A Pensioner, Roland Ababio, is facing allegations of impersonating his late brother, Ephraim Asante, to fraudulently sell a plot of land, leaving the buyer out of pocket.
Ababio, along with alleged accomplice, Kwame Gyane Ababio, has been charged before the Accra Circuit Court with conspiracy to defraud and defrauding by false pretence.
The two reportedly convinced a Civil Servant, Eric Kotey, to purchase land at Teshie, falsely claiming it belonged to the late Ephraim Asante.
According to police prosecutor, Chief Inspector Princess Tetteh Boafo, Roland allegedly posed as his deceased brother to facilitate the sale, with Kwame acting as an intermediary.
Eric Kotey was allegedly deceived into making a down payment of GH¢250,000 on the property, with an agreed total price of GH¢450,000.
Kwame appeared in court on Wednesday, November 13, 2024 and pleaded not guilty. Judge Susana Eduful granted him bail of GH¢200,000 requiring two sureties, who must prove ownership of property equal to the bail amount.
The court also ordered that the original title documents be held at the Registry until the case is resolved.
Roland Ababio, however, failed to appear, leaving Judge Eduful to issue a bench warrant for his arrest.
Chief Inspector Boafo reported that in November 2021, Kwame initially introduced himself to Kotey, claiming his “uncle” Ephraim Asante was selling a parcel of land. Kwame later introduced Kotey to Roland, who falsely posed as Ephraim Asante.
Roland allegedly confirmed this identity, authorising Kwame to negotiate the sale on his behalf, saying he would soon depart for the United States.
After agreeing on the price, Kotey transferred the initial payment of GH¢250,000 to Kwame’s UBA bank account.
However, when Kotey revisited the property, he found that Kwame had started developing the land for another family member.
When questioned, Kwame allegedly could not provide a reasonable answer, prompting Kotey to report the incident to the police in May 2022.
Investigations revealed that the land originally belonged to Ephraim Asante, who passed away in 2016.
Prosecution alleged that Roland and Kwame exploited Ephraim’s death to impersonate him and sell the land, collecting GH¢250,000 from Kotey. Part of the land had also been registered under another entity, Daraja Properties, since 2020.
During the investigation, Kwame refunded GH¢130,000 which was returned to Kotey. Both men have now been charged with conspiracy and fraud, with their next court date set for December 18, 2024.
Judge Eduful directed the prosecution to disclose evidence and submit witness statements ahead of the hearing.
