An Estate Developer, Mahmoud Abdul Razak, and a trader, Mohammed Shani Addul Rahman, are before court for allegedly duping an oil merchant, Michael Aryee Ayitey, off the amount of US$100,000 in a land deal.
The Accra Circuit Court, presided over by Samuel Bright Acquah, has granted the estate developer bail in the sum of GH¢400,000.00 with one surety who is a citizen of Ghana and has a fixed place of abode within the jurisdiction of the court, whereas Razak was remanded into police custody.
The court granted Mahmoud bail on health grounds, saying the accused needed to be fit and alive to stand trial. However, it stated that the bail could be rescinded when he got well.
Mahmoud and Mohammed were put before the court on November 7, 2022, on the charges of conspiracy to commit a crime and defrauding by false pretence, and were remanded into police custody until Monday when the court granted the former bail on health challenges.
Nonetheless, both accused persons have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Facts of the case
According to the police prosecuting officer, DSP Augustine Yirenkyi, the complainant, Michael Aryee Ayitey, is an Oil Merchant staying at Lashibi, and the accused, Mahmoud Abdul Razak, is an Estate Developer residing at Spintex, whilst Mohammed Shani Abdul Rahman is a trader, living at Lashibi, all in Accra.
He said on October 26, 2022, the accused persons and one Awal Alhassan (now at large) posed themselves to the complainant as owners of eight plots of land located at Lashibi.
The complainant, who was interested in acquiring the land, negotiated to buy the property at the cost of US$100,000.00.
It was narrated to the court that the accused persons took the complainant to Awal Alhassan’s residence at Sakumono, and agreed to sell the land to the complainant.
Based the agreement, the complainant paid US$100,000.00 to the accused persons and was issued a temporary receipt of payment.
The accused persons assured the complainant that they would prepare an official receipt for him the next day, October 27, 2022, which they never did and went into hiding.
Meanwhile, when the complainant visited the land on October 27, 2022, he got to know that the accused persons were not the owners.
The complainant reported the issue to the police and Mahmoud and Mohammad were arrested for investigation, whilst Awal Alhassan is on the run.
The court was told that the police were still investigating the case.
The court adjourned the next hearing to November 21.
