Two persons who defrauded a Kumasi-based businessman of GH¢1,700,000 have been jailed 10 years each in absentia by an Adentan Circuit Court.

Prince Kyei Bennett and Samuel Nutsugah collected the amount under the pretext of selling the complainant, Eric Coffie, a schnapps bottle containing mercury. The two were jailed after they discontinued attending court.

Bennett, a 48-year-old businessman, and Nutsugah, a 58-year-old unemployed man, who were charged with conspiracy and defrauding by false pretences, pleaded not guilty.

The court, presided over by Sedinam Awo Kwadam, found them guilty after the prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Maxwell Lanyo, filed disclosures and called witnesses to make their case.

The trial judge sentenced the two to five years on the charge of conspiracy and 10 years each on the charge of defrauding by false pretences. Sentences are to run concurrently.

The prosecution earlier told the court that Bennett resided at Adjen Kotoku while Nutsugah lived in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region. In April 2017, Nutsugah approached the complainant and told him that he was into selling bottles of schnapps made with mercury. The prosecution said Nutsugah then introduced Bennett as his business partner.

The court heard that Nutsugah later informed the complainant that he had obtained the said bottle containing mercury.

The prosecution said the complainant met the two, and Nutsugah told the complainant that the mercury in the bottle was limited; hence, they needed to perform some rituals to enable the bottle to obtain the full level of mercury. Nutsugah promised the complainant that if he were able to help with the spiritual cleansing and the bottle had its full mercury, he would be given five million United States dollars and a four-bedroom house.

The prosecution said Bennett and Nutsugah succeeded in obtaining various sums of money from the complainant amounting to GHC1,700,000. The court heard that Bennett and Nutsugah later brought a bag to the complainant, claiming it contained money. According to the prosecution, the two told the complainant they had sold the bottle to a spiritualist and that before he could use the money in the bag, they would have to put the said bag in a room and perform some rituals.

The complainant took them to a guest house at Adjiriganor where the bag was kept. The prosecution said Bennett and Nutsugah again demanded money from the complainant to be used for the purification of the money bag. After taking the money from the complainant, they took him through various spiritual purification exercises and further demanded that the complainant provide a white dove, a black and white ram, and some other items. The prosecution said the complainant provided the items, but the convicts failed to go ahead with the rituals, saying the dove provided was painted.

The court heard that the bag of money was then abandoned at the hotel since the complainant could not complete the purification. The police got wind of the incident and proceeded to the hotel and retrieved the bag. When the bag was opened before the convicts, only sawdust was found in it.

In Bennett’s caution statement, he admitted collecting GHC800,000 from the complainant, while Nutsugah claimed he could not remember the actual amount he took.