Accra: A 32-year-old man accused of defrauding a businessman of GHS1,860,000 under the guise of being a bank official has appeared before an Accra Circuit Court.
According to Ghana News Agency, the accused, Alexander Adusei Gyan, allegedly collected the amount after promising to assist the complainant in securing a GHS3 million loan facility. The prosecution informed the court that the complainant, a businessman residing at Ofankor in the Ga North Municipality, was deceived into making payments to Gyan, who is unemployed and lives at Ablekuma, Accra.
The prosecution detailed that in October 2024, Gyan presented himself as a staff member of a reputable bank. He assured the complainant that he could secure the loan if contributions ranging from GHS2,000 to GHS10,000 were deposited over a one-year period. Based on this representation, the complainant made payments totalling GHS1,860,000 through a mobile money account bearing Gyan's name, with receipts acknowledged each time.
The prosecution further stated that Gyan later instructed the complainant to open an account at the bank's Achimota branch. However, after receiving the money, Gyan blocked all communication and went into hiding, prompting the complainant to report the matter to the police, which led to Gyan's arrest.
In his caution statement, Gyan admitted to the offence and mentioned an accomplice, Desmond Osei, but failed to lead investigators to him. Charged with defrauding by false pretenses, Gyan pleaded not guilty in court. Initially, the court admitted him to bail in the sum of GHS2 million with three sureties, one justified with landed property and two public servants earning GHS5,000 monthly.
Unable to meet these conditions, Gyan's counsel applied for a review. Consequently, the court reduced the bail to GHS500,000 with two sureties, one justified with property and the other a public servant earning GHS4,000 monthly. The sureties were further ordered to deposit copies of their Ghana Cards at the court registry.