Oscar Zowonu, a 72-year-old unemployed man, has been arraigned before the Dansoman Circuit Court for allegedly defrauding a banker and a businessman of GH¢1,050,000 under the pretence of selling a plot of land he had already lost in a civil court case.
Zowonu, who pleaded not guilty to the charge of defrauding by false pretence, was granted bail in the sum of GH¢100,000 with three sureties.
Two of the sureties are to be justified and the third must be a civil servant earning not less than GH¢5,000 monthly.
Presiding over the case, Her Honour Basilia Adjei-Tawiah, in a Friday hearing, ordered the accused to deposit all his travel documents, including his Ghanaian passport, with the court registry.
Zowonu is also to report to the case investigator once every two weeks.
Flight Risk Concerns
Chief Inspector Christopher Wonder, the prosecuting officer, objected to bail, citing the accused as a flight risk.
He told the court that the Adenta Circuit Court had earlier issued a bench warrant for Zowonu’s arrest after he failed to comply with court orders in a previous criminal trial.
According to the prosecution multiple attempts to arrest him had been unsuccessful.
C/Insp. Wonder argued that releasing Zowonu could provide him with another opportunity to evade justice or commit further crimes.
However, the defence counsel pleaded for leniency, asserting that the accused was of advanced age and not a flight risk.
The Alleged Fraud
According to the brief facts of the case, the complainants, Eunice Boateng, a banker, and Baffour Asamoah, a businessman, were allegedly defrauded by Zowonu under the false promise of selling them an unencumbered plot of land located at Kwabenya.
In 2024, the accused allegedly assured the two that, upon payment of GH¢1,050,000, he would transfer ownership of the said land to them.
However, it later emerged that the property was already the subject of a legal judgment in favour of another individual.
Investigations revealed that in 2020, Zowonu had been arrested by the Kwabenya Police for defrauding one Silace Sonfack of US$175,000. During the ensuing civil case, Zowonu ceded the same Kwabenya property to Sonfack in partial settlement of the defrauded amount.
Sonfack and his legal team later won a judgment and successfully attached the property.
Despite the pending legal complications, Zowonu allegedly sold the land again in 2024 to the current complainants for GH¢1,207,500 out of which GH¢1,050,000 was paid up front.
After receiving the money, the accused reportedly went into hiding and began evading trial at the Adenta Circuit Court, prompting a bench warrant for his arrest. He was eventually apprehended by the Greater Accra Regional Police Command.
During interrogation, Zowonu allegedly mentioned accomplices, and police say investigations are ongoing to arrest them.
The case has been adjourned to October 13, 2025.
