Two granted 1.6 billion cedis bail for fraud

Accra, March 19, GNA - A German national and one other, who allegedly defrauded a Ghanaian businessman of 680 million cedis, under the pretext of supplying gold ore to him, have appeared before a circuit court in Accra.

Bismark Yaw Obiri-Yeboa, 38, unemployed and Siegfire Niebler alias Ziggy, a German Electronic Engineer, pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and defrauding by false pretences.

The court chaired by Mr Williewise Kyeremeh admitted them to 800 million cedis bail with two sureties each.

Obiri-Yeboah and Niebler could not execute the bail bond and were, therefore, placed in Police custody until March 30, when they would re-appear.

Two accomplices, one Oware alias Kwakye and one Kyebi are on the run.

Presenting the case for the Prosecution, Police Chief Inspector Benedicta Akologo said the Complainant, Mr Sammy Hutton is a Ghanaian businessman, and all the accused persons lived at Nungua in Accra. Chief Inspector Akologo said sometime in May last year, the two accused persons and the two accomplices succeeded in collecting an amount of 680 million cedis from Mr Hutton to supply him with a quantity of gold ore but failed to do so.

The Prosecutor said they rather supplied 40 kilograms of fake gold, which Obiri-Yeboah melted and moulded into four bars. When Mr Hutton detected that he had been duped, he started looking for the accused persons, who had gone into hiding. He eventually arrested Obiri-Yeboah from his hideout at Mallam in Accra and sent him to the Police station.

Chief Inspector Akologo said during investigations, Obiri-Yeboah led the Police to arrest the German national from his hideout at Sakumono in Accra, adding that the Police was making efforts to arrest the other accomplices.