under the guise of selling an unregistered Honda CRV.

The accused, Bediako Adorvi Blankson, 69, a trader, and Michael Mensah, 40, a mason, pleaded not guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit crime, to wit defrauding by false pretence, and defrauding by false pretence, contrary to Sections 23(1) and 131 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).

Presiding over the court, Her Ladyship Halimah El-Alawa Abdul-Bassit granted each accused bail in the sum of GH¢150,000 with two sureties, both of whom must be public servants earning not less than GH¢2,000 and justified.

The court further ordered the accused to deposit their Ghana Cards at the court registry and report to the police once every two weeks.

The case has been adjourned to March 2, 2026.

Facts of the case

According to the prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Christopher Wonder, the complainant, Stephen Appiah Twum, a civil servant residing at Dansoman, came across an advertisement for an unregistered white Honda CRV on an online marketplace, Jiji, on December 21, 2025.

The complainant contacted the number on the advert and later spoke with the first accused (A1), who introduced himself as the owner of the vehicle and indicated that it was parked around the Nima Roundabout.

A meeting was scheduled for the following day.

On December 22, 2025, the complainant, accompanied by his mechanic, Charles Akonor, met the accused at Nima Roundabout.

The second accused (A2), who posed as A1’s nephew, led them to inspect the vehicle.

The price was initially set at GH¢210,000.

After withdrawing GH¢200,000 from the Access Bank, Ring Road Branch, the complainant returned to inspect the vehicle but discovered it could not start.

As they left, A1 contacted the complainant and, after discussions with the mechanic, agreed to reduce the price to GH¢200,000 to enable the sale.

The complainant subsequently paid the cash amount to A1, who issued a forged document bearing a supposed chassis number and attached a photocopy of a Ghana Card in the name of Prince Nana Osei.

However, upon attempting to tow the vehicle, the complainant was confronted by the rightful owner, who produced genuine documents.

Realising he had been defrauded, the complainant reported the matter to the Nima Police.

During investigations, the accused persons were arrested at Ablekuma. The prosecution disclosed that A1 has since refunded GH¢70,000, which has been released to the complainant.

Following investigations, the accused were formally charged and arraigned before the court.