Court issues warrant for arrest of Nana Bandoh

Tuesday, November 10, 2009 (Page 31)

THE Accra Circuit Court has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of the Ashanti Community Chief in Toronto, Canada, who is standing trial for allegedly defrauding a businesswoman to the tune of GH¢37,000.
Nana Bandoh, who has on several occasions refused to appear before the court to answer fraud charges, is said to be on the run.
As a result of his failure to appear before the court, the person who stood as surety for Bandoh is being processed for court.
The surety is expected to tell the court the whereabouts of the accused person or risk facing prosecution.
Bandoh and another accused person, Bentil Opoku, were alleged to have asked the complainant, Ms Edna Osei, to pay $37,000 to enable them to ship a Toyota Camry saloon car and Infinity FX 35 from Canada to Ghana.
The complainant paid $33,000 for the cars, as well as $4,000 as cost of shipping, but became shocked when she went to the port to clear the cars.
She realised that the accused persons had shipped an empty container, although they had handed over the bill of lading and keys to the cars to her.
Bandoh, who is also a personal injury consultant, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of conspiracy and defrauding by false pretence.
Assistant Superintendent of Police George Abavelim told the court that Bandoh and Opoku met the complainant, who had then travelled to Canada in December 2006, and held a meeting with her.
During the meeting, the two accused persons allegedly asked the complainant to pay $33,000 to enable them to get her the vehicles she had requested for.
The complainant paid the amount for the cars and later paid $4,000 for shipment.
According to the prosecution, a freight and forwarding agent by name Bismark Opoku was contacted to provide the ‘container’ and the necessary documents for the shipment of the cars.
The complainant gave the documents to her agent and when the agent went to the Tema
Port to clear the cars, he was surprised to find the containers empty.
The complainant lodged a complaint with the police leading to the arrest of Bandoh on June 6, 2009 at Kumasi after he had arrived in the country on May 17, 2009.