Retired civil servant in GH¢40,000 land fraud

By Helena Selby
A retired civil servant has been arraigned before an Accra circuit court for allegedly collecting an amount of GH¢40,000.00 from a land surveyor, with the pretext of selling to him a land at Adjiriganor, near East Legon, a suburb of Accra.

The accused person, Vivian Adu Acheampong, who had no title to the land, has been charged with fraud for selling a plot of land. She pleaded not guilty before the court, presided over by Mr. Eric Kyei Baffour and has been admitted to bail in the sum of GH¢45,000.00 with two sureties to be justified.

She is, therefore, expected to re-appear before the court on April 8, 2011. The facts of the case indicate that in April 2010, the accused person approached the complainant and informed him of the sale of a piece of land she owned at Adjiringanor in East Legon.

The prosecutor, ASP Reynolds Agyemang, noted that the accused person had noted that the land belongs to her late brother, who sold it to one Beatrice Aboagyewah Bamfo, who currently resides in the United State of America, and who had consented to the sale of the land.

He said the accused person priced the land at GH¢60,000.00 -which the complainant paid GH¢40,000.00 to the accused person, and issued a cheque of GH¢20,000.00 in the name of Beatrice Aboagyewah Bamfo.

ASP Agyemang mentioned that when the complainant went to develop the land he was chased out, after which he drew the accused person's attention and asked her to withdraw the cheque, which was in the name of Aboagyewah

Bamfo, since he was no more interested in a land under litigation.

'The accused person agreed but failed to honour her promisesk despite several demands. A report was made to the police and the accused was arrested', the prosecution told the court.