Businessman 40, held before court for multiple offences

Ashaiman Circuit Court has found a businessman guilty on two counts of fraudulent transactions in land contrary to section 277(2 A) of the Land Act 2020(1036). Alhassan Eliasu was further charged with defrauding by pretense contrary to section 131 of the criminal offenses Act 1960(Act 29). The court presided over by His Honour Richard Delali Anku granted a plea by the prosecutor to allow him time to conduct a further search at the lands commission. Subsequently, the case was adjourned to October 25, 20222 for a thorough search to be conducted to ascertain the validity of a claim by the accused person, Alhassan Eliasu. Case NO.44198 was thoroughly investigated by D/SGT Francis Ametorwogblona, presenting the brief fact, the Prosecutor C.O. Norgbedzi told the court that the complainant Derick Larweh Dawtey aged 35 is a businessman residing at Katamanso, Ashaiman while the accused Alhassan Eliasu aged 40 is also a businessman who deals in land and lives at Roman Down, Ashaiman. He said somewhere in the year 2018, the accused person approached the complainant and his younger brother, Dominic Ateh Dawtey, a witness in the case that he has a plot of land offered for sale. The complainant, added upon knowing the location of the land showed interest in buying it. He said the accused person granted a plot of the land measuring 80 by 80 to the complainant and his brother at the cost of GHS10,000.

He said the complainant made payment of the GHS10,000 to the accused person after which the accused demanded an additional GHS4,000 for documentation of the land he granted to the complainant and one other plot he granted to the complainant by his boy, one Soni. The complainant, according to him made the payment of GHS14,000 but the accused failed to issue him with the documents to the land.

He revealed that a dwarf fence wall constructed by the complainant around the land to secure it was broken into. The prosecutor said on 28/03/20, the complainant visited the land and realized that someone had broken a portion of his fence wall and started developing the land.

The complainant made a formal report to the police and during investigations, it was established that the accused person has no title over the land he granted to the complainant. The accused was subsequently arrested to assist in investigations. After investigation, the accused person was charged with the offenses before the honorable court.

Report by Prosper Kwaku Selassy Agbitor