By Maxwell Ofori
Green Global Resources Limited has appealed to President Akufo-Addo and the Inspector General of Police (IGP), COP David Asante-Apeatu, to take action against the East Legon police for allegedly defrauding it of GH¢1.3 million worth of gold.
Describing the fraud as an unbearable case of police corruption and breach of public trust, Green Global Resources Limited’s Director of Strategic and Business Development, James Babieri, said the IGP and the President have to step into the case, or public confidence and trust in the police would continue to wane.
Narrating, Mr. Babieri said on November 12, 2016, the company, and for that matter, two managers and two additional representatives of Global Resources Limited, all United States of America (USA) citizens, experienced an alleged incidence of fraud and corruption while performing their legal business duties with one Courage Gegepe Kobby, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of General Union Investment Agencies.
In the business performance, Global Resources Limited, USA, agreed to purchase 11 kilos of gold worth GH¢1.3 million from Mr. Kobby.
However, less than ten minutes after the transaction was completed, and Mr. Kobby was about exiting the conference room of the Tang Palace Hotel with his cash, a team of policemen abruptly appeared and arrested the foreign buyers.
“The police took them to the East Legon Police station, without any explanation or reason. Later, the police informed the buyers that they had been arrested for buying stolen gold.
“They were detained overnight in police cells, after their passports, cash and mobile phones were collected from them.
“The accused persons, whose gold was seized by the East Legon police, were released on bail in the afternoon of Sunday, November 13, 2016, after [a] Green Global Business Associate went and confronted Mr. Basintale, East Legon Police Commander, in his office that afternoon,” Mr. Babieri told a section of the press yesterday.
Mr. Babieri said that at about 4am of November 13, 2016, whilst the accused were in detention, their driver, who was waiting outside, allegedly saw Mr. Basintale go back to his office, and said he suspected that Mr. Basintale returned to take the seized gold away.
On November 14, 2016, the accused persons were processed for court by the East Legon police, where the buyers were charged for buying stolen gold, James Babieri explained.
“The accused persons hired attorneys who brought a petition to the CID Headquarters for police assistance. They were, subsequently, referred to the DVS Unit of the CID Headquarters for investigation.
“The accused persons were very hopeful they were going to retrieve their gold, since it was supposed to be very safe in the custody of the East Legon Police, but that never happened.
“The DVS investigators told the accused persons that ‘the scammer’, Courage Gegepe Kobby, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of General Union Investment Agencies, was already on police bail for his involvement in a previous gold scam case involving foreign investors at both the DVS of the CID Headquarters, and the Accra Regional Police Headquarters.
“To their [accused persons’] dismay, the case was quickly withdrawn from the DVS Unit and referred to a different unit at the CID Headquarters.
“The accused persons got scared of the police corruption and behaviour towards them, and so when they were released by the court, they left the country with shocking testimonies of how senior police officers at different levels could be behind the scammers.”
In the face of all these, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Basintale has been at post without any disciplinary action being taken against him, James Babieri alleged.
“We are, therefore, calling on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Mr. David Asante Appeatu, IGP, and Mr. Bright Oduro, Director General of the CID, to act on the information we have provided to act upon to retrieve our money, or the bars of gold are given to us,” Green Global Resources Limited’s Director of Strategic and Business Development, James Babieri, pleaded.
By Maxwell Ofori Green Global Resources Limited has appealed to President Akufo-Addo and the Inspector General of Police (IGP), COP David Asante-Apeatu, to take action against the East Legon police for allegedly defrauding it of GH¢1.3 million worth of gold. Describing the fraud as an unbearable case of police corruption and breach of public trust, Green […] Read Full Story
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