4 Fake Currency Dealers Remanded

THE four foreign nationals arrested in connection with a fake currency deal have been remanded in prison custody by a circuit court here.

Noel Moss, 54, who claims both South African and Malawian nationality, Awudu Musah, 37, Nigerien, Carlos Coker also known as Tony, 35, a Sierra Leonean and Tunde Alabi, 27, Nigerian, were said to have defrauded a Kumasi businessman of 103,500 dollars that they collected in exchange for a box allegedly containing three million dollars.

They were arraigned before the circuit court on Monday charged with conspiracy to commit and committing fraud under false pretences, and pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The court presided over by Justice Yao Obimpeh, remanded them for two weeks into prison custody.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Regina Kesewaa, prosecuting told the court that the suspects started dealing with the businessman about five months ago.

The businessman, he said allegedly received a telephone call from London from one Mustapha in December 2007 that he works with some foreigners who wanted to come to Ghana to build a school and clinic in Kumasi.

The friend gave out his name and telephone number and assured them that the businessman could be of help to acquire 50 plots of land for the project.

Convinced, the businessman acquired 30 plots for GH¢90,000 and informed Mustapha who assured him that the money would be sent to him through a courier.

The businessman again received a telephone call from Mustapha to meet a man in Togo to collect the box containing the money, but the businessman said he could not travel to Togo and it was agreed that the box would be sent to him in Accra but he would pay 3,500 dollars.

They then arranged to meet at the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange in Accra where a man who claimed to have come from Togo handed him a box and a form to fill as evidence that he (businessman) had collected the box and paid 3,500 dollars.

He was, however asked not to open the box until the business partners met him at his house at Suame in Kumasi on an agreed date.

Somewhere in January, they all met at the businessman’s house and when the box was opened, Moss allegedly sprayed the contents with some liquid substance and 1,000 dollars in 100 notes denominations was produced.

The persecution said, Moss then told the man that more of the substance was required to convert the rest of the black pieces of paper into dollars.