Police arrest 3 over fake currency, fraud, theft

 Benjamin Ay­idzoe, a Photo Lab­oratory Technician, has been arrested by the police for possessing fake local and foreign currencies, at Adenta, Accra.

When the police searched Ayid­zoe’s house, they found a money printing machine in a Toyota Sa­loon car with registration number GR 1830-22.

They also found three “Ghana Must Go” bags full of Ghanaian currency of different denomina­tions, suspected to be fake, a large quantity of suspected fake $100 notes and a blue safe.

The police retrieved 22 shining metals, suspected to be fake gold and black pieces of paper cut in the form of currencies.

Ayidzoe appeared before the Accra Circuit Court, charged with two counts of possessing forged currency notes, including bundles of $100 notes.

Ayidzoe, Kingston Jaweah, a 39-year-old administrator, and Foday Kromah, a businessperson, are facing additional charges of conspiracy to wit defrauding by false pretences, defrauding by false pretences and stealing.

They have pleaded not guilty to the charges, and the court presided over by Mrs Evelyn Asamoah has remanded them into police custody.

Although their respective counsels prayed for bail, the court declined the request, saying they did not have a permanent place of abode.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Maxwell Oppong op­posed the bail application because investigations were underway.

The court heard that the police would take the exhibits for fo­rensic examination, and that the police would also consult the Bank of Ghana, and extend investiga­tions to Liberia.

The prosecution said that the complainant is a student and friend to Ali Nabil Hamidi, a Brazilian.

ASP Oppong said Jaweah and Kromah were Liberians and Ayid­zoe, a Ghanaian.

Prosecution said in November, 2022, the complainant’s friend, Hamidi, travelled to Liberia and bought 10kg of gold at the cost of $200,000 from Karama, a friend of Jaweah.

ASP Oppong said on Novem­ber 3, this year, the complainant’s friend Hamidi, came to Ghana with the 10kg gold.

The court heard that when Hamidi arrived in Ghana, he was arrested by an official of the Gha­na Immigration Service for being an illegal immigrant.

While the Immigration Officer was speaking to his colleague, Jaweah and Kromah approached Hamidi and told him they were government officials in charge of gold export at the airport.

The prosecution said Ayid­zoe also entered his car and showed Hamidi the gold.

ASP Oppong said the three accused collected $5,230 from Ha­midi to clear a bill on the 10 kg of gold at the airport and hand over the gold to a pilot of Emirates Airline to taken to Dubai.

The prosecution said accused had asked Hamidi to board the flight to Dubai and that they were going to use the money they had collected to pay for the gold.

ASP Oppong said when Hamidi arrived in Dubai, he did not get the gold, and called the com­plainant, who reported the matter to the police and Jaweah was arrested.

The court said Jaweah men­tioned Kromah and Ayidzoe as his accomplices.

ASP Oppong said when Kro­mah was arrested at a hotel, at Mc­Carthy Hills, and during a search, $1,002 was found.

The court said Ayidzoe was arrested at the A&C Mall and escorted to his house at Adenta where the police retrieved $1,800 from Ayidzoe, who said that was his share of money collected from Hamid.