Crime & Punishment of Thursday, 2 December 2004

Source: GNA

Businessman remanded for using fake document as surety

Agona Swedru, Dec 2, GNA- The Agona Swedru Circuit Court on Thursday remanded in prison custody a businessman at Swedru for presenting fake document as surety for a 500-million cedi bail. Amos Baiden, who was charged with abetment of crime, would re-appeared on January 12, 2005.

The accused allegedly conspired with others to defraud Nana Ekow Arhin, Managing Director of Rings Travel and Tour Company to the tune of 338,570,000 million cedis on the pretext of securing him visa for his clients.

Prosecuting, Detective Sergeant R.A. Boamah told the court presided over by Mr Charles Adjei Wilson, that the accused presented fake documents to the court for a 500 million cedis bail in a case being tried by the court.

Detective Sgt Boamah asked the court to remand the accused because the document he brought as surety was far below the sum of 500 million cedis.

The Prosecution told the court that the accused went and deceived Nana Kwame Appoh of Agona Nyakrom that he was going to use the building documents to secure loan from a credit union at Agona Swedru. Later Nana Appoh detected that the accused had taken the building documents to court to be used as a surety.

The prosecution said on November 17, last year, the court detected that the documents on the surety were fake after the accused had left. Amos Baiden, the prosecution said conspired with one of the court clerks who is on the run.

Detective Sgt Boamah told the court that about three months ago, the accused introduced one Yaw Awusi, now at large as his brother who was the Secretary to the Special Assistant at the Protocol Section of the Office of the President at the Castle, Osu.

He said the Awusi succeeded in collecting 338,570,000 from Nana Arhin on the pretext of securing him visas for 15 people to travel outside the country.

The Prosecution stated that Awusi and his brother brought the visas but Nana Arhin's clients later detected that they were fake and returned them.