Fraud victim insists he paid GH¢18,000 to magistrate
A lecturer based in the US, who was allegedly defrauded by Ms Anna Jane Ghartey, a magistrate of an amount of GH¢18,000.00, to sell a parcel of land to him, said he paid all the money to the accused.
Professor Emmanuel Kwasi Adjaye, told an Accra Circuit Court on Tuesday that he paid all the monies to the accused for which she acknowledged and issued him with receipts.
He also denied claims by the Defence that it was Samuel Aidoo, the second accused who sold the land to the complainant and not Ms Ghartey.
Prof Adjaye was answering questions during cross-examination by Mr Edward Darlington, Counsel for Ms Ghartey at the on-going trial in Accra.
Ms Ghartey a magistrate at a juvenile Court in Accra, is currently on interdiction.
The magistrate together with Samuel Aidoo, a building contractor has been charged for conspiracy.
Ms Ghartey was additionally charged with two counts of defrauding by false pretences and forging of documents.
They have pleaded not guilty to the charges and are on GH¢30,000.00 bail with two sureties to be justified.
Prof Adjaye also denied claims of the defence that he had not tendered the original copies of documents covering the transactions at the High Court, which is handling the civil suit.
Questioned by the defence Counsel whether he knew the one who prepared the documents, Prof Adjaye replied in the negative but insisted that it was Ms Ghartey who gave the papers to him.
He denied assertions by the defence that it was Aidoo who asked one Ashley, a solicitor to prepare the documents covering the lands and not Ms Ghartey as claimed by the complainant.
He was asked by the defence whether he (Prof Adjaye) was aware that his brother Dr Adjaye had previously bought a land from one Rose Agbo and later introduced Aidoo to Ms Ghartey as the agent?
Prof said he was not aware of any transactions between Dr Adjaye and Rose Agbo and that his brother did ask Ms Ghartey to act as his solicitor.
He also maintained that Ms Ghartey was not just an agent of Aidoo as the defence would have the court to believe but sold the lands and collected the monies herself.
The case as presented by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mary Agbozo said the complainant is Professor Joseph Adjaye, who resides in the US.
Some time in December 2006, Anna sold a parcel of land to the complainant for GH¢ 11,000.00.
Anna claimed the land belonged to one Rose Agbo who had instructed her to sell the land on her behalf.
Prosecution said soon after the sale, Anna prepared documents in respect of the land and handed over to the complainant.
In August 2007, Anna sold another land to the complainant for GH¢ 7,000.00 but when the complainant went to develop the land, he was prevented by another developer.
Prosecution said documents prepared on the said plots were later found to be forged.
Anna promised to replace the two parcels of land but she failed.
Prosecution said Anna also failed to refund the complainant’s money.
Source: GNA