A judge has cautioned the public against the payment of money whenever the courts extend bail to accused persons.

Mrs Sarah Nyarkoa Nkansa, a Judge at the Adentan Circuit Court, said bail extended to accused persons were for free and “you don’t need to pay a dime.”

“It is only when an accused person jumps bail that his or her surety or sureties would have to pay the bail sum involved. Report anyone who demands money,” she said.

The trial judge gave the caution when a 45-year-old businessman, Paul Konney, appeared before her on a charge of defrauding by false pretences.

Konney was alleged to have collected cash in the sum of GHC80,000 from one Eric Kristic under the pretext of purchasing assorted soft drinks to sell and return the money.

The accused and the complainant were to share the profit after the sale of the drinks.

Konney has, however, denied the charge of defrauding by false pretences.

The trial judge admitted him to bail in the sum of GHC 100,000 with two sureties. The court ordered Konney to report to the investigator once a week (Wednesdays).

The prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Maxwell Lanyo, said both the accused and the complainant were businessmen.

It said in January 2025, Konney approached Eric Kristic with a business proposal that the two of them should go into soft drink selling and share the profit.

Prosecution said Kristic agreed after exercising due diligence by inspecting Konney’s warehouse and became satisfied with the products he saw.

The court heard that Konney requested GHC80,000 for the commencement of the business, based on which Kristic parted with GHC25,000.

They both went and bought the assorted drinks for retail.

The prosecutor said Konney then requested the remaining GH¢55,000, which the complainant gave to him.

The accused, after obtaining GH¢80,000, refused to answer the complainant’s phone calls and also refused to meet him.

“When the complainant visited the accused person’s office to inspect the goods he had bought, to his utmost surprise, all the goods had been sold, but he did not pay a pesewa to the complainant,” the prosecution said.

Upon a report made by Kristic to the police, the accused was called to go for an additional GH¢200,000 from the complainant, and then he was arrested.

The prosecution said Konney admitted the offence in his caution statement, saying that he used part of the money to buy three pieces of furniture and three office computers.

The accused, however, could not account for the rest of the money.