An Accra Circuit Court has remanded a 48-year-old businessman Charles Nti Denkyira into police custody for allegedly misappropriating $60,000.
Denkyira, who faces stealing charges, pleaded not guilty.
He is scheduled to reappear before the court, presided over by Mr. Isaac Addo, on October 15, 2024.
The prosecution, led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Seth Frimpong, stated that the complainant, Baah Kofi Ofori, is a businessman living in ACP Estates, Pokuase, Accra.
He said that Denkyira is a businessman residing in East Legon.
ASP Frimpong stated that in October 2021, Frank Owusu Fordjour, a Ghanaian living in the United Kingdom and a childhood friend of Ofori, contacted him by phone and persuaded him to invest in a pharmaceutical business he was running with Richard Atuahene and Denkyira, both based in Ghana.
Fordjour asked Ofori to give $60,000 to Denkyira to pass on to Atuahene after being persuaded.
Prosecution told the court that in October 2022 at about 7:00pm at Achimota Shell Filling station, the complainant met the accused and handed over $60,000.00 USD in cash to the accused for the said purpose.
The Court heard that later Richard Atuahene together with the accused called and acknowledged receipt of the said money.
After about an hour of the payment, Prosecution said the complainant felt uncomfortable about the deal and called Richard Atuahene to return his money to him.
Atuahene informed him that he had given the money to accused Charles Nti Denkyira for onward submission to him on the same night.
Later, Prosecution said, the complainant called the accused, and he told him he was on his way coming with the money but he never turned up. All efforts made by the complainant to get his money proved futile.
The accused further ceased all forms of communication with the complainant and went into hiding.
Prosecution said the complainant reported the case which led to the arrest of the accused. He admitted to the offence during interrogation and in his caution statement and refunded Eleven Thousand United State Dollars ($11,000) to the Police which was handed over to the complainant.
The accused was admitted to police enquiry bail to be reporting intermittently to assist investigation, but he failed to do so.
All efforts made by the Police for the sureties to produce the accused proved abortive hence the sureties were put before court for forfeiture of recognizance and the bond was served on them when they failed to produce the accused after several adjournments.
On June 5, 2024, the Police invoked Section 60 (a) of the Criminal Procedure Act 30 and a warrant was issued.
Prosecution said based on intelligence gathering, Police arrested the accused in his hideout at Koforidua on October 1, 2024.
GNA