Emmanuel Mensah, a 35-year-old Ghanaian miner, appeared in court on Tuesday, this week, facing charges linked to an alleged fraudulent gold deal that reportedly swindled two Rwandan nationals out of GH¢56.8 million.
Mensah and five others, who are currently at large, are accused of defrauding the Rwandans, Karera Michel Olivier and Mutagoma Leon, under the pretence of a gold sale.
Mensah pleaded not guilty to the charges of conspiracy to commit a crime and defrauding by false pretence.
In a preliminary hearing at Accra’s Circuit Court, the Judge, Samuel Bright Acquah, granted Mensah bail, setting the amount at GH¢25 million with four sureties, two of which must be justified with assets, such as property.
The prosecuting officer, Chief Superintendent Augustine Yirinkye, requested that the court remand Mensah due to the severity of the offense.
However, Emmanuel Narh, Mensah’s defense counsel, argued for bail, noting that his client had voluntarily surrendered, after his photo was released publicly as part of a wanted notice.
Mr. Narh emphasised that Mensah was not a flight risk and pledged that his client would attend all necessary proceedings. After reviewing the arguments, Judge Acquah granted the bail request.
The accused, Mensah, who is the first accused (A1), faces charges alongside other individuals: Kabore (A2), alias “Frenchman” or “Jerry,” Tony (A3), Oguagua (A4), Kofi (A5) and Dr. Florent (A6).
According to court documents, these individuals conspired in October 2024 to deceive the Rwandan nationals through a fraudulent gold sale.
Case Details
The brief facts of the case reveal that Mensah, introduced to Olivier by a third party, A2, allegedly claimed he could supply substantial quantities of gold bars.
On October 20, Mensah allegedly took Olivier to a mining site at Ayinam, presenting it as his own and offering assurances that he could meet their gold demands.
The complainants reportedly agreed to purchase 58 kilograms of gold at US$81,000 per kilogram.
On October 24, 2024 Mensah and his accomplice, Tony, collected the GH¢56.8 million payment at the complainants’ residence, promising to deliver the gold to a location designated for testing and export.
However, the exchange allegedly took a deceitful turn.
According to the complainants, Mensah and his accomplices provided them with 52 bars of counterfeit gold, which were discovered to be impure when tested.
When the complainants attempted to contact Mensah, his phone had been switched off, and he had allegedly gone into hiding.
Mensah was eventually apprehended on November 4, 2024 and in a statement to the police, he admitted receiving the money, but claimed he had handed it over to A2.
The court was informed that investigation into the matter was still underway, as police are actively searching for the remaining suspects.
Ida’s Kiddy World wanted by court over Threat of Death Charges
In another development, the Circuit Court in Accra, presided over by Mr. Samuel Bright Acquah, has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Ida Boateng, also known as Ida Boampong, a 40-year-old businesswoman and owner of Ida’s Kiddy World, for failing to appear in court to face charges of threat of death.
The warrant was issued on the request of the prosecution, led by DSP Raymond Ackom, following Boateng’s refusal to attend the scheduled hearing.
Details of the Case
The charges against Boateng stem from an alleged incident on April 27, 2024 in which she is accused of sending threatening messages to Josephine Farida Oppong Isa, a teacher and baker, known online as “Ayam Atwuma Mansa The Baker.”
According to court documents, Boateng allegedly sent a series of WhatsApp messages to Isa, stating: “I’ll kill you faster than cancer” and “I am your worst nightmare,” among other threatening remarks.
These messages were reportedly sent following a dispute between two over private issues that Boateng believed Isa had discussed with a mutual friend in the United States.
Background of the Relationship
Boateng and Isa initially connected on Facebook in 2020 and maintained an online friendship through business interactions, with Isa purchasing children’s clothing from Boateng’s store, Ida’s Kiddy World, based in Kumasi.
Despite the business relationship, the two had never met in person. Tensions reportedly escalated on April 26, 2024 when Boateng confronted Isa via phone, accusing her of discussing her personal matters with a mutual friend.
Threatening Messages and Social Media Posts
The alleged threats continued on April 29, 2024 when Boateng reportedly posted Isa’s photograph on the Instagram account of a second suspect, with the caption, “Madam, I hear you just dey bully people on Facebook and ruining their hard-earned brands…next time we will come for those two tribal marks.”
The second suspect, identified as “aba.the.great,” subsequently reposted the image with similar remarks.
A third individual, identified as Theodora Amoaniwaa, is also alleged to have sent Isa additional threatening messages on May 17, 2024, including “Trust me. I pity you, because very soon, you’d die.”
Legal Proceedings and Ongoing Investigation
Following the alleged threats, Isa filed a complaint with the Criminal Investigations Department (CID).
Boateng was subsequently invited by the police for questioning, but refused to cooperate, instead instructing them to “use the right channel” if they had a case against her.
This response led the authorities to secure an arrest warrant from the Kaneshie District Court.
Boateng was apprehended in Kumasi on September 8, 2024 and handed over to the Homicide Unit for further investigation.
Meanwhile, her alleged accomplices remain at large, and authorities are actively working to locate them.
Court’s Action
With Boateng’s failure to attend court on the appointed date, the Accra Circuit Court issued a new arrest warrant to ensure her appearance for the pending charges under Section 75 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
The next court date remains pending and the court has directed law enforcement to intensify efforts to apprehend Boateng’s accomplices.
The post Rwandan Scammed Out Of GH¢56.8M … By Ghanaian Miner And Accomplices In An Alleged Fraudulent Gold Deal appeared first on The Ghanaian Chronicle.
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