Tribunal remands gold fraudster in custody

Accra, July 20, GNA - A 51-year-old printer, who defrauded a clearing agent of 72 million cedis under the pretext of supplying him with gold dust, was on Wednesday remanded in prison custody for one week by a Greater-Accra Regional Tribunal.

A three-member panel chaired by Mr Justice Frank Manu turned down Defence Counsel's application for bail for Kwasi Bright to enable the Prosecution time to complete investigations into the matter. Bright's plea was not taken, and the tribunal adjourned the case to Wednesday, July 27.

The facts of the case as narrated to the tribunal by the Prosecution were that about two weeks ago, the clearing agent, Nana Obokum Atta IX, had a telephone call from one Alex resident in China, who wanted to use him for a gold business in Ghana.

Alex gave Nana Atta a contact number of someone in Tarkwa capable of supplying Alex and his business partners in China some quantity of the mineral when Nana Atta informed him that he had no knowledge about the gold business.

Alex promised despatching one of his partners from China to ascertain the genuineness of any gold that was to be supplied to Nana Atta in the course of the transaction.

When Bright finally went to Nana Atta at his McCarthy Hill residence in Accra through directions, he introduced himself as the man from Tarkwa, who was to supply the gold dust to Alex through him. From July 14 to July 16 2005, Nana Atta parted with 50 million cedis; 20million cedis and 2 million cedis in that order, all totalling 72 million cedis, after the accused had supplied him with some quantity of gold dust, which he claimed was genuine but a registered goldsmith declared it fake.

The Prosecution said the gold dust was with the Assayer for analysis and final report.