A 41-year-old trader, Jeffery Owusu, has been remanded for allegedly defrauding a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) off an amount of US$15,000.00.
The accused, who is a resident of Speiman in the Greater Accra Region, was remanded yesterday by an Accra Circuit Court, presided over by Halima El-Alawa-Abdul Baasit.
The accused has been slapped with the offence, defrauding by false pretences, but has pleaded not guilty.
The court was told by the prosecution that the DCOP was allegedly swindled by the trader in July 2016, while offering a Caterpillar D343 generator plant valued at $15,000.00 for sale.
Whist looking for a buyer, the senior police officer was introduced to the accused who said he had a client who was ready to buy the plant.
The court was told that the DCOP (complainant) released the generator to the accused to show it to his client for inspection.
The court was told that after the accused received the generator, he failed to return it and went into hiding.
On February 20, 2017, the complainant reported the case to the police and the accused was arrested.
The accused admitted the offence in his cautioned statement and pleaded with the police that he would return the generator or the money to the complainant.
As a result, the accused was released on police enquiry bail with the promise of returning the generator or the money, which failed and who also went into hiding.
The prosecutor indicated that all efforts made by the police to trace the accused person to his hideout proved futile, and a forfeiture bond was served on the surety to provide the accused, which also fell on deaf ears.
Interestingly, on March 27, 2023, a similar case was made against the accused and the new complainant led the police to arrest him at his hideout.
The prosecutor said that during interrogation the accused stated that he had sold the said Caterpillar D343 generator plant to one Alhaji Dramani Wayo in Kumasi and led the police to arrest the said buyer.
Unfortunately, the said Alhaji Dramani Wayo was nowhere to be found, and when the police invited him on phone, he allegedly bluntly said that he would he never report to any police.
The prosecutor said after investigations the accused was charged with the offence and put before the court.
The court has also issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Alhaji Dramani Wayo.
The case is adjourned to April 26, 2023.
