A 49-year-old businessman, Bernard Aboagye, has been granted bail by the Dansoman Circuit Court after being charged with defrauding by false pretence in a case involving the alleged fraudulent acquisition of ginger worth GH¢68,400.
The court, presided over by Her Honour Halimah El-Alawa Abdul-Baasit, granted bail in the sum of GH¢80,000 with three sureties. The sureties must be public servants earning not less than GH¢5,000 monthly and residing within the court’s jurisdiction.
Aboagye is also required to surrender his Ghana Card to the court registry and report to the police once a week.
According to the prosecution, the complainant, Adam Abdulai, a ginger trader from Bonsu Nkwanta in the Western North Region, connected with the accused through the JWI app in March 2025. Aboagye reportedly expressed interest in purchasing 100 bags of ginger.
Abdulai subsequently transported 18 bags of ginger to the Agbogbloshie market in Accra on May 19, where he met Aboagye to finalize the transaction. They settled on a price of GH¢3,800 per bag, amounting to GH¢68,400.
However, events took a turn when Abdulai briefly left to perform his prayers at a nearby mosque. Upon his return, the ginger had vanished.
Investigations later revealed that Aboagye had sold the ginger to a third party and issued a Prudential Bank cheque for the full amount. Abdulai, however, refused the cheque and requested a cash payment instead. Aboagye assured him the cheque would clear the next business day.
When the two went to the Prudential Bank branch at Kingsway on May 20, they were informed that the cheque could not be processed due to restrictions on third-party transactions.
Aboagye then attempted to lead Abdulai to Tema, claiming he could locate the buyer. However, he failed to provide any verifiable information, admitting that his communication with the buyer had been solely by phone.
Efforts by police to trace the purported buyer and an accomplice have so far been unsuccessful. Authorities are collaborating with telecom companies to track down the individuals involved.
Aboagye has pleaded not guilty to the charge of defrauding by false pretence, an offence under section 131 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
Chief Inspector Christopher Wonder is expected to submit disclosure documents and witness statements ahead of the Case Management Conference scheduled for July 27, 2025.
