An Accra Circuit Court has sentenced a comput­er engineer to a fine of GH¢840,000 for making a con­flicting grant of land at Tse Addo in Accra to two people.

Mr. Charles Bilson pleaded not guilty to the fraudulent transaction and defrauding by false pretence.

After a full trial, the court presided over by Mr Kwabena Obiri-Yeboah found Bilson guilty of fraudulent transaction and convicted him accordingly.

It ordered that if Bilson failed to pay the fine of 7000 penalty units, he would serve seven years impris­onment with hard labour.

Deputy Superintendent of Po­lice (DSP), Emmanuel Nyamekye said the complainant Mr George Dadzie Amonoo, who resided at Gbawe, Accra was a system engi­neer while the accused resided at Santa-Maria.

The prosecution said in June 2017, the accused approached the complainant that he owned a half plot of land at Tse Addo near the Mayfair Estates which he was offering for sale.

It said the complainant developed an interest in acquiring the said land after the accused person took him to the land and showed the same to him as his property.

The prosecution said the complainant then paid an amount of GH¢50,000 to the accused as consideration for the half plot and was issued with receipts to that effect.

It said the accused again de­manded and collected the sum of GH¢3,500 from the complainant to construct a fence wall around the land for him.

The prosecution said the accused made the complainant believe that he had constructed the fence wall.

It said the complainant visited the land and detected that the land was being developed by one Mr Sherifatu Abubakar.

The prosecution said the in­vestigation established in October 2021, revealed that the accused person sold the same piece of land to Sherifatu Abubakar for the sum of GH¢120,000.

It said Sherifatu Abubakar took possession of the land by putting up a two-bedroom building footing on it and erected a fence wall.

“Further investigation established that the accused indeed collected the sum of GH¢50,000 from the complainant in 2017 for the half plot of land,” it said.

The prosecution said, “Again, the accused person demand­ed and collected the sum of GH¢120,000 for the same piece of land from Sherifatu Abubakar in 2021.”

It said it was also established that the fence wall was construct­ed by Sherifatu Abubakar and not the accused but went ahead and collected money for it.