Mr. Godfred Atteh Otumi, a Site Manager, has been granted GH₵500,000.00 bail by an Accra Circuit Court after allegedly defrauding two individuals of a total of GH₵264,000.00. It is alleged that Otumi took GH₵144,000.00 from an Accountant and GH₵120,000.00 from an Aviation Safety Officer by falsely promising to secure them plots of land at Tse-Addo. Otumi pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit a crime and two counts of defrauding by false pretense. The court, presided over by Mr. Samuel Bright Acquah, granted him bail with three sureties and instructed him to report to the police once a week and deposit his Ghana Card at the court’s registry. Meanwhile, his alleged accomplice, Alhaji Muntaka, is currently at large. The case has been adjourned to August 2, 2023.
According to Police Chief Inspector Agartha Abena Asantewaa, who presented the facts to the court, the complainants, Mr. Samuel Thompson and Eyram Adosraku, are an Investigation Inspector residing in Teshie and an Accountant residing in Tema Community three, respectively. In May 2022, Mr. Thompson met the accused persons through an intermediary named Sampson, seeking land for his business in Tse-Addo. The accused persons claimed they could provide him with a parcel of land for GH₵2,000.00 per month for a period of 10 years. Mr. Thompson made a payment of GH₵120,000.00 to Otumi for a period of five years, and Otumi issued an official receipt on behalf of AM Expander Enterprise.
In August 2022, Madam Adosraku also approached Otumi regarding a parcel of land in Tse-Addo for her bottled water distribution business. Otumi agreed to rent a parcel of land to her for 10 years at the cost of GH₵144,000.00. Madam Adosraku made a payment of GH₵104,000.00 into Otumi’s GCB account and gave him GH₵40,000.00 in cash. However, while demarcating the land, someone intervened and claimed ownership of it. Otumi then led the complainants to another fenced and gated plot, but another individual claimed ownership of that land as well. The complainants became suspicious and demanded a refund from Otumi, who went into hiding. The complainants petitioned the Director-General/CID for assistance, leading to Otumi’s arrest on August 2, 2022. Otumi admitted to collecting the money but claimed to have given it all to Muntaka, who has not been apprehended by the police.
