Court orders Lashibi Chief to be arrested over GH¢360,000 land fraud
A Circuit Court in Accra on Tuesday ordered the arrest of Nii Agyeman Lartey II, the chief of Lashibi, and other accused persons, for failing to appear before it to answer GH¢360,000 fraud charge.
Nii Lartey, and Nii Akusi Assinu, a stool Administrator of Lashibi Stool Lands, and Nii Kabu Akwatiah allegedly collected GH¢360,000 from an educationist under the pretext of selling to him 45 acres of land at Lashibi.
They had been charged with conspiracy to commit crime, to wit fraud and defrauding by false pretences.
The land purportedly sold to Mr Charles Ansah Owusu proprietor of Abundant Grace Academy, belong to the Tema Development Corporation (TDC), which had also leased it to Regimanuel Gray Estates Limited.
Nii Akwatiah, who was present in court, however, pleaded not guilty to the court presided over by Mrs Justice Patience Mills Tetteh, a High Court Judge sitting with additional responsibility as Circuit Court Judge.
Nii Akwatiah was admitted to bail in the sum of GH¢400,000 cedis with three sureties to reappear on April 9.
The Court also issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Nii Lartey and Nii Assinu.
Mr Owusu lamented that he made several attempts to get his money back to no avail and said that checks he made at the Lands Commission showed that the land belong to TDC.
According to the educationist, he secured the money through a loan agreement from Barclays and UT banks and was repaying GHc 20,000 cedis every month.
Mr Owusu said the two banks are threatening to take procession of his buildings and other properties to defray the loan adding “that is why I have come before you.”
Chief Inspector Isaac Dedoo told the court that somewhere in 2007, the complainant was led to chief and elders of the Lashibi Stool Land to buy land to expand his school.
The prosecution said the accused persons delegated their subordinates who led the complainant to inspect the land located behind MF Estate, which stretches to Community 14.
Chief Insp. Dedoo said the accused persons collected GH¢360,000 from the complainant.
Prosecution said check conducted at the Lands Commission showed the site belonged to TDC, which in turn had been leased to Regimanuel Gray Estates in 1996.
Chief Insp. Dedoo said when the complainant reported the matter to the Police, the accused persons promised to give the complainant another plot of land but failed to honour their promise.
Source: GNA