A mother and her son have been arraigned before the Accra Circuit Court 8 for allegedly defrauding a building contractor of GH¢155,000 under the pretext of selling him a parcel of land at Fise, near Amasaman in the Greater Accra Region.
The accused persons, Derrick William Nii Darko First-Quao, a data analyst and his mother, Salamatu Musah, a trader, were charged with three counts, conspiracy to commit a fraudulent transaction, grant of land without title, and defrauding by false pretence.
They both pleaded not guilty when they appeared before the court presided over by His Honour Jojo Amoah Hagan.
The court granted each of them GH¢200,000 bail with two sureties, to be justified with property. The prosecution was also directed to amend the third count to properly reflect the charge of defrauding by false pretence.
The case was adjourned to November 19, 2025.
Facts of the Case
According to the prosecution, led by ASP Emmanuel Haligah, the complainant, Joseph Kwamena Hagan, a building contractor residing at Abelemkpe in Accra, was introduced to the accused persons through a witness, Ernest Asuman, in November 2022.
The accused persons allegedly told the complainant that they owned a parcel of land at Fise, which they were offering for sale.
They took him to the site and identified it as their property, offering it to him for GH¢120,000. Convinced by their representation, Mr. Hagan paid the full amount and was issued receipts by the first accused person.
Subsequently, Derrick First-Quao prepared an indenture dated December 10, 2022, for the land in the complainant’s name.
However, when Mr. Hagan attempted to develop the property, another person claimed ownership and resisted him.
When confronted, the accused persons reportedly failed to provide a satisfactory explanation, but promised to relocate him to another parcel of land.
The complainant agreed and was moved to a different site after paying an additional GH¢35,000, bringing the total to GH¢155,000.
Again, when the complainant began constructing a fence wall around the new land, other claimants challenged his presence and drove him and his workers away.
Realising he had been defrauded, Mr. Hagan lodged a complaint with the police, leading to the arrest of the accused persons.
Investigations revealed that the land in question was legally assigned to one Boateng Asante Gyan in 2002 and duly registered at the Lands Commission under land certificate number GA.22509.
It was also established that the registered owner had leased the property to auto-mechanics operating there since 2002, confirming that the accused persons had no title to the land.
After investigations, they were charged and put before the court.
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