Model Dupes American $1.6m

A GHANAIAN model domiciled in Germany and her driver have been dragged to an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly defrauding an American businessman of an amount of $1.658,781 under the pretext of assisting him to buy 831 kilogrammes of gold in Ghana.

The model, Sandra Sorice and Yussif Ahmed Akpakli pleaded not guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit crime and defrauding by false pretences.

The court, presided over by Mrs. Ivy Heward-Mills, granted them a GH¢300,000 bail with four sureties each after her lawyer, Victor K. Adawudu, had prayed bail for them.

The prosecutor, DSP Aidan Dery, informed the court that in March 2010, the complainant and his partners who were Americans came to Ghana to buy and export gold to the United States.

The complainant later met Sandra who allegedly informed him and his partners that she could assist them to get some of the gold to buy after showing them a sample.

The complainant then gave Sandra the money involved to buy the gold and she in turn promised to ship the gold to them in the US.

However, she failed to honour her promise and started giving them excuses. All efforts by the complainants, according to the prosecutor, to recover the money or the gold proved futile.

The prosecutor said the accused persons were arrested and during interrogation Sandra indicated that it was rather the complainant who owed her $1million but the complainant had denied that claim.

Counsel for the accused persons, in applying for bail for his clients, had a different story to tell.

According to Mr Adawudu, the complainant was a fugitive running away from justice in America and that in March 2010, he met Sandra who lived in Germany with her husband and started a romantic relationship with her.

Counsel explained that Sandra and her husband had been separated for sometime now and the divorce was still pending.

The lawyer added that the complainant used to live in Sandra’s house and that in the course of their relationship, the complainant took $1million from Sandra and had since not refunded the money.

Counsel questioned why it had taken the complainant that long to report the alleged fraud case to the police, indicating that the complainant was peeved that Sandra had walked out of the relationship after observing that the American was a fraudster.

Counsel said the complainant’s action was only aimed at framing Sandra up and putting her in trouble and that at the appropriate time, they would lead evidence to show her innocence.

After the court had granted her bail, counsel pleaded with the judge to grant her leave to travel outside the country. He explained that she needed to send her children back to school in Germany and this was obliged by the court. The case had since been adjourned to April 30.

Meanwhile, DAILY GUIDE’s photographer was again arrested for attempting to take photographs of the accused persons by the investigator in the case, ASP Seth Sewornu of the Criminal Investigation Department.

When reporters inquired from him why he arrested the photo-journalist who was only doing his work, he could not give any tangible reason but said he had already explained to the journalist why he arrested him.

ASP Sewornu, who got offended that he was being interrogated by journalists as to what offence their colleague might have committed, in a furious manner, sped off with the photojournalist in his car; but later released him after he was allegedly ordered to do so.