Togbui Fiti granted bail in fraud case

Page 48: October 7, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia
AN Accra Circuit Court yesterday granted bail to Togbui Amenya Fiti V, the Paramount Chief of the Aflao Traditional Area, after he had been charged on two counts of defrauding two businessmen.
He pleaded not guilty and the court, presided over Mrs Ivy Heward-Mills, adjourned the case to October 22, 2008.
He was granted bail in the sum of GH¢15,000 with one surety.
Togbui Fiti was arrested in Aflao last Thursday in response to a circuit court warrant issued on Wednesday to that effect.
The warrant, with reference D6/537109 and dated October 1, 2008, was addressed to the police.
The facts of the case, as presented by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) P. K. Frimpong, were that the chief allegedly collected the money in two tranches of GH¢14,060 and GH¢21,090 for the supply of 5,000 bags of cement from Diamond Cement Ghana Limited.
He said Togbui Fiti, however, managed to supply only 1,000 bags and refunded GH¢2,500 to the complainant, Armani Garba, a businessman at Awoshie in Accra.
DSP Frimpong said some time in May 2008 the complainant travelled to Aflao with the view to buying cement from Diamond Cement Ghana Limited for sale.
He said as a result of the difficulties associated with getting the cement, a witness in the case advised Mr Garba to contact Togbui Fiti because he was a friend to the top management of the company.
The prosecutor said on May 5, 2008, the witness led Mr Garba to the private home of the accused in Aflao.
He said the accused took GH¢200 for the visit to his house and promised to deliver the cement within two weeks.
DSP Frimpong said a second businessman, Mr Abubakar Halidou, who is the proprietor of H. Lab Ventures, on hearing what had transpired between Mr Garba and the accused, contacted the same witness who led him to the residence of Togbui Fiti on May 8, 2008.
He said with the same representation, the accused demanded and collected GH¢21,090 for the supply of 3,000 bags of cement, paying the same price per bag as Mr Garba had.
He said the accused also took GH¢200 from Mr Halidou for visiting him.
DSP Frimpong said when the cement was supplied to the accused, he allegedly sold it to someone in Benin.
He added that the complainants made several efforts to get the cement supplied to them without success, adding that the complainants then petitioned the Director-General of the Police CID to investigate the matter.
The prosecutor said the accused, in the course of investigations, supplied 1,000 bags of cement and refunded GH¢2,500 but had since refused to respond to invitations from the police.