Mercy Lilian Danquah, a 41-year-old civil servant, has been arraigned before the Circuit Court in Accra for allegedly conspiring with a contractor, Kofi Agyei Asante, to defraud her former schoolmate, Issah Abdullah, of GH¢360,000.
She pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to defraud and defrauding by false pretense.
Presiding over the case, Her Honour Susana Eduful granted Ms. Danquah bail in the sum of GH¢100,000, with two sureties earning no less than GH¢2,000 monthly.
A bench warrant has been issued for the arrest of her alleged accomplice, Mr. Asante, a 47-year-old contractor.
The case has been adjourned to January 28, 2025.
The prosecution revealed that the complainant, Issah Abdullah, a businessman from Nungua, had known Ms. Danquah since their time as classmates at Nungua Senior High School in 2004.
On June 13, 2024, Ms. Danquah reportedly convinced Mr. Abdullah that she and her accomplice needed laptops for a customer.
During their discussions, Mr. Abdullah spoke with Mr. Asante, who assured him over the phone that payment for the laptops would be made within two weeks.
Trusting these claims, Mr. Abdullah supplied 40 Dell laptops valued at GH¢360,000.
However, neither Ms. Danquah nor Mr. Asante fulfilled their payment obligations.
After repeated unsuccessful attempts to retrieve the money, Mr. Abdullah reported the matter to the Nungua Police Station on August 29, 2024.
Following her arrest, Ms. Danquah admitted transferring the laptops to Mr. Asante.
She refunded GH¢50,000 and requested more time to settle the remaining GH¢310,000, but no further payment was made.
Dissatisfied with the progress of the case, Mr. Abdullah petitioned the Greater Accra Regional Police Command, leading to Mr. Asante’s arrest on November 4, 2024.
Investigations uncovered that the duo had no customer for the laptops, contrary to their claims. Instead, they allegedly sold the laptops and split the proceeds.
Mr. Asante refunded GH¢50,000 to the police during the investigation.
Both accused are expected to reappear in court in January 2025 as the case progresses.
