A 54-year-old Senior Forester, Frank Kofi Frempong, has been sentenced to seven years imprisonment for defrauding Sheik Dr. Amin Bonsu and the Ghana Muslim Mission off the total sum of GH¢6,626,000.00.
The convict defrauded Sheik Dr. Amin Bonsu off the amount of GH¢1,500.000, and the Ghana Muslim Mission and another GH¢5,126,000.
Frank was sentenced into prison on Monday, November 14, 2022, by an Accra Circuit Court, presided over by Evelyn Asamoah, after being found guilty on two counts of defrauding by false pretence. The convict would be serving seven years on each count to run concurrently.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Evans Kesse.
Facts of the case
According ASP Kesse, Stephen Nana Adjei, a businessman, and Sheik Dr. Amin Bonsu (1st complainant) is a Medical Practitioner, while Frank Kofi Frempong is a Senior Forester, who resides at Coastal Estate, Tema.
He said during the year 2010, the convict came into contact with Dr. Amin Bonsu at Dome Railway Crossing, Accra, and while they were having a conversation Frank introduced himself as a Senior Forester who was in charge of a Tree Plantation Project funded by the United Nations and World Bank.
ASP Kesse added that the convict further stated that he was the head of the project in Ghana, and gave Dr. Amin tutorials about how the project was handled.
He continued that the convict managed to convince the 1st complainant into believing that the project was viable to invest in.
The prosecutor further indicated that the 1st complainant informed Stephen (2nd complainant) about the project, and later scheduled a meeting with the convict.
He said the complaints became interested and upon hearing that the project was viable, the convict convinced them to use their land situated at Nkodua in the Ashanti Region for the project, which they did.
Additionally, the convict informed them that the financial support from United Nations and World Bank comes after the project had commenced, and suggested that they plant Moringa.
Based on these directives, the project was started in the year 2015, and he promised that after three months the United Nations and World Bank would refund the pre-financed costs incurred.
Unfortunately, after three months, he started giving excuses that the entire project was geared towards poverty alleviation, and requested that the Ghana Muslim Mission be informed of the benefits so that it could take advantage of it.
The prosecutor added that the complainants, who were also members of the Ghana Muslim Mission, informed other members and the convict later went with them to educate the members on the project.
The convict was able to convince them to invest for dividends and demanded that deposits be made into CAL Bank account numbers 0021010539417 and 0051020539414, Independence Avenue Branch in the name of Vision 2050 Forestry (GH) Limited.
The convict further convinced the complainants and other witnesses that the amount invested would be deposited in an Escrow Account.
“Under the same pretext, accused deceived complainant to part with cash in the sum of GH¢1,500,000.00 towards the use, [and] within the same period took various sums of money totaling…from [the] first complainant and other members of the Ghana Muslim,” he said.
According to him, the complainants, after sometime, detected that they had been defrauded. They approached the convict who promised to refund the amounts collected.
Interestingly, he issued a Cal Bank cheque Numbers 000354 dated 20/04/2017 with a face value of US$50,000.00 dated 20/06/2017 with a face value of GH¢400,000.00 and another dated 20/06/2017 with a face value of GH¢400,000.00 and a UMB cheque No.571893 with a face value of GH¢100,000.00 to be withdrawn from the various branches by the complainants.
All the cheques were returned for lack of funds in the accounts, and the convict was accordingly informed, but he failed to resolve the issue.
The complaints then made a formal report to police and the convict was arrested.
After the arrest, the convict refunded GH¢78,000.00 before being arraigned before the court.
