Jonas Akuaku Anthony, the young man facing trial for allegedly defrauding one Ahmed Harif Abdul to the tune of GH¢235,000 under the pretext of selling him gold, was yesterday remanded by an Accra Circuit Court.
Just when the case was called last week for hearing, the suspect collapsed in court.
Akuaku and three others, Owusu Patakari-Yeboah, Evans Sammy and a certain Alagba, a Nigerian, have been accused of collectively defrauding by false pretences.
They are also facing another count of swindling one Ahmed Harif Abdul to the tune of GH¢235,000 by falsely pretending that if the said amount was given to him, he could supply him with three kilograms of gold.
However, in a court presided over by Francis Obiri, Akuaku pleaded not guilty to the charge and was accordingly remanded into police custody to reappear on March 19.
Prosecuting, Chief Supt. Duuti Tuaruka said the complainant was an engineer who resides in Qatar, while the accused was a businessman in Ghana.
He said Harif Abdul decided to venture into the import and export of gold and was introduced by a Ghanaian friend who resides in Qatar to a cousin in Ghana by name Evans Apaflo Lamptey who lives at Community One, Tema.
Chief Supt Tuaruka stated that the said Lamptey, now a witness in the case, facilitated the process of buying the gold, adding that the complainant arrived at the Kotoka International Airport on February 2, at about 8:00pm.
According to him, Harif Abdul and the witness met Akuaku and three others, now at large, at the Accra Mall where an arrangement was reached for the complainant to purchase three kilograms of gold valued at GH¢235,000.
He further averred that as agreed, on February 2, at about 12:30pm, Harif Abdul and the witness again met Akuaku and three others at A.A Minerals located at Dzorwulu, Accra for the said gold to be assayed. Satisfied that the three kilogram-gold was genuine, the complainant gave GH¢235,000 to Akuaku and his accomplices as payment.
Chief Supt. Tuaruka added that when Harif Abdul took the gold to Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC), the gold turned out to be fake, noting that the complainant quickly reported the matter to the police leading to the arrest of the accused.
He assured that investigations were underway to apprehend the other suspects.