An Accra Circuit Court on Friday sentenced Alfred Ansah, farmer and David Ansah, a weaver, to 10 years imprisonment each for thirty counts of defrauding by false pretence.

The two will also serve 5 years imprisonment each for conspiracy to commit crime. Both sentences are to run concurrently.

Initially, the two convicts pleaded not guilty to the charges but the case went through a full trial.

Detective Chief Inspector Issac Agbemehia told the court presided over by Mr Francis Obiri that the complainants in the case were members of the Abeka Presby Church led by Joseph Atabori and Kwabena Adama.

He said during the month of November 2007, Adama informed the members of the Church about plots of land being sold at Onyasanaa by Alfred and David.

He said some of the church members expressed interest and started paying various sums of money in installments amounting to GH¢26, 500 to Alfred.

“In the year, 2009, some few members, who had completed their payment, went onto the plot ostensibly to start developing it but they were prevented by the elders of Nii Anash Family, claiming that the convicts have no capacity to dispose of the said plot of land,” he said.

He said a report was made to the police and the convicts were arrested, during investigation, it was disclosed that the said land belongs to the Nii Ansah Family headed by Theophilus Nii Ajaley Acquah.

Prosecution said the land had been under litigation between the family and Nii Kojo Ababioo V and others since 2001, whilst the case was before the court.

“The convicts conspired and leased the land to the complainants without the knowledge of the elders of the family,” he added.

Detective Chief Inspector Agbemehia said this act of the convicts went on unnoticed until the family won a judgment on February 26, 2009.