Details are emerging that, suspect Sunny Anwamini, the notorious Nigerian fraudster who is in the custody of the security apparatus for defrauding a Ukrainian of $6,500,000 in a teak wood business deal, also defrauded two Iranians $75,000 after posing as a pastor.
Sunny Anwamini, said to be the leader of the Brotherhood Church of Cross and Star at Odorkor, and also operated with the Ghanaian name Mr. Mensah, used fake letterheads of some leading banks in Ghana, including the Bank of Ghana, to dupe his victims with the false claim that he had inherited a legacy of $39 million and was looking for investment partners.
The Deputy Director General of the Police CID, Mr. Patrick Ampewuah, told journalists that the two Iranians, Messrs Karim Abdulalizadeh Lowu and Khosrw Hassan Abadi, are businessmen residing in Iran, while the accused is a Nigerian pastor based in Ghana.
He said about a year ago, the accused person lured the first complainant (Karim Abdulalizadeh) into the country to supply him with X-ray films to be sold in Iran.
“On the victim’s arrival into the country, suspect put him in a hotel at Ofankor, and during a conversation he told the victim that he had $39 million in a vault at the Bank of Ghana which he intended to invest in Iran.
“With fake documents to support his claim, the accused person succeeded in collecting $10,000 from the complainant for the supply of the goods and promised to order the X-ray films for delivery,” Mr. Ampewuah disclosed.
According to the Deputy Director General, the suspect returned later without the X-ray films, claiming that the money was not enough and demanded more to enable him to supply the items.
He said the complainant did not have the extra amount required at that time, so he returned to Iran and had $15,000 transferred to the suspect through a bank account suspect provided.
“After paying the money, the goods were never sent, and whenever victim asked Apostle Anwamini why the goods had delayed in arriving in Iran, the suspect responded with the assurance that he was working on them,” Mr. Ampewuah stated, adding that after some weeks, the suspect sent an email to Karim that the goods were ready and invited him to come down with $50,000 to collect them.
He said Karim claimed he did not have enough money at that time so he informed his business partner, Khosrh Hassan Abadi, to assist, and the two came down to Ghana on April 18, where suspect again put them at another hotel at West Adenta and collected the $50,000, and failed again to deliver the goods as agreed upon.
The Deputy Director General of CID said the victims became suspicious and reported the matter to the police, and last Wednesday, suspect was arrested at the premises of his church by the police for questioning.
“Upon interrogation, Apostle Anwamini admitted the offence, and in his caution statement, he confessed to collecting $75,000 from the complainants,” he added.
“He further disclosed that the deal was initiated by his accomplices in Nigeria who referred the Iranians to him in Ghana, and that 60 per cent of the money he collected had been paid to his Nigerian accomplices.
“The remaining 40 per cent of the money, he said, had been shared with other accomplices whom he was yet to identify.
“However, suspect is said to have refunded $4,000 and had promised to contact his accomplices in Nigeria to return their share of the booty,” he added.
Meanwhile, suspect who is currently in the custody of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) over the teak wood business deal was granted a court bail, but he failed to meet the bail condition and is still in custody.
By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey