Two Nigerians in fake currency deal charged

Accra, Sept 6, GNA - Three persons, including two Nigerians, who allegedly defrauded a businessman of 12 million cedis in a fake currency deal, on Monday appeared before a circuit tribunal, charged with defrauding by false pretences.

William Olayim, 33, Edward Iddrisu Salim, 30, the Nigerians, and Anthony Apomah, a Ghanaian trader, pleaded not guilty and the tribunal remanded them until September 21.

The prosecution said sometime in July, this year, an accomplice in the case who is on the run, contacted Mr Johnny Cosby Blagogee, Marketing Manager of CIF Oil Company with head office in Accra, that Olayim wanted to operate a petrol filling station in Accra. When the complainant told the accomplice that it would require 300,000 dollars to operate the station, Olayim allegedly provided a box containing the money.

The prosecution said Olayim opened the box, took out five 20-dollar notes, which had some stamp impressions on them and poured some liquid out of a small bottle on the notes to clean the stamp impressions. Olayim, the prosecution added, told the complainant that the stamp impression was for safety reasons.

The complainant and a witness in the case tested the cleaned notes and found them to be genuine. The prosecution said Olayim demanded 12 million cedis from the complainant so that he could purchase enough of the liquid and use it to wash the stamp impressions on the remaining notes in the box.

The complainant became suspicious and reported the matter to the security agencies who arrested Olayim and the other accused persons when the complainant gave the 12 million cedis to them at a restaurant at Osu in Accra.

The prosecution said when the box was opened, it contained pieces of papers cut to the size of dollar notes and cleverly packed in bundles as genuine dollars.