An Accra Circuit Court on Friday sentenced two persons to four years imprisonment with hard labour for defrauding four people of various sums of money.
The convicts are Bernard Tetteh, businessman and director of Meraqi Company Limited and Anthony Tuffour an accountant.
The two paddies are said to have conspired to defraud and defrauded by false pretences the complainants-Abubakari Wangari, Abuibakari Halidu, Aziz Yakubu and Abdulai Osman of various sums of money.
It is the case of the prosecutor, Chief Inspector Duuti Tuaruka that the convicts by means of false pretence collected GH¢864,000 from Wangari with the promise to provide him with the dollar equivalent.
Using the same modus operandi, the convicts took GH¢648,000; GH¢345,000 and GH¢242,400, respectively from the other complainants under the pretext of giving them the dollar equivalent.
Although the convicts denied the offence, the court presided over by Aboagye Tandoh found them guilty and sentenced them.
In sentencing the two, the court said it had taken into consideration the plea for mitigation by the lawyers of the accused persons and their time in custody.
Mr. Tandoh, however, held that it had examined the gravity of the offence adding that the intellectual inadequacies of Ghanaians ought not to be preyed upon.
He said the sentencing of the two was to send a signal that society abhors the actions of the convicts.
Earlier, Niibi Ayibonte, the defence counsel, urged the court to spare his clients custodial sentence because the country’s prisons were full.
During the month of December, 2016 with the intent to commit crime, Bernard informed Anthony that he has $500,000 in his company’s account at the Bank of Ghana and wanted to exchange them into Cedis at the low exchange rate and thereafter asked him to go and look for interested persons.
Anthony then informed Emmanuel Osa Noi-Sanar, Daniel Noye Nortey and one Mends and the convicts in order to make the witnesses more convinced took them to the Bank of Ghana premises where Benard asked them to wait as he goes to have a meeting with the Deputy Governor of Bank of Ghana concerning the money.
The witnesses became convinced thereafter and informed one Nuhu Hamidu a businessman and a witness in this case who then informed the complainants.
On the 20th day of December, 2016 complainants pooled together the afore-stated monies all amounting to GH¢2,1 00,000 and handed same to witnesses.
Benard was immediately informed that the money was ready and he gave account number 0211336065012 with account name Meraqi Company Ltd. at Osu Branch of Universal Merchant Bank to the witnesses to pay the money into.
Anthony in the company of witnesses went to the above mentioned bank where witness Emmanuel Osa Noi-Sanar paid the GH¢2,100,000 into the said account and then drove the witnesses to the premises of the Bank of Ghana where Benard had asked them to meet him for the $500,000 but he failed to turn up.
Complainants became suspicious and made a report to the police and Bernard was arrested. In his caution statement, he admitted the offence.
By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson