KEY POINTS
- Former NPP aspirant Collins Amoah is wanted in a GH¢800,000 ($52,468) fraud case.
- Businessman claims he was tricked into paying for a tax settlement.
- Co-accused Solomon Okuley is out on GH¢1 million ($65,585) bail.
An Accra Circuit Court has issued a bench warrant for the arrest of Collins Amoah, a former New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary aspirant for the Ablekuma Central Constituency, over his alleged involvement in an GH¢800,000 ($52,468) tax fraud scheme.
Amoah and 51-year-old trader Solomon Okuley are accused of deceiving a businessman by promising to use their political connections to clear his tax debt with the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
Instead of fulfilling their promise, the prosecution claims that the duo misappropriated the entire sum for personal and political purposes. While Okuley was granted bail, the court has directed Amoah’s arrest after he failed to appear before the judge.
Businessman loses GH¢800,000 in alleged tax scam
According to Chief Inspector Teye Okuffo, the complainant, identified as Ababio, met Amoah and Okuley in June 2024, when they allegedly convinced him to hand over GH¢800,000 ($52,468), assuring him that their political influence would settle his GRA tax debt.
Trusting their claims, Ababio handed over the money in the presence of witnesses. However, after receiving the funds, the accused failed to follow through on their promise and began avoiding the complainant.
By December 28, 2024, after months of failed attempts to contact them, Ababio realized he had been defrauded and reported the case to the police. According to Graphic Online, that same day, Okuley was arrested. During interrogation, he admitted to receiving the GH¢800,000 but claimed Amoah took GH¢650,000 ($42,630) for his personal political activities.
Court imposes bail conditions, adjourns case
Presiding judge Susana Eduful has granted Okuley bail at GH¢1 million ($65,585) with two sureties, one of whom must be a public servant earning at least GH¢5,000 ($327) per month. The court also ruled that one surety must be an immediate family member.
As part of the bail conditions, Okuley must surrender his passport to the court registry until the case is resolved. He has pleaded not guilty to defrauding by false pretenses, an offense under Section 131(1) of the Criminal Offenses Act, 1960 (Act 29).
The court has scheduled a Case Management Conference (CMC) for February 3, 2025, directing the prosecution to file all disclosures and witness statements before the hearing. Meanwhile, authorities continue their search for Collins Amoah, who remains at large.
