Accra, May 23, GNA – A land agent has been granted bail by an Accra Circuit Court in the sum of GHS100,000.00 with two sureties for conspiracy to commit crime and defrauding by false pretense.
Mr Kingford Okata, aged 52, was also charged with conspiracy to commit crime and fraudulent sale of land, which he pleaded not guilty too.
Meanwhile, Mr Samuel Jonathan Anum Oddoye, aged 57, businessman and Land Agent, was also charged with the same offences but failed to appear before the Court for his plea to be taken.
The Court therefore issued a bench warrant for his arrest.
The case has been adjourned to June 1, 2022.
Prosecuting Police Chief Inspector Maxwell Ayim told the Court presided over by Mrs Adelaide Abui Keddey that the complainant was Lawyer Akoto Ampaw and counsel for Bola Solution Ghana Limited.
The Prosecution said Mr Okata and Mr Oddoye (at large) were both Land Agents at Kitase near Aburi in the Eastern Region.
Police Chief Inspector Ayim said in 2018, Management of Bola Solution Ghana Limited, wanted about 600 acres of land for a Waste Energy Project.
The Prosecution said after a search, one Reverend Yeboah introduced the accused persons and other witnesses in the case as partners, who could assist in searching for a parcel of land.
Police Chief Inspector Ayim said the accused persons brought three separate site plans covering three parcels of land at Akuapem Mampong, Prampram/Dawhenya and Sege.
Management of Bola Solution Ghana Ltd and their foreign partners in United Kingdom visited the various parcels of land and selected the Prampram/Dawhenya land as suitable for the project.
The Prosecution said the Bola Solution Ghana Ltd started doing the necessary works with the various Districts, Municipal and Metropolitan Assemblies for supply of waste in the future when the project became operational.
Police Chief Inspector Ayim said within that period, Mr Oddoye (at large) with the power of Attorney introduced himself as the representative of Mr Nii Nartey Borboryor family of Dawhenya and negotiated for the price of the land on behalf of the family for GHS60,000.00 per an acre for the proposed 600 plots and terms of payment with the Bola Solution Ghana Ltd Management.
The Prosecution said Lawyer Ampaw requested for a proof of the ownership of the land from Mr Oddoye and he promised to produce same in a couple of days.
Police Chief Inspector Ayim said on September 5, 2020, the accused persons went to Lawyer Ampaw’s office at Adabraka, Accra and requested GHS150,000.00 for the surveying of the land, to enable a site plan to be prepared to cover the 600 acres of land and commitment on the part of Bola Solution GH Ltd to purchase the land.
The Prosecution said Lawyer Ampaw gave Oddoye an initial amount of GHS100,000.00 to produce a site plan with a land title certificate.
Mr Oddoye in the company of Mr Okata subsequently requested various sums of monies from the management of the company which were paid in both cash and Zenith Bank cheques to a total sum of GHS351,500.00.
Police Chief Inspector Ayim said the accused persons further made a false representation to Lawyer Ampaw that Mr Nii Nartey Borboryor’s family was pressuring them for the money and the land in question would be sold to Zoomlion Company instead.
Furthermore, the head of Mr Nii Nartey Borboryor’s family was dead, and the family needed money to perform the funeral rites.
Following these developments, Lawyer Ampaw became suspicious and conducted a survey on the land with the help of a drone with Mr Oddoye.
The Prosecution said before the survey, Oddoye took the company’s representative to one Frederick K. Nartey, whom he introduced as the new head of Borboryor’s family and indicated to him that, the Bola Solution GH Ltd team were the investors but failed to disclose the various sums of monies paid to him, which raised further suspicion.
Police Chief Inspector Ayim said the company’s representative eventually visited the purported land and found out that it had been occupied.
The Prosecution said Lawyer Ampaw later found out that the representation made by the accused persons was false and the head of Borboryor’s family was alive.
Police Chief Inspector Ayim said on May 22, 2022, Lawyer Ampaw made a report to the Police at the Regional CID, Accra and the accused person were arrested at Adabraka.
Investigation revealed that Mr Nii Nartey Borboryor’s family had about 200 acres of land at Prampram which they were willing to sell but not 600 acres as Mr Oddoyr made the management of the Bola Solution GH Ltd to believe.
Mr Oddoye also gave the family of Mr Nii Nartey Borboryor GHS20,000.00 out of the GHS351,500.00 he took from the company.
The Prosecution said Mr Oddoye further gave Mr Okata GHS26,000.00, Nana Osei Ntiful 1 GHS4,000.00, Isaac Danso, a.k.a “Nkasei” GHS6,000.00 and David Sepro Kumuriwo GHS6,000.00, all witnesses in the case who rendered some services to Mr Oddoye.
Police Chief Inspector Ayim said during investigation, Mr Okata refunded GHS26,000.00, the others mentioned also refunded theirs, including the head of Mr Nii Nartey Borboryor’s family GHS20,000.00, totaling GHS65,000.00.