Kumasi, June 1, GNA - A Kumasi-based businessman was on Tuesday granted a 100-million-cedi bail with one surety to be justified by a Kumasi circuit court for issuing false cheque. Salifu Musah pleaded not guilty to the charge and will re-appear on June 14.

Prosecuting, Police Chief Inspector Kuffour Boateng told the court presided over by Mr Ernest Yao Obimpeh that the complainant, Abdallah Muntaka, is an Assistant Director of Samuel Darko Services Limited, a private company in Kumasi, which deals in cotton seeds. On January 10, this year, Musah bought 800 bags of seeds from the company, worth 100 million cedis and issued two separate post-dated cheques for payment to be withdrawn at a Barclays Bank in Accra with a face value of 50 million cedis each.

According to the prosecutor, the complainant took the two cheques for withdrawal but they were dishonoured. The accused then went into hiding until March 26, when he was arrested at his residence at Ejisu near Kumasi and was charged with the offence.

According to counsel for the accused, 250 bags of the seeds representing 30 million cedis were tested as bad seeds, which could not be cultivated and were thus returned to the company and later 23 million cedis was paid to the company through the complainant's partner. The complainant confirmed the return of the 250 bags of the seeds but denied ever receiving any money from the accused.