"Okumkom" in ?3.1m Fraud Case

Maverick politician Nana Akwasi Agyeman, who resigned as a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) last November, and currently trying to worm his way into the New Patriotic Party (NPP) led by his brother, President John Agyekum Kufuor, is in the news again.

This time he has allegedly defrauded two wood sellers at Anloga in Kumasi of ?3.1 million.

The former mayor of Kumasi and Ashanti royal had failed in his bid to outwit his benefactors, Francis Kwadwo Debrah and Kof Boateng, who lodged a complaint with the Ashanti Regional Police Command.

Debrah, a former Assembly member of Anloga electoral area, complains that in June, this year, his former boss, Nana Akwasi Agyeman, approached them (Debrah and Boateng) to buy assorted pieces of wood from them.

Nana Agyeman reportedly took 50 pieces of 2 x 4 wood at ?15,000 each (?750,000); 70 pieces of 2 x 3 wood at ?13,000 (?910,000) and 18 pieces of 1 x 12 facial board at ?45,000 (?810,000) totalling ?2,470,000.

The former KMA boss reportedly had the items loaded in his tipper truck and asked the sellers to join him in his car, which trailed the tipper truck and headed towards Dichemso, a suburb of Kumasi, with the view to paying them on his reaching his house.

According to Debrah, they followed the tipper truck to a school at Dichemso, where the boards were off loaded.

Nana Akwasi Agyeman has since used the boards for a school project awarded him by Dr. Kwame Addo Kufuor, Minister of Defence and Member of Parliament for Manhyia, out of his MP's Common Fund.

From the site, they went to Nana Akwasi Agyeman's residence where he told them he had no money and suggested that the sellers go to his timber concession at Kofiase, near Mampong, for some logs for conversion to defray the amount owed them.

As a result, he gave them a note on June 19, this year, addressed to his Bush Manager, one Boateng, to take the wood sellers round the concession and access the logs.

As agreed, they (wood sellers) bought ?650,000 worth of fuel to enable the tipper truck to take them to Kofiase to cart the said logs down to Kumasi.

Nana was to have refunded the cost of fuel on their return.

It rather turned out that there were no logs on arrival at Kofiase. When the situation was communicated to Nana, he asked them to return to Kumasi.

The wood sellers had no option but to demand the refund of the cost of fuel on their return, for which Nana issued a post-dated cheque for June 31.

When Debrah and his friend realized later that the date on the cheque was wrong, they returned it the next day for a new one, but Nana Akwasi Agyeman reportedly flared up, tore the cheque into pieces and threatened to shoot them in the leg if they did not leave his premises.

Following the encounter, a complaint was lodged with the then Police Commander, Mr. George Asiamah, who referred the case to Detective Inspector Bannerman of the Regional CID to investigate and take the necessary action.

Debrah and his three witnesses (Sarfo Kantanka, Kofi Boateng and one other) have since given written statements to the police, at the instance of Bannerman to enable him to initiate criminal summons against the former KMA boss.

Three months on, Detective Bannerman has not been able to issue the criminal summons against Nana Akwasi Agyeman, let alone invite him for interrogation.

The investigator is asking the wood sellers to forget about the threats and file a civil suit against Nana for their money because he is unable to charge him. Bannerman has eventually dropped the case and is keeping the docket.

When The Chronicle called on Bannerman to find out why the sudden turn of events and the decision to drop the criminal aspect of the case after pursuing it for three months, he declined to comment with the usual excuse that he was not supposed to talk to the press.

His countenance changed when he realized that this reporter had already spoken to the ex-KMA boss.

On his part, Nana Akwasi Agyeman has denied any such transaction between him and the complainants.

He, however, claimed in a telephone interview that Debrah and Kofi Boateng had gone to his concession at Kofiase to steal logs from his concession. This allegation is contrary to contents of a note dated June 19, 2003 duly signed by Nana Akwasi Agyeman, asking Boateng (Nana's Bush Manager) to take Debrah round the concession to access available logs.

The Chronicle has also not chanced on any complaint of Nana's allegation against his fraud victims at the police station at Kofiase, Mampong or Kumasi.

Detective Bannerman, saddled with investigating the case, knows at least not any such complaint.

Debrah has appealed to the Regional Police Command to prevail upon Detective Bannerman to do the right thing to ensure confidence in the police by members of the public.

He suggested that if found guilty, Bannerman should be sanctioned for frustrating them in the pursuit of their rights, which act, he said, amounts to conniving with Nana Akwasi Agyeman to defraud him.

Debrah also intends instituting action against the former KMA boss in court, "if the police fail in their duty to call Nana to order."