The Chief Linguist to the Asafohene of Adum, Kumasi, Nana Marfo Ababio, has been remanded in prison custody for two weeks by a Circuit Court in Kumasi. He is facing a charge of defrauding by false pretences.
Nana Marfo Ababio, 50, is alleged to have defrauded the complainant, Japhtan Appau, whom he claimed was his nephew, of GH�2,400. The money was collected to enable him obtain documents on our plots of land Appau had bought from the Chief of Apampatia near Kumasi.
Nana Ababio, also a surveyor, pleaded guilty with explanation.
A man who stood surety for the accused during an earlier sitting of the court on the case said he had withdrawn his service, following the ordeal he went through when Nana Marfo jumped bail before he was rearrested and brought to court.
The prosecutor, Chief Inspector Comfort Baffuor-Kyei, told the court presided over by Mr. Emmanuel Amo-Yartey, that on February 23, 2009 Nana Ababio collected the money after he had promised to obtain the documents covering the land from the chief of Apampatia.
She said immediately Nana Ababio was given the money, he went into hiding and all attempts to locate him proved futile.
Moreover, efforts to obtain either the documents or retrieve the money were unsuccessful.
According to the police, in May 2007, Appau bought the land from the Chief of Ampapatia who owes allegiance to the Asafohene.
Though the chief allocated the land to Appau, the necessary document was to be completed by the Asafohene of Kumasi who is mandated by tradition to issue the said document.
The prosecutor said Appau approached the Asafohene with the documents covering the plots and was charged GH�1,000.00 per plot.
According to the prosecution, Nana Ababio asked Appau to pay an additional GH�600.00 for each plot to enable him persuade the Chief of Apampatia to process the necessary documents.
Nana Ababio is said to have made a part payment of GH�1,000.00 and promised to refund the remaining amount within two weeks.
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