Trader jailed 10 years for GH¢198,000 car sale fraud
AN Accra Circuit Court has sentenced a trader who defrauded a draughtsman of GH¢ 198,000 by pretending to sell him his Honda CR-V to 10 years’ imprisonment.
According to the prosecution, the convict, Bismark Obeng Yaw, advertised the vehicle on Fuji.com, an online trading site with a price displayed on it for sale and succeeded in taking the GH¢198,000 from the draughtsman and bolted during inspection of the vehicle.
Yaw was convicted on two counts of conspiracy and defrauding by false pretence by the court presided over by Susana Eduful after a full trial.
His accomplices, Gideon Wiafe and Gideon Wiafe, are still on the run.
The court has also ordered him to pay GH¢70,000 as restitution to the complainant.
Facts
Per the facts of the case, the complainant came across an advert for a Honda CR-V 4x4 vehicle, 2000 model, on Fuji.com, an online trading site, with a price of GH¢198,000.00 displayed on it for sale.
The draughtsman then contacted Yaw, and an agreement was made for both of them to meet for negotiation.
The prosecution told the court that Yaw, who responded to the complainant's call, introduced one of his accomplices as a cousin.
On November 1, 2022, the prosecutor said the complainant and his witness met Yaw at Madina for the transaction to be sealed.
Out of malice, Yaw failed to produce the vehicle documents during the transaction.
Despite that, the complainant withdrew the money and handed it over to his witness, while he proceeded to the University of Ghana campus with Yaw to meet the accomplices for the documents.
The convicts, the prosecutor said succeeded in obtaining the complainant’s consent and took the GH¢198,000 during the inspection and bolted.
The complainants then petitioned the Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to investigate the matter.
January 26, 2023, Yaw was arrested at Amasaman-Fise by the Auto-theft Unit of the CID Headquarters in an attempt to defraud another victim with the exact vehicle used to defraud the complainant.
Interrogation
During interrogation, Yaw admitted to having defrauded the complainant along with his accomplice.
Yaw further admitted that he received GH¢20,000 as his share of the booty.
On January 31 2023, an identification parade was held at the forecourt of the CID Headquarters, and the complainant identified Yaw as the person who defrauded him along with another individual.
