Cape Coast, July 13, GNA - Daniel Essuon, a carpenter at Winneba, who allegedly defrauded two businesswomen of 101 million cedis and sold them pieces of wood in sealed cartons instead of shark fins, was on Wednesday, remanded by a circuit court at Cape Coast.

Essuon pleaded not guilty to two counts of defrauding by false pretences and will be re-arraigned on July 26. A bench warrant has been issued for the arrest of his alleged accomplice, one Ebow, now at large. Police Chief Inspector Hope Azasoo told the court presided over by Mr Mustapha Logoh that on May 10 this year, the first complainant, Madam Maysuna Ibrahim who resides in Accra told her sister one madam Maria Ibrahim that a friend in Holland had asked her to supply her with some shark fins and suggested to her to contact one Ebow to discuss the business with him.

He alleged that the said Ebow in the company of Essoun later met with the two sisters at Adisadel, a suburb of Cape Coast and promised to supply 11 cartons of the shark fins. The two supplied four cartons of the shark fins valued at 41 million cedis, two days later. The prosecution further alleged that Ebow promised to make up the balance within a week and that at that juncture, Maria also expressed interest and the two accused persons said they could supply her with 13 cartons of the fins.

Chief Inspector Azasoo said the following week, the four met at Elmina where Maria paid 60 million cedis for her consignment, but when the women demanded a waybill, the two men left to fetch it but never returned.

The prosecution said the women then became suspicious and opened all the 17 cartons, only to find that some of them were filled with pieces of wood with a few shark fins spread at the top, while the rest contained pieces of wood.

They reported the case to the police and Essuon was arrested at a funeral at Winneba on June 12.