Businessman remanded over alleged US$100,000 fraud, impersonation

An Accra Circuit Court has remanded a 69-year-old man over an alleged US$100,000.00 fraud and impersonation.

Sowah Anang has denied the offences and he will make his next appearance on July 5, 2021.

Police Inspector Samuel Ahiabor told the Court presided over by Mr Emmanuel Essandoh that Torbgor Mensah, the complainant, resident of Tema is the Chief Executive Officer of Argon Group of Companies.

He said Anang lived at Osu and in June 2017, he approached the complainant that he was the rightful owner of a parcel of land which shared boundaries with that of the complainant’s property at Cantonments.

Prosecution said the accused, who introduced himself to the complainant as one Nana Kojo Ansah (owner of the land) informed the complainant of his intension to sell the land and asked the complainant to help him look for a prospective buyer.

Police Inspector Ahiabor said the complainant found the said buyer who made an initial payment of US$200,000 for two plots of land with the promise to pay the rest later.

He said the accused took US$100,000 as his part of the money through a bank transfer.

The buyer, he said, could not pay the rest of the money and in 2019, the complainant also found out that the land did not belong to Anang as he claimed and demanded for the refund of the money but Anang failed to do so after several efforts by the complainant.

He said on November 12, 2020, a complaint was lodged with the Police, which led to his arrest.

During investigations, he admitted taking the money and asked for some time to refund the money and further investigations revealed that the said Nana Kojo Ansah also known as Michael Ernest Ansah Obuobi died on January 1, 2017.

It was the accused who assisted the late Ansah to acquire the land when alive, police investigations revealed.

After investigations, he was charged and put before the Court.