The late Anna Korkoi Dodoo’s ghost would be turning in her grave if she learned that the only house she acquired by dint of her hard work and bequeathed to her beloved grandson, Noel Borquaye, was on the verge of being sold out completely because it had been “fraudulently used” by the leader of the National Reform Party (NRP), Goosie Tanoh, Mrs. Karen Akeoni Tanoh, manager, ECOBANK, Lome Branch and Kyeretwie Opoku to secretly secure a loan without the knowledge of Noel Borquaye.
According to the Kweku Baako’s Crusading Guide newspaper, “Noel Borquaye, who has been hustling with his wife and children in California, United States of America, (USA), was shocked to hear that his property (a three storey building) situated at Atico Junction, House No. B784/5 along Nii Amasa Street, Accra had been used to collect a loan running into billions by persons (Goosie & Co.) whom he had never spoken to or met in his entire life.
But Goosie and Co. say that they were also deceived by someone claiming to be Noel Borquaye. He (Noel) claims that Kyeretwie Opoku, Mr. and Mrs. Goosie Tanoh and two others impersonated him and forged his signature on some fraudulent documents to secure about 2 billion cedis at the National Investment Bank for their cassava project.
Noel left his California base to Accra on 10th September 2003, to team up with this reporter to fight for his property. A scheduled meeting between him Kyeretwie Opoku and Goosie at Alisa Hotel near Labone Coffee Shop where this reporter was strategically placed.
Goosie and Kyeretwie Opoku doled out ?10 million, according to Noel, to pay part of his airfare and to stop him from talking to this reporter on the scandal. Kyeretwie Opoku has confirmed that they paid ?10 million cash to Noel Borquaye but denied that the ?10 million was an attempt to stop him (Noel) from talking to The Crusading Guide reporter.”
The story continued; “According to Noel, Goosie and Kyeretwie wanted to trick him on the ?10 million cash. He intimated that they gave him a contract, which suggested that the 10 million cash given him was part payment for the building. “But I quickly read the form and detected that they wanted to fool me, so I requested that they bring another contract form to show that the 10 million was compensation for my airfare,” he said. Kyeretwie Opoku has denied this statement too, describing it as “false”.
However, the meeting at Alisa Hotel did not come on a silver platter. Goosie Tanoh had already been invited on Thursday, 18th September 2003 to the office of CID Detective Inspector E.Y. Bawah and Superintendent Francis Abayateye. This reporter who was taking a stroll at the CID headquarters saw Goosie Tanoh appear, dressed in a blue-black suit.
Inside the office, Goosie reiterated that he knew Noel Borquaye and was making payment on the building to him every month. The Police CID had already hidden Borquaye at another section of the headquarters. When Goosie became insistent, Noel, who claimed he had never seen Goosie before in his life, was suddenly brought before him (Goosie) but Goosie did not flinch.
The place went dead silent for a while, Goosie appeared shocked and told the police that the Noel in front of him. Noel, who could not control his anger, asked why Goosie had done that when he had never met or spoken to him before in his life. He asked how he managed to sign his signature.
Goosie confessed before the police that he had never met Noel in his life, adding that he dealt with someone he thought was Noel. He admitted that the documents in his possession, which were used to secure the loan, were all forged; stressing that he did not know that from the beginning.
When Goosie got out of the office, this reporter who was quietly waiting under a mango tree in front of the police headquarters, followed him at a reasonable distance from his car and started finding out the outcome of his meeting with the police.