A 40-year-old unemployed man on Monday appeared before an Accra Circuit Court, for allegedly possessing fake united States (US) dollar currency notes, and defrauding a businessman of GH₵35,000.
Moses Aboagey Marfo has been charged with defrauding by false pretenses and possessing fake currency notes.
Marfo allegedly used the fake US dollar notes to purchase motorcycles from Mr Mawuli Aye, the complainant.
The court, presided over by Emmanuel Essandoh, granted accused GH₵40,000bail with two sureties, and adjourned the case to December 2.
Chief Inspector Eric Pobeesaid that the complainant owned a motorcycle shop, at Teshie, Accra, which was being managed by Daniel Somaglo, a witness in the case
The court heard that two suspects, Mary Mensah Serwaah Afadzie, aka Alana, and China Borger, went to the shop to buy 10 Apsonic AC-125-12 motorcycles worth GH₵ 35,000 for their supposed boss.
Chief InspPobee said the witness gave the complainant’s contact number to the two suspects.
Mary was said to have called the complainant on phone to inform him that accused would contact him (complainant) and take the motorcycles and make full payment for them.
Chief InspPobeesaid on March 12, 2019, accused requested to meet complainant at Awoshie, Accra, with the motorcycles.
He said, later accused and China Burger met the complainant and the witness at Achimota, and accused further directed them to Mile 7, near Achimota, to offload the goods for payment to be made.
Chief Insp Pobee said “At the time, Moses met the complainant, he was having a black backpack and made the compliant aware that there was enough money in it for payment of the goods so he should not be afraid.
“When they got to Mile 7, two other men joined and assisted them to offload the goods”.
The court heard that accused told the complainant that he was not having cedi notes and the only currency he had was US dollars.
Chief InspPobeesaid accused asked the complainant to accompany him to Tudu, Accra, to change the dollar notes into cedis and pay him.
The court heard that when they arrived at Tudu, accused attempted to abscond, but he was grabbed by the complainant and handed over to the police with his bag containing 46 100 US dollar notes, suspected to be counterfeit.
Chief Insp Pobee said the complaint, after handing accused over to the police, returned to Mile 7 where the motorcycles were being offloaded, but he could not find any of the motorcycles.
He said accused failed to lead the police to arrest his accomplices.
Chief Insp Pobee said ” the dollar notes were taken to the Bank of Ghana for certification, and it was proven that the dollar notes were fake”.
BY RAISSA SAMBOU
