Captain Smart
RADIO PRESENTER Blessed Godsbrain Smart, aka Captain Smart, was yesterday hauled before an Accra Circuit Court for alleged extortion of money from a businessman.
The vociferous presenter, according to court documents, had extorted $10,000 and another GH¢50,000 from a businessman under the guise of ending the airing of alleged fishy deals by the businessman at Tema Port.
He is alleged to have demanded GH¢100,000 from the Tema-based businessman “under the guise of greasing the palms of his supposed ‘elders’ in order not to expose information he had obtained about his fishy deals at the Tema Port.
The businessman, according to court documents, who was to be enstooled as a chief in a community in the Ashanti Region, is said to have paid $10,000 to Captain Smart.
The radio presenter is said to have demanded further monies while the businessman later made another payment of GH¢50,000.
Captain Smart together with one Eric Daniels have been dragged before the court over three counts of extortion and abetment of extortion to which they all pleaded not guilty.
Bail Application
Martin Kpebu, counsel for the accused persons, pleaded with the court to grant them self-recognisance bail as they are media persons, pending the trial.
He said the accused persons have fixed places of abode and are willing to appear before the court any day to vindicate themselves.
Opposition
The bail application was opposed by the prosecution led by Detective Inspector Frederick Frimpong, who said the accused failed to comply with the terms of police enquiry bail granted them earlier.
He said their investigation has reached a stage where they have to conduct investigations at the premises of Onua TV/Radio where the incident occurred.
“It is highly probable that the accused persons will interfere with police investigation as well as witnesses. I therefore, pray that the accused persons be remanded into police custody to enable a conclusive and uninterrupted investigation to be conducted into the matter,” Detective Inspector Frimpong averred.
Ruling
The court, presided over by His Honour K.K. Obiri-Yeboah, granted the accused person a bail of GH¢50,000 each with two sureties each, who must be their family members or relations.
He ordered the prosecution to furnish the accused persons with disclosures and subsequently adjourned the matter to March 3, 2022.
Brief Facts
The brief facts of the case presented by Inspector Frimpong indicated that Captain Smart during the month of December, last year, had claimed to have obtained fishy information about the businessman’s dealings at Tema Port during his morning show and threatened to expose and disgrace him.
It avers that on December 23, 2021, Captain Smart hosted the businessman and a witness in the case at his office where he demanded an amount of GH¢100,000 from the businessman “under the guise of greasing the palms of his supposed ‘elders’ and ending the airings of the alleged fishy deals of the complainant and his people at Tema Port.”
“The complainant, who is to be enstooled as a chief in one of the communities in Ashanti Region and dreaded such shameful exposé, yielded to the demands of A1 (Captain Smart). On same day, the complainant gave an amount of US$10,000 to A1,” the facts say.
The facts further allege that Captain Smart, upon counting the money, informed the complainant that the amount was not enough to cater for his supposed ‘elders’ and further demanded additional monies.
On January 11, 2022, Captain Smart is said to have placed separate phone calls to both the complainant and the witness in the case to demand the remaining amount or risk being exposed and disgraced.
The complainant, on January 12, went the premises of Onua TV/FM together with the witness to deliver the demanded money to Captain Smart who was in the company of Eric Daniels, who received the booty on behalf of Captain Smart, who was on the phone.
“Personnel of the National Signals Bureau who had earlier picked intelligence rushed to the scene and apprehended A2 (Daniels) and a search conducted on him revealed a white envelope containing an amount of GH¢50,000.00 in GH¢200 denominations. Upon interrogation, A2 stated that it was A1 who instructed him to collect the said money from the complainant,” the brief facts added.
The court heard that the two were arrested and later granted police enquiry bail to be reporting periodically but both failed to do so. The police therefore, had to obtain accused summons and served on them to appear before the court.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak