Crime & Punishment of Tuesday, 21 December 2004

Source: GNA

Co-director of Global Green Company discharged of fraud

Nsuta (Ash), Dec. 21, GNA - The Nsuta Circuit Court has discharged Nana Osei Bonsu, co-director of Global Green Company of 39,000 dollars fraud charge against him for want of prosecution.

Nana Osei Bonsu pleaded not guilty to a charge of dishonestly appropriating 39,000 dollars, which was vested in him on behalf of Global Green Company by the director, Mr Jean Baptist Vonberg. The court presided over by Mr Paul Dery, ruled that, "it has become clear that the prosecution is not ready to go on with the case. It will be a travesty of justice to continue to adjourn the case at the instance of prosecution due to spurious reasons.

"The complainant has never sent any medical report to the court, yet he cherishes to his sending messages through the prosecution that he is indisposed and simply taking the court for granted. His conduct is total abuse of court process. In the circumstances, I discharge the accused for want of prosecution".

Prosecuting, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Emmanuel Arzah Mammalieh had told the court that, sometime in 1998, the accused and the complainant set up a teak plantation farm at Bosankyekye near Asante-Mampong.

He has said Nana Osei Bonsu agreed to acquire the land, while the complainant provided the funding for the project. While the complainant was in the Netherlands, the accused informed him on phone that, he had acquired the Bosankyekye land and requested money for the purchase and registration of 300 hectares.

ASP Mammalieh had told the court that an account was then opened at the Tema branch of the Barclays Bank, which bore the signatures of the accused and the complainant.

However, the accused was delegated to withdraw money from that account.

He said the complainant sent 8,000 dollars in June and another 15,000 dollars in July 1998 into the account for the purchase of the land and the accused informed him (complainant) that he had received the needed money for the registration.

Therefore, in February 1999, another 16,500 dollars was sent bringing the total to 39,500 dollars.

ASP Mammalieh had said in 1999, the complainant came to Ghana to see about the documents for the land that had been purchased and registered, but the accused told him that the documents were almost ready but with the endorsement of the Ashantehene, however, the complainant later realised that there were no such documents.

He had said on January 29, 2003, the complainant had a letter from the Odikro of Bosankyekye that the complainant had no land so he should not step there, adding that, the complainant contacted the accused for the documents but could not produce them. When the complainant then realised that he had been defrauded reported the matter to the police at Mampong and the accused was invited but he failed to turn up until criminal summons was served on him.