Crime & Punishment of Friday, 21 May 2021

Source: ghanaguardian.com

Man in court for defrauding businesswoman of GH¢100,152

File Photo: Salifu has been charged with fraudulent breach of trust File Photo: Salifu has been charged with fraudulent breach of trust

A trader, Ibrahim Salifu, has been put before an Accra Circuit Court, for allegedly defrauding a businesswoman of GH¢100,152.00.

The complainant, Madam Salma Alhassan, a Ghanaian based in Dubai and Saudi Arabia, respectively, was said to have shipped 285 bags of rice valued at GHc100,152.00 to Salifu to sell and return the proceeds to her, but accused after taking delivery of the goods, failed to transfer the proceeds as agreed.

Salifu has been charged with fraudulent breach of trust and the case adjourned to May 26 by the court presided over by Priscilla Dapaah Mireku.

Presenting the facts of the case to the court, Chief Inspector John Gohono said in 2018, the complainant exported rice from Dubai to Ghana, and entrusted the goods to the accused, who is a resident of Nima, to sell and transfer the proceeds to her.

The accused delivered the service as expected and this made the complainant have trust in him.

Chief Insp. Gohoho said the same year, Ibrahim, who had shown good traits to the complainant, with the intent to commit crime, called the complainant who was in Dubai and lied to her that there was shortage of a brand of rice, known as Baba Noor, in Ghana.

Prosecution said accused convinced victim to ship the same brand of rice to him to sell, as there was already high demand for it on the Ghanaian market

“The accused made the complainant to ship 285 bags of the Baba Noor brand rice at the cost of GHC100, 152.00, to sell and send back the money.

However, Ibrahim, after receiving the consignment together with documents, he sold the rice but failed to send the proceeds to Madam Salma and also stopped answering her calls, Chief Insp Gohono said.

According to prosecution, the complainant came to Ghana in efforts to trace accused, but all her attempts failed, and she reported the case to the Accra Central Police.

He said when accused was arrested, he admitted to having received the bags of rice on October 9, 2018, from the complainant in his caution statement.