The Dansoman Circuit Court has granted bail to two Nigerian businessmen accused of defrauding a colleague of $20,000 (GHC 336,000 cedis).

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The accused, Patrick Piniki, 57, and Adawale Julius, 52, were each granted bail in the sum of GHC 200,000, bringing the total bail amount to GHC 400,000.

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Piniki and Julius allegedly obtained the money under the pretense of securing a vessel loaded with crude oil from Nigeria. They have both pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit a crime and defrauding by false pretenses.

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The court, presided over by Halimah El-Alawa Abdul Basit, initially set bail conditions requiring each accused to provide three sureties who are public servants earning at least GHC 3,000 monthly. However, as they were unable to meet these conditions, the terms were revised. The new bail conditions stipulate that the sureties must earn at least GHC 2,000 per month, and all sureties must be justified.

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“All sureties must be justified and all other conditions applied,” the court ruled.

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Additionally, the accused persons must deposit their identification cards with the court’s registry and report to the police once every two weeks.

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The case has been adjourned to April 2, 2025. Meanwhile, a third accused individual, identified as Engineer Chidi, remains at large.

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Chief Inspector Christopher Wonder, prosecuting, informed the court that the complainant, Sawine Menual, resides in Kasoa, Central Region, while the accused are based in Tema.

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According to the prosecution, in November 2024, the complainant sought to enter the crude oil trade and was introduced to Piniki by a friend, Olowo, who had experience in the sector. Piniki then contacted Julius in Nigeria, and both men traveled to Ghana to finalize the business arrangement with the complainant.

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The accused and the complainant held multiple meetings in a hotel in Tema, where they assured him of securing a crude oil vessel from Nigeria. They demanded an initial payment of $10,000, which the complainant transferred to Engineer Chidi, allegedly a vessel manager. Chidi later traveled to Ghana and reassured the complainant that the vessel would arrive soon.

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Subsequently, the accused demanded another $10,000 to cover loading costs, which the complainant paid. However, the vessel never arrived, and the deal proved to be fraudulent.

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In total, the complainant paid $20,000 (GHC 336,000 cedis). Upon realizing he had been deceived, he demanded a refund, but only received $3,200, leaving an outstanding balance of $16,800.

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In December 2024, Engineer Chidi reportedly returned to Nigeria without informing the complainant. Efforts to recover the funds proved futile, prompting the complainant to report the matter to the police at the Accra Regional Command, leading to the arrest of Piniki and Julius.

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During interrogation, Piniki denied any involvement in the fraud, while Julius admitted that he and others had collected money for the crude oil business, but the deal never materialized.

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