A 44-year-old businessman has appeared before the Accra Circuit Court, accused of defrauding a businesswoman of GH¢480,000.

Anthony Appiah, charged with defrauding by false pretences, pleaded not guilty.

The court admitted him to bail in the sum of GH¢500,000 with two sureties, one of whom must be a public servant earning not less than GH¢4,000.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Emmanuel Nyamekye led the prosecution.

The prosecution said the complainant, whose name was withheld, was a businesswoman who resided in Accra, as did Appiah.

It said in May 2025, Appiah, who had known the complainant for some time, visited her home and told her that he had secured a distribution contract with BEL-AQUA Company.

He allegedly said he needed $50,000 to execute the contract and appealed to the complainant for financial assistance, promising to refund the money within two weeks.

The complainant subsequently gave Appiah GH¢480,000.

However, after the two-week period elapsed, Appiah failed to refund the money.

The prosecution said the complainant contacted BEL-AQUA Company to verify the contract and was informed that Appiah had no such contract with the company.

All efforts to retrieve the money proved unsuccessful, prompting the complainant to petition the Police for investigations.

Appiah was subsequently arrested, and investigations established that BEL-AQUA Company had neither awarded him any contract nor engaged him in any capacity.