An Accra Circuit Court has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of three businessmen over an alleged GH₵621,000.00 oil fraud. 

They are Alhaji Iddrisu Ibrahim, Alhaji Abdul Samed and Simon Muelenga. 

The accused persons will have to appear before the Court presided over by Mrs Ellen Ofei-Ayeh on September 27, 2023, to answer the conspiracy, fraud and issuing of dud cheque charges against them.  

The facts are that Mr Ebenezer Martei, the complainant, is a businessman and the Proprietor of West Stream Dominion Enterprise and resides at Dansoman in Accra.  

Accused Ibrahim as well as Yusif and Simon Muelenga, both at large are all said to be businessmen.  

On August 2, 2021, Alhaji Ibrahim and Alhaji Yussif were introduced to the complainant as businessmen who wanted him to supply them with petrol and diesel. They made the necessary arrangements to that effect.  

In September 2021, Alhaji Ibrahim bargained with the complainant for the purchase of 54,000 litres of petrol and 54,000 litres of diesel all valued at GH₵621,000.00 and after obtaining same, defaulted in the payment of the purchase price.  

Based on this, the complainant made several efforts for Alhaji Ibrahim to pay the purchase price but he failed.

Later, Alhaji Ibrahim pleaded with the complainant that he had invested his money in a vessel that he secured hence he needed some time to pay the debt, the Court heard.  

After some time, Alhaji Ibrahim and Alhaji Yussif went to the complainant that they had a business partner in South Africa, Muelenga, with whom he has a Haulage business which Alhaji Ibrahim again invested the complainant's money.

The court was told they needed $35,000 to complete it in two weeks' time to enable Alhaji Ibrahim to pay the complainant his money for the oil and also to refund the US$35,000.  

The court heard that based on this, the accused persons succeeded in collecting US$35,000 from the complainant which turned out to be false.  

After the expiration of the two weeks, the complainant demanded his money. Alhaji Ibrahim issued him with the Stanbic Bank Ghana Limited Cheque from the Kasoa branch for an amount of GH¢621,000 in the name of West Stream Dominion Enterprise.

When it was presented at the Stanbic Bank Ghana Limited Accra Main Branch, on April 20, 2022, it was dishonoured on the grounds that there were not adequate funds in the account to pay the amount specified on the cheque.  

The complainant made a report to the Police and the accused persons were called on their phones to report at the station to assist in the investigation, but they went into hiding until June 4, 2023, when Alhaji Ibrahim was arrested. Muelenga has so far refunded US$6,000.