The Accra Circuit Court has ordered a 47-year-old businessman to refund GH¢130,000 he collected from a freight forwarder on the pretext of securing him a land.
Mohammed Mustapha Huseine, collected the money from Mr Frank Atoabi, but failed to secure the land for him as he (Huseine) did not have title to the one-acre land in question.
Huseine, denied the offence, but was found guilty, and in addition to refunding the GH¢139,000, the court fined him GH¢7,200, in default he would serve four years imprisonment in hard labour, for fraudulent sale of land.
Police Chief Inspector Gulliver Kwabena Tenkorang told the court that Mr Atoabi, the complainant, was a freight forwarder, residing at Amrahia, near Accra, and Huseine, the convict, a businessman residing at Madina, also near Accra. Prosecution said in January 2018, Huseine told the complainant that he (convict) had land for sale.
Chief Insp Tenkorang said convict took complainant to a site at Amrahia, and demarcated an acre land to him (Atoabi) at serve four years imprisonment in hard labour, for fraudulent sale of land.
Police Chief Inspector Gulliver Kwabena Tenkorang told the court that Mr Atoabi, the complainant, was a freight forwarder, residing at Amrahia, near Accra, and Huseine, the convict, a businessman residing at Madina, also near Accra. Prosecution said in January 2018, Huseine told the complainant that he (convict) had land for sale.
Chief Insp Tenkorang said convict took complainant to a site at Amrahia, and demarcated an acre land to him (Atoabi) at (claimant) demanded GH¢240,000 for land.
Chief Insp Tenkorang said complainant told the convict that he could not afford such amount and demanded refund of his money. Prosecution said convict told the complainant that he had another land at Adenta Animal Research, for replacement of the old land. Chief Insp Tenkorang said Huseine gave complainant another land at the Animal Research, but anytime complainant wanted to visit the land, he was denied access to the land. The court heard that convict failed to issue land documents to complainant to enable him develop the land.
Chief Insp Tenkorang said the complainant reported the case to the police on January 4, 2021, leading to the arrest of Huseine.
The prosecution said Huseine in his cautioned statement, stated that he acquired the land in 2006 from the Akatamanso Stool.
But, the court heard that investigations revealed that convict did not acquire any plot from Akatamanso Stool.
Chief Insp Tenkorang said a search conducted showed that the land belonged to the Animal Research, and that no part of that land had been released to any family. —GNA