An Accra Circuit Court has sentenced a 43-year-old agricultural engineer to three years in prison with hard labour after he was found guilty of defrauding a businessman of GHS150,000 under the false promise of importing a tipper truck.
The convict, Abraham Asudam, was convicted of defrauding by false pretences after the court, presided over by Mr Isaac Addo, found overwhelming evidence against him, including forged documents and a fake chassis number tied to a non-existent vehicle.
Asudam had claimed in December 2020 that he could procure the truck from a partner company in Belgium. The victim, Mr George Asudam who is not related to the convict, entrusted him with the full payment, believing the vehicle would arrive within a month.
However, after providing fake documents and a fabricated receipt from a supposed company called Power Vehicle Innovation, Asudam vanished. He cut off all communication and efforts to trace him proved futile until a police complaint eventually led to his arrest.
According to police prosecutor ASP Seth Frimpong, further investigation revealed Asudam was not a licensed vehicle dealer, and none of the documents he presented were genuine.
The court acknowledged that Asudam was a first-time offender and had spent time in custody during a deferred sentencing period. This delay was granted to give him an opportunity to repay an outstanding GHS30,000 balance. Despite several adjournments, he failed to meet that obligation.
“Notwithstanding several adjournments to enable the accused person to pay the money, he refused,” Judge Addo stated. “The court would therefore pass a fairly deterrent sentence on the accused.”
The court also ordered the restitution of GHS30,000 to the complainant. An amount of GHS20,000 recovered during the investigation has been retained as evidence.
The case serves as a cautionary tale, highlighting the growing need for due diligence in private vehicle import deals, particularly in a market vulnerable to fraudsters posing as intermediaries.
