Two in court for attempted fraud

Accra, March 1, GNA - Two persons who attempted to pay a businessman with bundles of papers purported to have a face value of 30 million cedis after decorating them with a few genuine notes on Monday appeared before a circuit court in Accra.

Kwasi Anokye, Cobbler and Kwasi Mensah, Trader, pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit crime, attempted fraud and possessing papers purported to be Ghana currency notes without lawful authority. The court admitted each of the two to 30 million cedis bail and asked them to re-appear on March 5.

Prosecuting, Assistant Superintendent of Police Emmanuel Yaw Frimpong told the court that the complainant, Nana Baafi Okoto, is a businessman who deals in paints.

On January 20, one Kofi Oppong, now at large, brother in-law of the complainant, approached him and informed him that he (Oppong) had seen a white estate developer who needed some paints.

Consequently, Oppong asked the complainant to follow him to Kata Hotel with the view of seeing the white man. At the hotel, the estate developer was nowhere to be found.

The Prosecution said Oppong led the complainant to Margaret Hotel to look for the white man. Oppong in turn introduced the complainant to one Kodua, believed to be the white man's secretary.

The complainant insisted that he would want to deal with the white man directly, and therefore left the hotel.

On January 22, this year, Oppong rang the complainant, and asked him to meet him at Margaret Hotel, where an amount of 30 million cedis was ready for the purchase of 13 drums of paints. While the complainant was on his way to the Hotel, he received another telephone call from Oppong informing him that two young men (being the accused persons) have been despatched to effect payment for the paint. The Prosecution said the complainant met the accused persons and they handed over a bag containing the alleged money. When the complainant attempted to count the money in the presence of a Witness, he realized that they were ordinary papers that had been covered with two genuine 5,000 cedis notes on top and bottom.