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Florence Bondze Adofo, a 56-year-old trader, is currently being prosecuted for allegedly attempting to trick a forex bureau owner, Chief Haruna Saley, in a transaction worth $45,000.
According to a news report by The Chronicle, the accused person told Chief Saley that she had $45,000 she was willing to exchange for GH¢652,500.
However, when the GH¢652,500 was given to her, she failed to produce the $45,000.
The police prosecutor for the case, Inspector Cyrus E. Conduah, told the court that the accused person (Florence Bondze Adofo), with the help of a police officer, Detective Corporal Thompson Abraham Ntosour, contacted Chief Haruna Saley to sell the $45,000 she had in her possession.
Both Bondze Adofo and Chief Saley agreed that the $45,000 would be exchanged for GH¢652,500.
According to Inspector Conduah, Chief Saley and the police officer, who was acting as a middleman, met Bondze Adofo at the SIC Mall car park at Makola in Accra, where the GH¢652,500 was handed to the accused.
Florence, after receiving the money, demanded that Chief Saley should wait behind while the police officer accompanied her to Opera Square to get the US$45,000.
The police officer and Florence went to Opera Square, and she asked him to wait behind an office while she went for the dollars, only for her to come back without the US$45,000.
The prosecutor indicated that she told the police officer who accompanied her that her partner, Abdulai Hashim, could not raise the entire US$45,000 and that he was waiting on more dollars to be able to raise the said amount.
They returned to inform the owner of the forex bureau about the state of the transaction, and the accused person told him that they had to wait for a while for the total amount of dollars to be raised by her partners.
After waiting for some time, the victim became suspicious and ordered the arrest of the accused, whom they took to the Accra Central Police Station and lodged a complaint.
The prosecution also disclosed that during the investigation into the matter, the accused person admitted that she did not have the dollars and that her partner Abdulai Hashim and his boss Alhaji Taminu informed her that they had $70,000 that they were selling.
She admitted that she took the GH¢652,500 which she gave to Alhaji Taminu. Abdulai Hashim was subsequently arrested, and he also admitted that he had received GH¢60,500 from Florence. His boss, Alhaji Taminu, is, however, nowhere to be found.
Both Florence and Abdulai were charged with conspiracy to commit a crime, defrauding by false pretences, and dishonestly receiving charges.
They have both pleaded not guilty to the charges and have been granted bail by the Accra Circuit Court,
Florence received bail in the sum of GH¢600,000 with three sureties, and Abdulai received bail in the sum of GH¢100,000 with one surety. The case was adjourned to April 17, 2023, for continuation.
