A military personnel, Dorcas Owusuaa, has allegedly been deceived by a businessman, Wisdom Kumordzi, to pay GH¢70,000 to be given to Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa to make her Municipal Chief Executive (MCE).
The 43-year-old businessman allegedly lured the military personnel to give him the said amount on January 16, 2023, at Burma Camp.
Kumordzi allegedly took a total amount of GH¢295,000.00 from the personnel under the claim of sharing it with others, including the Inspector General of Police, and the heads of EOCO, CID, GRA, National Security, NIB, and the Governor of the Bank of Ghana and his Secretary, to release his locked up funds at the Central Bank.
Part of the money, GH¢70,000, was given to Kumordzi to purchase two plots of land at Agyiriganor.
Kumordzi has been charged with 10 counts of defrauding by false pretences, but he pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.
He was put before an Accra Circuit Court, presided over by Samuel Bright Acquah, yesterday.
The court has remanded the accused for two weeks in police custody.
Narrating the facts of the case to the court, the prosecuting officer, Chief Inspector Daniel Danku, said the military personnel reported the accused to the police on April 15, 2023.
He said, on September 2022, the accused person took various sums of money amounting to GH¢295,000.00 under the pretext of buying her a plot of land at Agyiriganor, and also to settle the above-mentioned personalities to release his monies locked up at the Bank of Ghana.
The court was told that the military lady gave the accused GH¢15,000 to be given to the Commissioner-General of GRA (Ghana Revenue Authority), GH¢15,000 to the Secretary to the Governor of BoG (Bank of Ghana), GH¢20,000 to the Director of the Economic Organise Crime Office (EOCO), GH¢20,000 to the Governor of BoG, and GH¢50,000 to the National Security boss.
She also gave GH¢12,000 to be given to the IGP (Inspector General of Police), GH¢10,000 for the Director of CID (Criminal Investigation Department), and GH¢13,000 for the NIB (National Intelligence Bureau) boss.
The monies were given to the accused on November 15, and 18, 2022, December 2, and 5, 2022, and February 1 and 9, 2023, respectively.
In a nutshell, the accused used six months to collect the various sums of money from the complainant under false pretences, the court was told.
The court heard that the accused, after collecting the said money, started playing hide and seek with the complainant till she lured him to the Cantonments Police Station, where he was arrested.
The accused allegedly admitted collecting the said monies from the complainant, but explained that it was a business transaction between him and his supposed wife.
C/Insp. Danku added that the accused pleaded with the police to be given some time to refund the money to the complainant.
So far, the accused has paid GH¢110,000.00 to the police, which has been handed over to the complainant upon a request.
