Mr. Arnold Asante who has been accused for defrauding, Mr. Kofi Adams, NDC National Youth Organizer, has been arraigned again before an Accra circuit court on the counts of defrauding by false pretence and issue of dud cheque.
Brief Facts
The Complainant, Aliwu Ako Sowah, is a businessman and owns a forex bureau. Accused claims to be a businessman.
On the 7th of April, 2017, the Accused approached the Complainant and requested to buy United States Dollars from him.
Consequently, Mr. Asante invited the Complainant to his office at Tesano, Accra, for the necessary transaction after which the Accused received from the complainant a total amount of $23,000.
The Accused issued a Unibank cheque numbered 000020 dated 10th April, 2017, with a face value of 102,350 Ghana cedis, to the Complainant, to be withdrawn on the date stated on the cheque.
The Complainant presented the cheque as agreed but it was dishonoured and the Accused was informed.
Mr. Arnold Asante assured the Complainant that he was going to pay him in cash but to no avail.
Subsequently, a report was made to the police and Mr. Asante was arrested.
The accused admitted the offence in his caution statement to the police and promised to refund the money.
In the course of investigations, a statement of account received from Unibank Limited on the Accused’s account through a court order indicated that, at the time of issue of the cheque by the Accused, his credit balance was 1,058 Ghana cedis, an indication that Mr. Asante knew he was not having adequate funds in his account..
The Accused has so far refunded an amount of 65,000 Ghana cedis to the Complainant.
Arnold Asante has been granted bail in the sum of 102,400 Ghana cedis with 3 Sureties.
The case has been adjourned to 20th November, 2017.
