Court remands self-styled businessman

A 30-year old self-styled Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MAF Construction and Loans Company Limited, who defrauded more than 120 people, under the pretext of granting them loans, has been remanded into police custody by the Agona Swedru Magistrate Court.

Matthew Frank   Asmah, the fake CEO, whose plea was not taken, is to re-appear in court on

He has been charged with 110 counts, and will be transferred to the Circuit Court on March 9, to answer charges preferred against him by the complainants.

Prosecuting, Sergeant Chara Nasir Salia, pleaded with the court, presided over by his Worship Isaac Appiatu, to remand the accused person for one week.

This, the prosecution said, would enable the Police to continue with their investigations, since more people who fell victim to the accused person, kept on coming to lodge their complaints.

Sgt Salia told the court that the accused person introduced himself to the Assemblies of God Church at Gomoa Aboso, Life of Salvation Church and World of Church International, all at Agona Swedru, and told the leaders and members that he was the CEO of MAF Construction and Loans Company Limited, and that he had been contracted to build a 1,000-capacity hostel by the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), and therefore needed artisans and labourers.

Based on the message from the accused person, over 120 carpenters, masons, electricians, steel burners, painters and labourers, rushed in their numbers to see him.

The prosecution said the accused person managed to collect 40 Ghana Cedis from each of them as processing fee, and this amounted to 7,240 Ghana Cedis, which he said, formed part of the recruitment.

Sgt Salia said the accused person also went round with HFC Bank, Ghana Commercial Bank and UNibank forms to convince church members under the pretext of giving them loans.

The prosecution stated that the accused person also collected 40 Ghana Cedis each from over 110 people, with the intention of offering loans from the aforementioned banks.

He said, after he had succeeded in defrauding them, the accused person went into hiding, but upon a tip-off, was arrested on February 9 at his hide-out at Apam in the Gomoa West district.