More trouble for jailed radio presenter

The woes of incarcerated 25-year-old Tamale-based radio presenter Nuhu Abu Hassan, popularly known as DJ Maestro, are far from over. DAILY GUIDE has confirmed that a civil suit has been filed at a Tamale High Court by counsel of Hans Dieter Heirrich, the duped Member of the Federal Council of Germany, to retrieve the money.

DJ Maestro was last Thursday sentenced to a four-year jail term for internet fraud by a Tamale Circuit Court presided over by Senyo Amedahe.

The victim, according to his counsel, is seeking available legal means to retrieve all or part of the 15,000 Euros he lost in the scam, stressing that they cannot allow the convict to go scot free.

They are seeking the mandate of the court to attach and sell his property to offset part of the money.

It would be recalled that the Circuit Court, after almost three years of trial, found Nuhu Abu Hassan, 25, guilty of defrauding by false pretences through the internet.

The former Zaa Radio presenter and the German legislator met through the internet in the last half of 2012 and the latter expressed interest in investing in Northern Ghana.

The German was particularly interested in owning a house in Tamale where he could stay and establish some businesses and his new-found friend opted to help.

Nuhu Abu Hassan was therefore tasked to conduct a market survey and come up with the cost of his (the German’s) specifications but the suspect took fake drawings and emailed them to him.

About 15,000 Euros was subsequently sent and after some months, Nuhu in turn sent him pictures of a house that belonged to a neighbour claiming that was the house he had built with the money.

The German legislator, during a surprise visit to Ghana and to the north, discovered that he had been duped as there was no house as claimed by the former radio presenter.

The house purported to have been built was owned by someone who indicated that he never sold the house and that no one had ever expressed interest in buying it. He later presented documents to buttress the fact.

A complaint was therefore lodged with the police, leading to Nuhu’s arrest. In his caution statement, he admitted the offence but claimed his victim was a gay partner and that the money was compensation for their gay activities.

He tendered some nude pictures of himself to back his claim, disclosing that part of the money was used in purchasing a Nissan Almera at GH¢16,000 and a parcel of land at GH¢18,000. He pleaded with the police to give him time to pay back the money.