Businessman in court for selling government land granted GH¢400,000 bail

The Adentan Circuit Court has granted bail to Alhassan Hardi Mohammed, a businessman who allegedly sold five government-owned plots of land.

He (the accused) pleaded not guilty to the charge of selling land.

In a graphic.com.gh report, the court presided over by Her Honour Sedinam Awo Balokah granted the accused a bail term of GH¢400, 000 with two sureties.

The investigator, Stephen Djabatey, narrating to the court said that Mr Faisal Ahmed, the complainant said he bought the land from Mohammed (the accused) and built a fence wall, a single room and as well drilled two boreholes on the same land.

He added that in January 2023, the government held a demarcation and demolition exercise and as a result, the complainant lost his land.

Chief Inspector Maxwell Lanyo also presenting the facts of the case to the court disclosed that Ahmed (complainant) was a driver and resident of Kwabenya, Accra but lived in the United Kingdom in March 2022.

The prosecutor further detailed that the complainant while abroad contacted a friend that he was interested in buying land and through that, his friend introduced the accused, Mohammed to him.

C/Insp Lanyo continued that Ahmed who trusted Mohammed showed interest in the said five plots of land and bought it for GH¢320,000.

Ahmed, therefore, paid an initial deposit of GH¢69,050 into Mohammed’s bank account and later added a balance of GH¢250,950.

C/Insp Lanyo said that Ahmed after paying the amount, was given an indenture, with the signature of one James Nii Mensah Okpoti Kodua of Oyarifa, Accra on it was issued to him by Mohammed.

According to the prosecutor, it was after the demarcation and demolition exercise that Ahmed realized that government has handed his land located at the Amrahia Dairy Farm in Accra over to the Chiefs of Amrahia, Kweiman, Danfa, and Oyarifa.

The prosecutor also added that later, Mohammed, the accused tried to get another land for Ahmed, the complainant at East Legon Hills, also in Accra but got to know that Mohammed did not have the necessary documents to that land either.

It was on the back of this that Ahmed reported Mohammed to the police and was subsequently arrested.

C/Insp Lanyo disclosed that it was during investigations that the accused told the police that he also bought the government land from James Nii Mensah Okpoti Kodua at Amrahia but was not given any document.

The prosecutor also revealed that Mohammed had sold the land that belongs to government to Ahmed and that investigations were underway to find the said Nii Mensah Okpoti Kodua.

The case has been adjourned to July 5, 2023.