A Deputy Director at the Ghana Geological Survey Authority, Innocent Kakateche, alias Honourable, has been accused together with a tiler, Charles Bijabe, and nurse at the Ridge Hospital, Gideon Tigah, with fraud.
The accused persons were put before the Accra Circuit Court ‘9’, presided over by Samuel Bright Acquah, yesterday. They are standing trial for attempting to commit a crime, to wit defrauding by false pretences, and defrauding by false pretenses.
Charles, aged 28 years, pleaded guilty to attempt to commit a crime, and not guilty to defrauding by false pretences. Gideon, 33, and Innocent, 52, pleaded not guilty to both counts.
The court has granted the Geological Deputy Director and the nurse bail in the sum of GH¢50,000 with two sureties, who are civil servants and earning not less than GH¢2,000 a month each.
Mr. Acquah remanded Charles into police custody and deferred his sentence on the basis that at the time of taking his plea, he had no counsel to represent him.
He encouraged Charles, who is the first accused (A1), to contract a lawyer before the next adjourned date, February 8, 2023.
The facts
According the prosecuting officer, Assistant Superintendant of Police (ASP) Maxwell Oppong, the complainant in the case is one Hector Menero Camara, a Spanish National.
He said somewhere in October 2022, one Javier Henerr, a friend of the complainant, who also lives in Spain, informed him that he was undertaking a gold business in Ghana and needed him to check the genuineness of the gold before he made payment.
Javier Henerr gave the details of Charles to the complainant as someone who was rich and delt in gold in Accra, the capital of Ghana.
ASP Oppong added that on December 10, 2022, Charles sent a Whatsapp message to the complainant introducing himself as Doctor Charles, who worked at the Ridge Hospital, adding “the 1st accused also sent the photograph of Hon. Francis Manu Adabor, the member of Parliament for Ahafo Ano South-East Constituency of the Ashanti Region, as a gold dealer and the owner of the said gold, which turned out to be false.”
He added that a witness in the case became suspicious and alerted the Police Intelligence Directorate of Charles’ activities.
Therefore, on January 19, 2023, the complainant informed Charles that the person to buy the gold had arrived in Ghana, so the accused persons arranged to meet the complainant and his people at his office at the Ghana Geological Survey Authority, where they had been having meeting.
He stated that Charles sent their location to the complainant and later changed the venue of the meeting to the Movenpick Hotel.
Charles and Innocent gave an excuse to the complainant as to why they would not turn up for the meeting, and introduced the nurse to him as Doctor Gideon and the one who would be representing them at the meeting, and to confirm whether indeed the buyer was a Whiteman.
The court was informed that in the course of the meeting, personnel from the Police Intelligence Directorate arrested Gideon, who also mentioned Charles and Innocent as his accomplices.
He added that Charles was lured to the Movenpick Hotel and was arrested, and Innocent was arrested and handed over to the Accra Regional CID.
ASP Oppong added that the accused persons were charged with the offence and brought before the court.
Innocent’s counsel, Eleelis Acquah, while praying the court for bail, said the Geological Deputy Director was a victim of circumstance, and assured the court that in the course of the trial the truth would come out.
