Court remands businessman for defrauding lawyer

A businessman, who took GH¢32,000.00 from a Lawyer under the pretext of securing him a Land Rover Jeep from the Dutch Embassy but failed, has been remanded by an Accra Circuit Court.

Mahmoud Odaymat, 47 years old, was charged with defrauding by false pretense but pleaded not guilty.

The Counsel for the accused person prayed for bail but prosecution opposed the bail on the grounds that the accused person was a ‘fright risk’ as he was not a citizen of the country and might not appear before the Court for trial.

The Court presided over by Mr Emmanuel Essandoh, upheld the submission of the prosecution and remanded the accused person into Ankaful prison, to reappear on July 27, 2022.

Prosecuting Deputy Superintendent of Police, Augustus Yirenkyi, holding the brief of Inspector Pobee, told the Court that the complainant, Mr Geoffrey Howard Quist, is a Lawyer and resided at Kaneshie.

The prosecution said the accused person was alleged to be a businessman and a resident of Adabraka.

Mr Yirenkyi said in 2019, the accused person approached the complainant and introduced himself as a worker of Dutch Embassy and could helped him secure a vehicle from the embassy.

The prosecution said the accused person upon such representation demanded and collected cash of GH¢32,000.00 from the complainant under the pretext of buying Land Rover Jeep vehicle for him from the embassy in a period of one week.

Mr Yirenkyi said the accused person after collecting the money failed to deliver on his promise or returned the money but rather went into hiding.

On July 13, 2022, luck however eluded the accused person when the complainant chanced on him, arrested him, and handed him to the police.

Source: GNA