Businesswoman remanded over alleged fraud

A 62-year-old woman, Nana Ama Nwurueze, also known as Ohemaa, has been remanded in custody for allegedly defrauding another businesswoman of $13,000 under false pretences.

Nwurueze, who allegedly presented herself as a wealthy entrepreneur with extensive property holdings, including Ohemaa Plaza in East Legon, fishing vessels in Takoradi, and a house at Airport, is accused of using these claims to deceive the complainant into parting with her money.

She was arraigned before the Adabraka District Court, presided over by Abena Asoh Owusu-Omenyo, where she pleaded not guilty to one count of defrauding by false pretence. However, the court denied her bail request, ruling that evidence on record suggested she was a flight risk.

Arrest and bail application

The prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Apewa Achana, revealed that Nwurueze had been on the run since a bench warrant was issued for her arrest in December last year. She was finally apprehended in March 2024 following a petition to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) by the complainant, Dorothy Asare.

Counsel for the accused, George Asamani, applied for bail, arguing that his client had been unwell and had no intention of evading justice. He assured the court that she would comply with all court proceedings if granted bail.

However, Chief Inspector Achana opposed the application, citing Nwurueze’s previous attempts to evade arrest. “She always rents apartments for limited periods. If not for the publication we made after the bench warrant was issued, we wouldn’t have been able to arrest her,” he stated.

He further told the court that despite being granted police inquiry bail, the accused had gone into hiding and failed to appear before the court, instead submitting questionable medical excuse duties.

Alleged fraud

According to the prosecution, the accused was introduced to the complainant through a mutual friend. Nwurueze allegedly convinced Asare that she was a successful businesswoman with multiple properties and over ten shipping containers of goods at the Takoradi port.

She reportedly persuaded the complainant to lend her $5,000, promising to refund the money within three weeks after clearing the goods. When the complainant hesitated, Nwurueze allegedly further claimed to be in partnership with Devtracco and showed her an ongoing apartment construction project, which she claimed was on her property.

Trusting these representations, Asare handed over the $5,000 at the accused’s residence at Airport. A month later, Nwurueze allegedly requested an additional $8,000, claiming it was needed to resolve an issue at the port, again promising repayment within two weeks.

After several weeks, Asare attempted to retrieve her money but was met with excuses. She later discovered that Nwurueze was not the owner of the alleged Airport property and had no partnership with Devtracco. Additionally, investigations revealed that she had no shipping containers at any port in Ghana.

The prosecutor insisted that all representations made by the accused were intended to defraud the complainant and that she had successfully obtained $13,000 under false pretences.

The case has been adjourned, with Nwurueze remaining in custody pending further proceedings.