GH¢198,000 Car Sale Fraud Leads to Heavy 10-Year Sentence
A trader will serve 10 years in prison for a GH¢198,000 car sale fraud. An Accra Circuit Court sentenced Bismark Obeng Yaw after a full trial. Yaw defrauded a draughtsman by pretending to sell him a Honda CR-V. Notably, Yaw advertised the vehicle on Fuji.com, an online trading site. He displayed a specific price for sale. Subsequently, Yaw succeeded in taking the GH¢198,000 from the draughtsman. Yaw then bolted during inspection of the vehicle, the prosecution stated. The court, presided over by Judge Susana Eduful, convicted Yaw. He faced two counts: conspiracy and defrauding by false pretence. Furthermore, the court ordered him to pay GH¢70,000 as restitution to the complainant. However, Yaw’s accomplices, Gideon Wiafe and another man named Gideon Wiafe, still remain on the run.
The case facts detail the victim’s encounter. The complainant came across the advert on Fuji.com. It listed a Honda CR-V 4×4, 2000 model, for GH¢198,000.00. Consequently, the draughtsman immediately contacted Yaw. They then agreed to meet for negotiation. The prosecutor told the court that Yaw introduced one accomplice as his cousin.
Moreover, the prosecutor detailed the transaction events. On November 1, 2022, the complainant and his witness met Yaw at Madina. They intended to seal the transaction there. Out of malice, Yaw failed to produce the vehicle documents during the transaction. Despite this, the complainant withdrew the money. He handed the cash over to his witness. Meanwhile, the complainant proceeded to the University of Ghana campus with Yaw. They planned to meet the accomplices for the documents. Unfortunately, the convicts succeeded in obtaining the complainant’s consent. They took the GH¢198,000 during the inspection and bolted swiftly. Clearly, the crime showed premeditation.
Later, the complainants petitioned the Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID). They urged the department to investigate the matter fully. Subsequently, the Auto-theft Unit of the CID Headquarters arrested Yaw. This arrest occurred on January 26, 2023, at Amasaman-Fise. Yaw was attempting to defraud another victim with the exact vehicle used in the first scam. During interrogation, Yaw admitted to the crime. He confessed to defrauding the complainant with his accomplice. Yaw further admitted that he received GH¢20,000 as his share of the booty. Therefore, he acknowledged his direct involvement in the GH¢198,000 car sale fraud. On January 31, 2023, the CID Headquarters held an identification parade. The complainant definitively identified Yaw as the person who defrauded him along with the other individual. This decisive identification secured the conviction and the 10-year sentence. The conviction closes this particular chapter of the GH¢198,000 car sale fraud.
Source: Justice Agbenorsi/GRAPHICONLINE
