An Accra Circuit Court has granted bail to 51-year-old trader, Solomon Okuley, in the sum of GH₵ 1 million with two sureties, each required to earn no less than GH₵ 5,000 per month.
The court, presided over by Her Honour Susana Eduful, further directed that one of the sureties must be an immediate family member of Okuley.
Additionally, he was ordered to deposit his passport at the court registry until the final determination of the case.
Okuley, who pleaded not guilty, has been charged with defrauding by false pretence contrary to Section 131(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
He is accused of defrauding Anthony Kojo Ababio of GHC 800,000 under the pretext of helping him clear a debt owed to the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
The prosecution was directed to file all disclosures and witness statements in accordance with legal procedures.
Meanwhile, the court has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Okuley’s alleged accomplice, Collins Amoah, who is currently at large.
The case has been adjourned to February 3,2025 for CMC.
Background of the Case
The case involves businessman Anthony Kojo Ababio, who resides in Madina, Accra, and the accused persons—Solomon Okuley, a trader from Osu, and Collins Amoah, New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate who lost the primaries in 2024 and is currently at large.
According to Chief Inspector Teye Okuffo, in June 2024, the complainant, Ababio, came into contact with the accused persons. They allegedly convinced him to hand over GHC 800,000 to facilitate the clearing of his debt at the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) through the second accused’s political connections.
Trusting their claim, Ababio gave them the money in the presence of witnesses, expecting them to settle his debt. However, after receiving the funds, the accused persons failed to fulfill their promise and began avoiding the complainant.
By December 28, 2024, after months of unsuccessful attempts to reach them, Ababio realized he had been defrauded and reported the matter to the police. That same day, Okuley was arrested.
During questioning, he allegedly admitted that they had taken the GHC 800,000 but claimed that the second accused had taken GHC 650,000 for his personal political activities instead of paying the complainant’s GRA debt.
Investigations revealed that the accused persons misappropriated the entire amount for their personal and political interests.
