A 28-year-old banker has been arraigned for allegedly defrauding a businessman to the tune of GH¢274,000.
The accused, Frederica Appiah, pleaded not guilty to the charge of defrauding by false pretense when she appeared before the Accra Circuit Court presided over by Susana Eduful.
Facts
The facts of the case as presented by the prosecutor, Inspector Teye Okuffo, were that the complainant and the accused person were involved in a business deal called the “Pay off” for a long time.
The prosecution stated that on July 6, 2022, Frederica approached the complainant and told him about the investment promotional package that her outfit was embarking on.
“Complainant, who is also a businessman, decided to give it a try. Accused person demanded and collected a cash amount of GH¢274,000 from the complainant on the pretext of investing same for him,” Insp. Okuffo said.
He added that the accused person then promised to give the complainant an investment document after the money had been invested, but failed and went into hiding.
He said two weeks after the accused person had failed to pick up the complainant’s calls and gone into hiding, the complainant made his own enquiries at Frederica’s company, but the company denied ever embarking on any promotional investment package.
He further stated that when the complainant realized that he had been duped, he lodged an official complaint with the Nima police, and the accused was arrested through the Military Police of Burma Camp.
In the course of investigation, the prosecutor said, the accused person admitted in her caution statement to having taken the money from the complainant to invest for him.
“Investigation revealed that the accused person did not use the money for investment, but rather used the money for her personal gain,” the prosecution said.