Two in court over GH¢1.6m gold fraud

Two persons who allegedly defrauded an American and his partners of GH¢1,658,781.00 under the pretext of supplying them gold but failed to do so on Wednesday appeared before a Circuit Court in Accra.

Yusif Ahmed Akpagli a driver and Sandra Sorice, a Moroccan business woman, are being held for conspiracy and defrauding by false pretences.

They have pleaded not guilty and the court presided over by Mrs Ivy Heward-Mills has admitted them to a bail in the sum of GH¢300,000 each with four sureties each to reappear on April 30.

Praying for bail for the two accused persons, Mr Victor K.Adawudu contended that the facts of prosecution were inaccurate and that at the appropriate time they would prove that.

According to Mr Adawudu Akpagli was only the driver of the Ms Sorice and that the complainant (name withheld) was a fugitive and he was being sought for.

Counsel said the complainant met Ms Sorice and began having amorous relationship with her and while they were together, the complainant took one million dollars from Ms Sorice.

He queried the complainant for not reporting the matter to the police since March 2010 when the said incident took place.

Mr Adawudu said his client was a woman of substance who has fixed place of abode and that she was reporting to the police after she was admitted to police enquiry bail.

Counsel therefore requested for expeditious trial for the truth to come out.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Aidan Dery, the prosecutor said in March 2010, the complainant and partners who are Americans came to Ghana to buy gold to the United States.

DSP Dery said the complainant met Ms Sorice who promised to supply him and his partners gold and collected $1,658,781.00 but failed to supply the item.

Ms Sorice after collecting the money started giving excuses and all attempts to retrieve the money had proved futile. Prosecution said later Ms Sorice turned around that the complainant owed him, but the complainant refuted the claim.

Source: GNA