An estate developer, Prince Horace Allotey, who took a total amount of GHC24, 883.00 from 27 prospective tenants with the promise to rent out three rooms, has been arraigned and charged with defrauding by false pretence contrary to Section 131 of Act 29/60.
The accused person was alleged to have conspired with two others and collected various sums of monies from their victims under the pretext of renting his three rooms to each of them prior to his arrest.
Mr. Allotey has pleaded guilty to the offence and has been granted bail.
Prior to the prosecution closing its case in respect of the trial, the investigator, Detective Corporal Wisdom Tsede, told the court that during his investigation after the complaint was lodged; he proceeded to the house and found that the rooms were already occupied.
According to him, those who were in the rooms said they have not found the accused person and once they have a sleeping place there was no way they were going to move out.
The accused who was defending himself, denied all the charges leveled against him and told the court that none of the complainants paid money to him but rather to two accomplices currently at large.
The case has been adjourned to February 25, 2016.
According to the charge sheet, the accused collected from Kingsley Obalim GHC 960.00, Vicent Allotey GHC 600.00, Belinda Dogbetse GHC 900, Joseph Sackey GHC 840.00, Alice Amaley Amartefio GHC 600 and Vincent Allotey GHC 600.
The rest are Anita Otoo, GHC720.00, Florence Grippman GHC960.00, David Ekech GHC845.00, Vida Abiti GHC720, Gifty Kotey GHC1,000.00, Kofi Lewis, GH2,080, Jose Donkor GHC720.00, Paul Arhin GHC 1,000.00, George Wiredu GHC792.00, Kingsley Assabil GHC700.00 and Isaac Amoah GHC720.00.
Others are Cliff Osei Afriyie, GHC840.00, Rita Appiah Kubi, GHC2,080. Majorie Lamptey GHC 1,206, Christian Udoha GHC720, Abeka Hammond GHC840, Fatima Ali GHC840, Rosemary Edem Paekah GHC720, Evans E Solomon GHC960.00 and Igah Basil Ugochukwu GHC600.00.
Brief Facts
The brief facts as presented to the court presided over by Her Honour Abena Oppong Adjin Doku were that, the accused, Prince Horace Allotey, is an estate developer and resides at Mamprobi in Accra.
According to the prosecution, the accused inherited a house at Mamprobi from his late father, Joseph Allotey, and the accused started renovating the house and later advertised it through rent agents that he was offering the three rooms in the house for rent.
This attracted the 27 complainants in the case who urgently needed rooms to rent and that between the months of June and September 2011, the complainant approached the accused and with the assistance of his accomplices, Nii Moi Allotey and Adotey Allotey both at large, collected a total of GHC 24,8883.00 from the complainant under the pretext of renovating the rooms and renting same out to them.
The accused and his accomplices went into hiding. The complainants called at the Mamprobi Police Station and reported to the Police.
“On 18th July, 2012, the accused was spotted at Makola by one of the complainants who arrested him and handed him over to the Mamprobi police.
The accused was cautioned and after investigations, he was charged with the offence before this court.”
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