Businessman in court over alleged land fraud

The Circuit Court in Accra, presided over by Her Honour BasiliaAdjei-Tawiah, has granted bail to Alfred TorgborTortor, a 56-year-old businessman, who is standing trial for alleged involvement in a fraudulent land transaction.

When the case was called, Chief Inspector Abigail Offeibea appeared for the Republic, while JacklineNaaAdjeleyOsekre, Esq., held brief for Yaw Dankwah, Esq., counsel for the accused.

Alfred TorgborTortor pleaded not guilty to two counts, fraudulent transaction of land and defrauding by false pretences.

Presenting the brief facts, the prosecution said the complainant, Joseph Nyesuah, is a Ghanaian businessman based in the United States, while the accused is a surveyor.

According to the prosecution, in 2021 the complainant travelled to Ghana on holiday and sought to acquire land for business purposes.

The accused, upon learning of the complainant’s interest, allegedly contacted a mutual acquaintance, Haruna Nurudeen and represented that he had access to parcels of land at Dodowa for sale.

The court heard that the complainant agreed to purchase five acres of land at a cost of GH¢125,000. The accused allegedly collected the amount through the witness, along with an additional GH¢15,000 for documentation and promised to complete the necessary processes within a month.

The prosecution stated that the accused later took the complainant to Dodowa, showed him a large tract of land, and claimed it belonged to a family that had entrusted him with 25 acres.

He subsequently handed over an unsigned indenture to the complainant, explaining that it was yet to be executed by the supposed grantors.

However, the prosecution said the accused went into hiding after failing to provide valid documentation or refund the monies, prompting a report to the Regional Criminal Investigations Department (CID) in Accra on February 17, 2025.

Investigations led to his arrest. In his cautioned statement, the accused admitted receiving the GH¢140,000 but claimed he was unable to secure the necessary documents from the landowners. He reportedly refunded GH¢20,000 during investigations.

Further checks, according to the prosecution, revealed that the accused had no legitimate interest in the land, which had been under litigation for several years.

Counsel for the accused prayed the court to admit his client to bail, stating that he was already on police enquiry bail and had a fixed place of abode at Arena.

Asked by the court whether the accused had sureties present, counsel responded in the negative. The prosecution indicated it was not opposed to bail.

Her Honour BasiliaAdjei-Tawiah admitted the accused to bail in the sum of GH¢650,000 with two sureties. One surety is to be justified with landed property, while the other must be a government worker earning a minimum monthly salary of GH¢2,500.

The court further directed the prosecution to compile and serve disclosures for a possible Case Management Conference (CMC).

The case has been adjourned to April 30, 2026.

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