A 28-year-old lawyer, Magdalene Aba Amporful, has been dragged before a Circuit Court in Accra for allegedly defrauding a US-based Ghanaian nurse under the pretext of purchasing a house.
According to a Ghana News Agency (GNA) report, the court has admitted the embattled lawyer to bail of GH¢100,000 with two sureties, one of whom must be justified.
She was also directed to report to the police once every two weeks during the pendency of the case.
The trial has been adjourned to March 19, 2026, for Case Management Conference while the prosecution was ordered to file disclosures head of the next court date.
The brief fact of the case presented by the prosecution led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Seth Frimpong, indicated that the complainant, Dorcas Koomson Ayittey, a nurse residing in the United States of America, contacted Amporful in 2020 to assist in purchasing a four-bedroom house.
Court documents say Amporful informed Ayittey that she had secured a property at Cape Coast for $75,000 and subsequently requested payment.
The fact point out that the accused transferred the money, which Amporful confirmed receiving. Amporful later informed the complainant about another property at Spintex, offered by Western View Villa Estate, at a cost of $150,000.
She then convinced Ayittey to dispose of the Cape Coast property, claiming it had been sold for $80,000, and requested a top-up of $70,000 to purchase the purported Spintex property.
The prosecutor told the court that Ayittey sent the additional amount, bringing the total to $150,000.
Amporful later told Ayittey that she had secured the Spintex property from Michael Kojo Opata, Manager of Western View Villa Estate.
The court heard that in December 2024, Ayittey travelled to Ghana and requested Amporful to show her the property, provide receipts of payment and hand over the keys.
However, Amporful declined and gave excuses, prompting Ayittey to report the matter to the police.
Amporful was subsequently arrested and allegedy admitted the offence in her caution statement.
A court document added that investigations by the police revealed that the accused did not purchase any property after the police had confirmed with the caretaker of the Cape Coast property, Peace Eyira Dokeh, that Amporful had never bought the house.
Further checks with the Manager and Director of Western View Villa Estate also established that no payment had been made by Amporful for the Spintex property.
The prosecutor added that Amporful could not produce any receipts or documents to suggest she had entered negotiations for the purchase of any property on behalf of Ayittey after receiving the $150,000.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak