An Accra Circuit Court, presided over by His Honour Samuel Bright Acquah, has granted bail to a trader, Stowel Mante, also known as Yaw, in the sum of GHC 300,000.
The bail comes with three sureties, one of which must be justified.
As part of the bail conditions, Mante is required to report to the police station once a week and deposit his travel documents at the court registry.
Mante, 47, faces charges of Defrauding by False Pretence in violation of Section 131(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
According to court documents, between 2020 and 2022, Mante allegedly defrauded two individuals under false pretenses:
He allegedly obtained £31,000 from Gloria Nyarko Badu by falsely claiming he would use the funds to develop her plot of land.
He also allegedly received GHC 100,000 from Sylvia Owusu Badu, claiming the money would be used to purchase three plots of land on her behalf.
Investigations revealed that Mante had no intention of fulfilling these promises at the time they were made.
The case has been adjourned to January 20, 2025, for further proceedings.
The prosecutor, Superintendent Yirenkyi, told the court that both complainants Gloria Nyarko Takyi and Sylvia Owusu Badu are both professional nurses domiciled in the United Kingdom but are Ghanaian citizens, whilst the accused person Stowel Mante alias Yaw is also a trader and a resident of
Dome in the Greater Accra.
Between the year 2020 and 2022, both complainants who knows and trusted the accused person for years Sent him monies amounting to £31,000.00pounds and GHC100, 000.00 respectively through electronic transfers to be used to develop lands for complainant Gloria Nyarko Takyi at Oyibi and Kokrobite precisely.
In respect of complainant Sylvia Owusu Badu, the accused was also to use her money to buy or purchase three (3) plots of lands for her.
The Court heard that the accused after receiving the monies, took photographs of bare lands purported to be that of what he has used the monies for.
He further told the court that upon thorough investigations by the complainants, they realized that they have been duped by the accused person and as a result confronted the accused with the facts they have gathered.
On the 5th of July 2023, complainants reported the issue to the Adabraka police for investigation and the accused was subsequently arrested from his hideout to assist investigation.
Superintendent Yirenkyi told the court that the accused was then admitted to police enquiry bail to be reporting periodically at the station but jumped bail.
The Court heard that on 13/09/2024, the accused person was re-arrested at Nkawkaw by the Police Intelligence Department ( PID) upon intelligence gathered and was brought to Adabraka where he was charged with the offence and put before this honourable court.
