Businessman granted GH¢100,000 bail over alleged fraud

The Tema Circuit Court B has granted Michael Opoku Ofori, a 32-year-old businessman, GH¢100,000.00 bail with two sureties, one of which is to be justified, for allegedly defrauding an online rice trader.

The court, presided over by Mrs Klorkor Okai-Mills, granted accused bail after he had pleaded not guilty to two counts of defrauding by false pretense and issuing a dud cheque.

Inspector Jacob Kuubal, prosecuting, told the court that the complainant, Mr Daniel Appertey, and his business partner, Ms Patience

Sitsope Zartey, were traders in local rice, while Ofori was a businessman, who resided at Sakyikrom, Nsawam.

The prosecution said Ms Zartey was contacted by Ofori through his Facebook account under the name “Opoku Clef,” expressing interest in purchasing her advertised local perfumed rice.

Insp Kuubal said Ofori ordered 120 bags of 25-kilogramme local perfumed rice at GH¢450.00 per bag, all amounting to GH¢54,000.00.

The court heard that Ofori requested the WhatsApp number of the witness, which he was provided with.

Insp Kuubal said Ofori later requested that the invoice for the intended purchase be issued in the name of Owusu Agyekum, but the traders requested an in-person meeting to enable them to show him samples of the rice.

The traders, therefore, agreed to meet at East Legon Hisense building on the Lagos Avenue Road.

Inp Kuubal said the traders were conveyed at the agreed venue by a young man in a taxicab to meet with the accused in a house that was under renovation.

The prosecution said Ofori received the rice sample and invoice from the complainant in front of the house with the excuse that he was unable to invite them into the building because of ongoing construction works.

Insp Kuubal said the accused took the traders to the A&C Mall to have further conversations on the intended purchase.

Accused later requested for the bank account details of the complainant, to enable him to transfer the total sum of GH¢54,000.00.

The prosecution said Mr Appertey delivered 120 bags of rice to Ofori at a different house also in East Legon, after which he (accused) gave the complainant a GCB bank deposit slip showing that he had made payment into his account.

Insp Kuubal said police investigations revealed that the deposit was fraudulent and not honoured by the bank, but the accused had already taken delivery of the rice and had blocked the phone number of the traders.

The court heard that Ofori belonged to a bigger syndicate, which the police had been investigating.

Insp Kuubal said that the modus operandi of the group was to make orders of products online and lure their victims into delivering the products to them at locations suggested by them. The prosecution said after such deliveries were made, the syndicate made payment with cheque slips, which were always dishonoured due to a lack of funds.

Insp Kuubal said efforts were still underway to arrest Stephen Nana Boadi Danso, a key accomplice of Ofori, who was at large. —GNA