Married couple granted GH₵3 bail for defrauding by false pretense

A husband and wife accused of defrauding a victim of GH¢1,663,200.00 by false pretense, have been granted GH¢3 million bail by an Accra Circuit Court.

Ms Vera Nartey also known as (aka) ‘Akosua Kyerewaah,’ a 47-year-old businesswoman, and Mr Nosah Ekhator, a 40-year-old businessman, collected GH¢1,663,200.00 from to sell a building to the victim, but failed to fulfill their promise.

The accused are on a GH¢1.5 million bail each with three sureties each and were ordered to report once a week to the police.

The court presided over by Mr Samuel Bright Acquah asked that one of the sureties should be justified with landed property and the other two others should be civil servants, earning not less than GH¢2000.00 a month.

The accused were ordered by the court to deposit their passport size picture and a photocopy of their valid ID cards at the registry.

The married couple, who are jointly held for conspiracy to commit crime and defrauding by false pretence, pleaded not guilty.

Police Inspector Moses Soadzedey, prosecuting, told the court that complainant, Mr Godwin Kwame Avadu Donkor, was a businessman, and resided at Adenta, while the accused are married couple and residents of East Legon, Accra.

The court heard that in January,this year, the complainant contacted the accused to buy a house.

Insp Soadzedey said accused told the complainant that they had a four-bedroom storey building at East Legon, which they wanted to sell at USD290,000.00.

Prosecution said later accused took the complainant to East Legon and showed him the apartment which they were offering for sale.

Insp Soadzedey said complainant paid GH¢c1,663,200.00 to the accused towards the purchase of the apartment, but the married couple failed to fulfil their promise and re-sold the house to one Emmanuel.

Prosecution said the complainant reported the case to the police and when accused were arrested,they admitted collecting GH¢1,663,200.00 from complainant to sell an apartment, but they failed to do so.

Insp Soadzedey said accused promised to refund the money to the complainant but they failed to comply with the promise.

The court adjourned the case to October 27. -GNA