Two persons granted GH¢450,000 bail over alleged car fraud

An Accra Circuit Court has granted two people a GHC450,000.00 bail with three sureties each for allegedly collecting USD25,000 from a businessman under the pretext of securing him a BMW saloon car.

Two of their sureties, each, the Court ordered, should be public officers.

Mubarak Mohammed, alias Maija Orey, denied defrauding Mr Kwame Osei Sarfo whilst Jonathan Bright Mensah, also known as JB, pleaded not guilty to aiding and abetting Mubarak.

They are expected back in Court on August 21, 2023.

Meanwhile, their alleged accomplice, one Obeng, is now at large.

Prosecuting, Police Chief Inspector Eric Pobee told the Court Mr Sarfo, the complainant was a businessman and resident of Weija in Accra.

He said Mensah was an electronic Technician,and Mubarak a businessman.

They are residents of Accra Newtown and Kotobabi respectively.

The prosecution said in January 2022, Mubarak approached the complainant that he was a car dealer and that his brother, domiciled in the United States of America, had a BMW X7 2022 model car for sale in the States and went ahead to show the complainant pictures of the said car.

Mubarak told the complainant that the cost of the car and its shipments to Ghana would be USD$25,000.00 and based on that the complainant became convinced and parted with USD$20,000 for the purchase of the car.

A week later, the Court heard that Mubarak went to the complainant and told him that the car had been purchased and was ready to be shipped to Ghana.

He then demanded and collected the remaining USD 5,000 from the complainant as shipping fee and promised the complainant that the car would be in Ghana in a couple of months, but it turned out to be false after the complainant waited for 16 months.

The prosecution said a report was made to the Police and on June 13, 2023, Mubarak was arrested.

He confessed to the crime and told the police that he gave USD$11,000 to one Jonathan and gave USD$12,000 to his partner, who is in United States of America and pocketed the remaining USD$2,000.

The prosecution said Mubarak led the Police to arrest Jonathan.

It said in his cautioned statement, Jonathan admitted collecting $11,000.00 from Mubarak and stated that he also gave same to Obeng, at large now.

Jonathan and Mubarak were charged with the offences and put before Court.

The police said efforts were being made to arrest Obeng.