[ad_1]
An Accra circuit court yesterday granted bail to Martin Kuudening Delle, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of DKM Diamond Microfinance Company, and three others standing trial for fraud.
The three other accused persons—Monica Afriyie popularly called Maame Korkor; Nortey Noel, both Directors of God Is Love Fun Club and Charles Asum, Director of Jastar Motors and Investments Company Limited—are believed to have taken various sums of money from several depositors of their schemes.
The court, presided over by Aboagye Tandoh, admitted the accused persons to bail after Benony Tony Amekudzi, lawyer for Afriyie, Noel and Asum, had made a passionate appeal for bail.
Civil Case
Mr Amekudzi, popularly called Amicus Curie, argued that the case was purely a civil matter which had been made to look like a criminal one.
According to the lawyer known for his popular ‘amicus curie’ stunt in the 2012 election petition hearing, his clients had been displayed on television screens with handcuffs on their hands.
This, in the view of counsel, constituted a breach of the rights of the accused persons.
Bail
The trial judge admitted Afriyie and Noel to a bail of GH¢50 million each with five sureties, two to be justified.
They were each required to make a security deposit of GH¢5 million.
.
Asum was bailed in the sum of GH¢20 million with three sureties, two to be justified, and is expected to make a GH¢2 million security deposit.
Martin Delle, who is said to be the son of Convention People’s Party (CPP) National Chairman Dr Edmund Delle, was granted bail in the sum of GH¢80 million, four sureties, two to be justified and was required to make GH¢6 million security deposit.
The accused persons are to report to the BNI every Thursday until the conditions are varied by the court.
It’s not clear if they were able to meet the bail conditions as their lawyers argued that they were too harsh and threatened to go to a higher court for review.
Sitting has been adjourned until February 11, 2015.
The accused persons have variously denied the charge of fraudulent breach of trust.
In the case of Delle, he was alleged to have dishonestly appropriated GH¢40,000 belonging to one Kwaku Charles.
Facts
The police say the accused persons, by the same modus operandi, informed their various prospective clients that when they deposited monies in their various companies they would be given a 50% interest at the end of every three months.
Based on the assurance, the complainants deposited various sums of money but at the end of the said three months, when the complainants went to their respective companies, they realised that their monies had been locked up, with the whereabouts of the operators unknown.
They were subsequently arrested in the course of investigations. It was revealed that Afriyie and Noel, through the same modus operandi, succeeded in taking deposits from several customers worth GH¢100 million; Asum, GH¢20 million and Delle GH¢80 million.
By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson
[ad_2]