Numo Frederick Tawiah Tetteh Adeyena, a traditional ruler, has appeared before an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly defrauding a Chinese company of GHC360,000.
Numo Adenyena is alleged to have collected the money under the pretext of selling four acres of land at Tsopoli to the Company, but failed.
Charged with attempt to commit crime namely fraudulent transaction and defrauding by false pretense, Numo Adeyena has pleaded not guilty.
The prosecution told the court that the accused person had refunded GHC140,000.
The court presided over by Mrs Kizita Naa Koowa Quashie admitted the accused person to bail in the GHC250,000 with two sureties.
The court ordered the accused person to deposit a valid passport, which would not expire before March 25, 2025, Voter’s ID, or Ghana Card at the Court Registry.
According to the court it was adjourning the matter to April 30, 2024, for the parties to attempt reconciliation.
Defence Counsel Lordia Addison prayed the court to admit the accused person to bail .
According to the counsel, the accused person, also the head of the family, was not a flight risk.
She said the accused person had been on police enquiry bail and had cooperated with the police.
The prosecution led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Emmanuel Haligah said the complainant Shen Jaiming was a Chinese and a resident of Tsopoli.
The prosecutor said the accused person was the head of Djangmaku- Manya family of Old Ningo and a resident of Old Ningo.
The court heard that in May 2023, the complainant needed a parcel of land at Tsopoli for his company, Skylight Manufacturing Limited for a project and was introduced to Andrews Darpong by his lawyer as a land agent who could assist him get a parcel of land.
The complainant, the prosecution said contacted Andrews Darpoh, who led him to the accused person’s family, the accused person assuring him that his family could sell to him, four acres of land at Tsopoli at the cost of GHC720,000.
The prosecution said the accused person instructed the family surveyor, who led the complainant to a parcel of land close to the Saglime Government Housing project and he (the complainant) developed interest.
The court was told that the accused person later collected an initial amount of GHC360,000 from Shen Jiaming and prepared a Sale and Purchase agreement between them.
On June 14, 2023, Andrew Darpoh and others with the complainant and one Li Tian Zhong went to wait on the land for the accused person’s family surveyor to demarcate the four acres of land for them.
The prosecution said whiles on the land, police officers on duty at Saglime Government Housing Project led by Chief Inspector Agustine Gershon Dormekpor spotted them and after questioning, arrested and took them to the CID Headquarters.
The prosecution said the same day, the accused person in his caution statement indicated that the land formed part of his family land.
The prosecutor said investigations revealed that the four acre land the accused person collected the money to sell to Skylight Manufacturing Limited Company did not belong to his family, according to an official search report from the Lands Commission.
The prosecution said in the course of investigations, the accused person refunded GHC140,000 to Skylight Manufacturing Company Limited.
GNA
KK
27 March 2024
