Court grants Russian businessman bail

Accra, March 5, GNA - An Accra circuit court, presided over by Mr Francis Obiri, on Thursday granted   Kafarov Ramazan, a Russian businessman, bail in the sum of GH¢6 million for fraud, with three sureties to be Ghanaians.

The accused person, who has pleaded not guilty through an interpreter, is also to deposit his passport with the registrar of the court and reappear on April 8.

He is to deposit his passport with the registrar of the court.

Initially, Mr Yoni Kulendi, Counsel for Ramazan, prayed the court for a self-recognisance bail for his client who is in the custody of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI).

Presenting the facts to the court earlier,   Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Abraham Annor said on January 28, last year, Interpol Accra and the CID headquarter received a message from INTERPOL Moscow, Russia, requesting the police authorities to locate and arrest the accused person.

He said the accused person was wanted in Russia for the offence of defrauding by false pretence.

DSP Annor said, according to INTERPOL Moscow, on May 4, 2011, the accused person defrauded one V.V Rudenko, a Russian national of an amount of two million dollars.

He said the accused person was under the pretext of taking a loan from the complainant for the purpose of joint business development, deliberately deceived Rudenko to transfer the amount to his personal bank account, although the accused person knew very well that he did not intend to meet the undertaken obligation.

The prosecution said all efforts made by the complainant to retrieve his money proved futile since the accused refused to communicate with him via phone calls or meet him.

Consequently, Judge E.A Levehnko, a judge at the Oktyabrsky district court in Rostovon Don issued a warrant dated March 31, last year for his arrest.

He said on July 14, the same year, an INTERPOL Red notice was issued against the accused person and on February 24, 2015, personnel from the INTERPOL unit in Ghana, in collaboration with officers from the BNI, arrested Ramazan at his residence in East Legon.

GNA