The Circuit Court in Accra has granted a 44-year-old businessman, Anthony Appiah, bail in the sum of GH¢500,000 with two sureties, one of whom must earn not less than GH¢4,000 per month.
Appiah is facing a charge of defrauding by false pretence, contrary to Section 131(1) of the Criminal and Other Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).He has pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The prosecution, led by DSP Emmanuel Nyamekye, told the court that Appiah allegedly obtained GH¢480,000 from a businesswoman, Akosua Amankwaa, after falsely claiming that he had secured a distributorship contract with BEL-AQUA.
According to the charge sheet, the alleged offence occurred in May 2025 in Accra.
The prosecution said Appiah told the complainant that he had won a contract with BEL-AQUA and required US$50,000 to enable him to execute the deal.
He allegedly promised to refund the money within two weeks if the complainant assisted him with the funds. Relying on the representation, the complainant allegedly gave Appiah a total of GH¢480,000.
However, after the agreed two-week repayment period elapsed, Appiah allegedly failed to refund the money. The prosecution said the complainant subsequently contacted BEL-AQUA to verify the alleged distributorship contract.
Investigations, according to the prosecution, established that BEL-AQUA had neither awarded Appiah a distributorship contract nor entered into any business arrangement with him during the period in question or at any other time.
The prosecution further told the court that all efforts by the complainant to recover her money from Appiah proved unsuccessful. She subsequently petitioned the police for assistance, leading to investigations and the arrest of the accused.
The prosecution said investigations established that the representation made by Appiah concerning the BEL-AQUA contract was false. He was subsequently charged and arraigned before the Circuit Court in Accra. The case has been adjourned to October 20, 2026.
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