Estate developer before court for stealing, causing damage

Monday, May 18, 2009 (Page 47)

AN estate developer, Mrs Maria O'Sullivan Jentu, last Friday appeared before the Accra circuit court charged with conspiracy, stealing and causing unlawful damage to property worth GH¢12,000.
Mrs Jentu was alleged to have led four armed soldiers, six armed policemen and eight land guards, without any demolition order from the court, to demolish the four-bedroom property of the complainant which was under construction.
The accused person was also alleged to have led her team to destroy a security kiosk and took away the complainant's working tools worth GH¢4,000.
Eighteen other accused persons are currently on the run.
Mrs Jentu pleaded not guilty to three counts of conspiracy, causing unlawful damage and stealing and was granted bail in the sum of GH¢30,000 with three sureties.
She is also to report herself to the police once a week.
According to the prosecution, Mrs Jentu was invited by the police after she had led the other accused persons to destroy Mr Anthony Kwarteng’s property but she refused to honour the invitation, saying police had nothing to do with land matters.
Prosecuting, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, Ms Mary Agbozo, told the court that in 2003, the accused person awarded a contract to the complainant for a road network and the demarcation of land on the Spintex Road for estate development.
Instead of paying the complainant, she gave him four plots of land to defray the cost of the contract and went ahead to provide him with the necessary documents covering the land.
In April 2009 the complainant, according to the prosecution, started developing the four plots, only to be confronted by one Mark Addo, who claimed to have purchased the same plots of land from the accused person for $52,000.
A report was made to the police and the complainant, the accused and Addo were invited.
Upon a lengthy interrogation, Addo and the accused were advised to stay away from the land since it became evident that the complainant was the rightful owner.
About 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 30, 2009, the accused was said to have called the police that she intended to demolish the whole structure put up by the complainant.
She subsequently led her accomplices to the site on May 2, 2009 and succeeded in demolishing the structure and took away workings tools worth GH¢4,000 belonging to Mr Kwarteng.
Counsel for the accused, Mr Joe Lassey, prayed the court to grant his client bail, since she was a responsible and disciplined business woman and would, therefore, co-operate with the court.
He said his client had worked hard over the years building more than 50 houses for sale and for that matter she and the complainant would resolve the matter amicably.
The trial judge then moved in and questioned counsel why his client had not earlier resolved the matter in a civil way with the complainant.
The case was adjourned to May 29, 2009.