Cape Coast, Aug. 9, GNA - Three men who allegedly duped a businessman of 7,000 Gh Cedis and supplied him with three boxes of salted fish locally known as "kako" instead of shark fin, were on Friday granted a total bail of 30,000 Gh cedis by a Circuit Court in Cape Coast. The three, Ekow Gorman, a technician, Abeiku Bentil-Enchill, a project manager and Solomon Agyemang, also a businessman who all pleaded not guilty by false pretence were each granted 10,000 Gh cedis bail and are to re-appear on August 12. Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Hope Azasoo, told the court, presided over by Mr. Richard Asiedu-Baidoo, on March 6, 2008, the complainant gave a lift to one Fiifi, who is at large while driving from Accra to Sakumono, near Tema.

He alleged that on the way, Fiifi told the complainant he could introduce him to a business in shark fin and asked him to pay a start-up capital of 9,000 Gh Cedis to enable some people he knew in Cape Coast give him his first consignment. He said subsequently, the complainant came to Cape Coast with Fiifi, where he (complainant) met with the three men and two others, Prince and Antwi, also at large during which meeting he paid an advance of 7,000 Gh Cedis.

Chief Inspector Azasoo, also alleged that the complainant was then given three boxes which the five men said contained some shark fins but when he later opened the boxes on his arrival in Accra, he found that they contained "kako" and not shark fins. He made a report to the police and the three men were arrested during investigation. In another development, the court remanded Salifu Mumuni, a 38-year old car dealer in custody for allegedly defrauding a businessman of 2,400 Gh Cedis. Mumuni, whose plea was not taken is to re-appear on August 15. The case for the prosecution is that Mumuni, who deals in cars at East Legon, a suburb of Accra was contracted by the complainant in November 2005 to buy him a KIA truck. He said, an agreed price of 5,000 Gh Cedis was reached between the two and the complainant paid 2,400 Gh Cedis part paymentm but Mumuni have not been able to produce the truck since the payment of the money and has also refused to refund the money paid to him.