Three in court for defrauding energy company

Three persons who allegedly defrauded an energy company of GH¢180,000 under the pretext of selling an abandoned filling station to the company, have been remanded in custody by the Accra Circuit Court.

The accused persons - Hammeh Senare, a parliamentary candidate of the People's National Convention (PNC) in the 2012 general election, Kojo Opoku, a carpenter, and Ernest Kofi, trader — were remanded to reappear on March 11, 2013.

They pleaded not guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit crime and defrauding by false pretence.

The presiding judge, Mr Francis Obiri, decided to remand the accused persons to prevent them from interfering with investigations.

At the court's sitting in Accra yesterday, the prosecutor, Chief Superintendent Duute Tuaroka, prayed the court to remand the accused persons, since investigations had not been completed.

However, counsel for the accused persons, Mr Emmanuel Bright Akoto, pleaded with the court to grant his clients bail on grounds that the charges upon which they were being held were bailable.

According to counsel, his clients had fixed places of abode and would be available to stand trial, but the court declined to grant counsel's prayer.

The Madina Police picked up the three accused persons for allegedly defrauding the company, Omega Energy Limited of GH¢180,000 under the pretext of selling to the company an abandoned filling station at Dome, but it later turned out that the said filling station belonged to another person not connected to the accused persons.