Two Nigerian businessmen, Patrick Piniki, 57, and Adawale Julius, 52, have appeared before the Dansoman Circuit Court on charges of conspiracy to commit a crime and defrauding by false pretences.
The two are accused of swindling a colleague out of $20,000, equivalent to GH₵336,000, under the pretext of securing a crude oil vessel from Nigeria.
The accused pleaded not guilty to the charges. The court, presided over by Halimah El-Alawa Abdul Basit, initially granted them bail set at GH₵200,000 each, with three sureties who had to be public servants earning at least GH₵3,000 per month. The sureties were also required to reside within the court’s jurisdiction, while the accused were to report to the police every two weeks and deposit their identification cards with the court registry.
However, Piniki and Julius failed to meet the bail conditions, prompting the court to revise the terms during a session on Monday. The new bail conditions required three sureties earning a minimum of GH₵2,000 per month, with all sureties justified. Despite these adjustments, the accused remained in custody. The case has been adjourned to April 2, 2025.
Meanwhile, a third accused individual, identified as Engineer Chidi, is currently at large.
According to Chief Inspector Christopher Wonder, the complainant, Sawine Menual, a resident of Kasoa in the Central Region, had expressed interest in venturing into the crude oil business in November 2024. He was introduced to Piniki through a mutual acquaintance, Olowo, who had experience in the industry.
Piniki subsequently contacted Julius in Nigeria, and the two later travelled to Ghana to finalise the deal with Menual. Multiple meetings were held at a hotel in Tema, where the accused assured the complainant that they could secure a vessel loaded with crude oil from Nigeria.
As part of the arrangement, the accused demanded an initial payment of $10,000, which the complainant was instructed to pay to Engineer Chidi, allegedly the vessel manager. Chidi later travelled to Ghana and reassured Menual that the vessel would arrive soon.
Following this, the accused requested an additional $10,000 for “vessel loading,” which Menual paid in anticipation of a successful transaction. However, the deal never materialised.
In total, Menual paid $20,000 (GH₵336,000) but only managed to recover $3,200 after persistently demanding a refund, leaving an outstanding balance of $16,800.
In December 2024, Engineer Chidi left for Nigeria without informing the complainant. After multiple failed attempts to retrieve his money, Menual reported the matter to the Accra Regional Police Command, leading to the arrest of Piniki and Julius.
During police investigations, Piniki denied any wrongdoing, while Julius admitted that they had received the money for a crude oil deal that ultimately fell through.
The prosecution is expected to present further evidence when the case resumes in April 2025.
Source: GNA
Click the link Puretvonline.com | WhatsApp Channel to join the WhatsApp channel
GOT A STORY?
Contact/WhatsApp: +233243201960 or Email: manuelnkansah33@gmail.com