Two persons, who allegedly collected GHC 1.7 million from a businessman under the pretext of selling old schnapps bottles containing mercury to him, have appeared before the Adentan Circuit Court.
Prince Kyei Bennett, a 48-year-old businessman and Samuel Nutsugah, 58- year-old unemployed, have been charged with conspiracy to commit crime namely defrauding by false pretenses.
The accused persons in the company of their lawyer, Andy K. Vortia, denied the charges preferred against them.
The Court presided over by Sedinam Awo Balokah, admitted the accused persons to bail in the sum of GHC2 million each and three sureties each.
The Court said one of the sureties should have landed property, which value should be half of the bail sum.
The said property should have a valuation report attached to it.
The Court, also ordered the Prosecution to file disclosures and witness statements.
The matter has been adjourned to October 18 for case management conference.
The Prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Maxwell Lanyo, said Eric Coffie, the complainant resided at Kumasi, while Bennett and Nutsugah, resided at Adjin Kotoku and Kumasi respectively.
In April 2017, the Prosecution said Nutsugah approached the complainant and said he was selling old schnapps bottles made with Mercury and he could help the complainant with some.
Chief Inspector Lanyo, said Nutsugah, therefore, introduced Bennett to the complainant as his business partner.
The Prosecution said Nutsugah then informed the complainant that he had managed to secure the said bottles.
Based on that, Prosecution said, the complainant met the two accused persons and Bennett informed the complainant that the Mercury in the said bottle was scanty so they needed to perform some rituals to increase the mercury level.
The Prosecution said Nutsugah told the complainant that if he was able to assist with spiritual cleaning to increase the level of mercury, he would take $5 million and a four bedroom.
Chief Inspector Lanyoh said the accused persons succeeded in collecting various sums of money amounting to GHC 1.7 million from the complainant.
Later, the Prosecution said the accused persons brought some bags claiming they contained money and that they had sold the schnapps bottle to a spiritualist.
He said the accused persons informed the complainant that he could use the monies in the bags after a spiritual exercise had been conducted.
The Prosecution said the complainant then took the bags containing the money to a hotel at Ajiringanor, for safe keeping.
He said the accused persons demanded for additional money for purification of the money so the complainant could use same.
The Prosecution said the accused persons subjected the complainant to a number of purification processes and compelled him to buy a white dove, two rams and other items.
He said the accused persons later informed the complainant that because he did not provide a white dove, the purification was unsuccessful.
The Prosecution said the accused persons told the complainant not to touch the money in the bags else he would die.
He said information got to the Police and they retrieved the bags at the said hotel at Adjiringanor.
The Prosecution said when the bags were opened in the presence of the accused persons, they were found to contain saw dust.
Chief Inspector Lanyo said Bennett in his caution statement admitted collecting GHC800,000 from the complainant.
In the case of Nutsugah, he stated he could not remember the amount he had taken from him.
The Prosecution said during Police Investigations, two persons lodged similar complainants indicating that the accused person used the same modus operandi to defraud them in Kumasi.
GNA