A businessman, Nana Ohene Djan Aggrey Bentil, was yesterday remanded in police custody by the Accra Circuit Court, for allegedly defrauding victims of GH¢1,780,000.00.
Nana Bentil is accused of defrauding by false pretences and selling cars worth GH¢1,780,000.00 to his customers without the consent of the owners.
The accused, who is the Director of N.O.B Djania Company Limited, pleaded not guilty to ten counts of forgery of official documents, issuing of false cheques and defrauding by false pretences.
His counsel, Emmanuel Acolatse, asked the court presided over by Mrs Afia Owusua Appiah, to admit his client to bail, because Nana Bentil was not a flight risk and would avail himself before the court for trial, if granted bail.
But, the prosecutor, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Kofi Anane, opposed the bail, and told the court that Bentil was a flight risk and that his (accused) place of abode was in doubt.
ASP Anane told the court that the accused was involved in a case before Circuit Court Two, and that it was during the pendency of the case that it came to light that the accused allegedly committed the crime.
The prosecution said that thecomplainant wasIddi Mohammed, a car dealer, who sells home used cars at Iddi Fix Garage located at Achimota, while the accused is a resident of Taifa, Accra.
ASP Anane said on June 13, 2022, the accused called Mohammed to enquire whether the complainant had luxury cars that accused could buy.
The court heard that Mohammed sent an unregistered Range Rover Sports 2018 model, which belongs to Edmund Ohene Kwaku, and an unregistered Toyota Tundra 2020 model to Bentil’s residence at Taifa, Accra, and accused requested to inspect them.
ASP Anane said the accused feigned interest in buying the two cars and also requested for additional cars from Mohammed.
The court heard that Bentil took twounregistered cars, Maserati and Range Rover Verla 2018 model from Faud Agoro, and feigned interest in buying the cars.
ASP Anane said the prices of the four cars were given as follows; GH¢560,000, GH¢370,000, GH¢560,000 and GH¢290,000, respectively, bringing the total number of cars to GH¢1,780,000.00.
He said the accused accepted to pay for all the four cars and demanded the complainant to hand over the original documents covering the cars for his bankers to evaluate them before payment would bemade.
ASP Anane said upon receipt of the original documents, the accused promised to return the documents after evaluation by his bankers.
He said the accused issued eight different postdated cheques to the complainant with different face values with the account name as N.O.B. Djania Company Bank, respectively to mature and withdrawn on June 17, 2022 and June 30, 2022 at ECOBANK and First Atlantic Bank.
ASP Anane said the accused, under the guise of evaluating the documents covering the four cars impersonated the importers of the cars.
He fraudulently registered the cars at 37 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) without the consent of the owners.
ASP Anane said the accused forged a transfer ownership letters in the name of Ohene Edmund Kwaku, the owner and importer of Range Rover Sports model 2018 and Elsrich Enterprise, the importer of the Range Rover Verla.
The prosecution said the change was effected and the two Range Rover cars were transferred to N.O.B Djania Company Limited.
ASP Anane said the accused sold two of the cars which were registered as GC 223-22 and GC 2238-22 respectively to one Hannah Agyei, the Director of Brollen Company Limited at GH¢250,000 and GH¢230,000.
According to prosecution, accused transferred ownership of the cars to the said company.
ASP Anana said accused also registered the Toyota Tundra as GC 2224-22 without the consent of the complainant and sold it out to one Chen Wei and transferred ownership to Chen Wei.
The prosecution said three out of the eight cheques were cleared and a total of GH¢500,000 was realised by the complainant.
ASP Anane said the complainant petitioned the Police Intelligence Directorate and the accused was arrested.
The court heard the accused told the police that he paid for the Maserati and promised to pay the complainant the outstanding balance.
The prosecutor told the court that the police intercepted the two Range Rover cars and impounded them at Tema Police Intelligence Directorate for further action.
BY MALIK SULLEMANA