Two Nigerian businessmen, Patrick Piniki, 57, and Adawale Julius, 52, have appeared before the Dansoman Circuit Court for allegedly defrauding a colleague of $20,000, equivalent to GH₵336,000.
The accused allegedly collected the money from the complainant under the pretext of securing a vessel loaded with crude oil from Nigeria.
Charged with conspiracy to commit a crime and defrauding by false pretenses, both pleaded not guilty.
The court, presided over by Halimah El-Alawa Abdul Basit, initially granted each accused person bail of GH₵200,000 with three sureties, who were to be public servants earning GH₵3,000 per month. The sureties had to reside within the court’s jurisdiction, while the accused were required to report to the police every two weeks and deposit their identification cards with the court registry.
However, they failed to meet the bail conditions, prompting a variation when the court resumed on Monday. The revised bail terms required three sureties earning at least GH₵2,000 monthly, with all sureties justified.
The case has been adjourned to April 2, 2025. Meanwhile, a third accused person, identified as Engineer Chidi, is at large.
Prosecution’s Case
According to Chief Inspector Christopher Wonder, the complainant, Sawine Menual, a resident of Kasoa in the Central Region, sought to venture into the crude oil business in November 2024. He contacted Piniki through a mutual acquaintance, Olowo, who had experience in the industry.
Piniki then reached out to Julius in Nigeria, and the two later traveled to Ghana to finalize the deal with the complainant. They held multiple meetings at a hotel in Tema, where they assured him they could secure a vessel loaded with crude oil from Nigeria.
They demanded an initial $10,000, which the complainant was instructed to pay to Engineer Chidi, allegedly a vessel manager. Chidi later traveled to Ghana and assured the complainant that the vessel would arrive soon.
Subsequently, the accused demanded an additional $10,000 for “vessel loading,” which the complainant paid in anticipation of a successful transaction. However, the deal never materialized.
In total, the complainant paid $20,000 (GH₵336,000) but only managed to recover $3,200 after demanding a refund, leaving a balance of $16,800.
In December 2024, Engineer Chidi left for Nigeria without informing the complainant. After multiple failed attempts to retrieve his money, the complainant reported the matter to the Accra Regional Police Command, leading to the arrest of Piniki and Julius.
During investigations, Piniki denied any wrongdoing, while Julius admitted that they had collected the money for a crude oil deal that did not materialize.
GNA