An Accra Circuit Court has granted bail to Emmanuel Mensah, a 35-year-old miner, setting the bail at GH₵25 million with four sureties, one of whom must be justified but not limited to landed property.
Mensah faces charges of conspiracy to commit fraud and defrauding by false pretenses, in violation of Sections 23(1) and 131(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
He is accused of conspiring with others to defraud two Rwandan nationals, Karera Michel Olivier and Mutagoma Leon, of GHC 56.8 million by promising to supply them with 58 kilograms of gold bars, which were later found to be fake.
Mensah’s lawyer, Emmanuel Narh, informed the court that his client turned himself in to the police upon learning he was wanted, which the His Honour Samuel Bright Acquah acknowledged as a sign of his willingness to appear for trial.
Case has been adjourned to 18th November, 2024.
Brief Fact
According to the prosecution, led by Chief Superintendent Augustine Yirinkye, the two Rwandan complainants were introduced to Mensah as a gold supplier in October 2024.
The complainants agreed to purchase 58 kilograms of gold at $81,000 per kilogram. Mensah reportedly took the complainants to a mining site, claiming ownership and promising to fulfill their order.
On October 24, 2024, during the transaction, Mensah and his accomplices arranged for one of the complainants, Olivier, to accompany Mensah to collect the payment, while the other, Leon, stayed with the accomplices to receive the gold bars.
After securing GHC 56.8 million from the complainants, Mensah allegedly arranged for 52 bars of fake gold to be handed over to Leon.
Unaware of the deception, Leon took the bars to a testing facility, where it was confirmed that the gold was counterfeit.
The complainants attempted to contact Mensah, who initially promised to resolve the matter before turning off his phone and disappearing. Mensah was eventually apprehended on November 4, 2024.
In his statement, he admitted receiving the funds but claimed to have handed them over to an accomplice, who is currently on the run.
A manhunt is ongoing to apprehend the remaining suspects involved in the scheme.
The investigation is still in progress.
