Case against JB Plaza goes back to court

Wednesday, June 17, 2009 (Page 31)

SETTLEMENT in a case between an Accra-based businesswoman and Chairman of JB Plaza Limited, Kojo Bekoe, who has been arraigned at the Circuit Court in Accra for allegedly issuing false cheques totalling GH¢216,000 as repayment for financial assistance he sought from the businesswoman, has broken down.
The prosecutor, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) George Abavelim, informed the court at its sitting in Accra yesterday that the parties could not reach an agreement.
Counsel for Bekoe had on the last adjourned date prayed the court to give the parties a few days to enable his client to negotiate the terms of payment of the debt he owed Madam Tuffour.
The court, presided over by Mrs Ivy Heward-Mills, obliged and adjourned the case to today but it was informed during its sitting that the parties could not reach an agreement.
The matter was accordingly adjourned to Thursday, June 18, 2009 for full trial.
Bekoe was alleged to have approached the complainant, Madam Tuffour, to offer him financial assistance to enable him to clear his goods at the port.
According to the prosecution, Madam Tuffour subsequently gave the accused person GH¢296,000 to enable him to clear his goods.
Bekoe pleaded not guilty to four counts of issuing false cheques and has been granted bail in the sum of GH¢300,000 with a surety by the court.
According to the facts of the case, during the latter part of 2007, the accused person approached the complainant for financial assistance to enable him to clear his goods at the port.
On December 1, 2007, the complainant gave GH¢296,000 cash to Bekoe who in turn issued post-dated HFC Bank cheques with numbers 005907and 005812 and Zenith Bank cheques numbers 000248 and 000247.
When the cheques were presented on the due dates at the various banks, they were dishonoured on the grounds that there were insufficient funds in the accused person’s accounts to pay the cheques.
Upon realising that the cheques could not be honoured, Madam Tuffour immediately notified the accused person but he did not budge.
Madam Tuffour from then made all necessary efforts with the view of retrieving her money from Bekoe all to no avail.
She, therefore, had no alternative but to report the case to the police, which led to the arrest of Bekoe.