Two remanded in $650,000 gold scam, others at large

The Circuit Court in Dansoman, presided over by Her Honour Halimah El-Alawa Abdul-Baasit, has remanded two individuals into police custody in connection with a $650,000 gold fraud case.

The accused, Gabriel Serwornu Dangote, 35, a trader, and Bismark Owiredu Frimpong, 45, a businessman, pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to defraud and defrauding by false pretences.

Two other suspects, identified as Ohene Gyan Nana and Emmanuel White, remain at large. The case, titled The Republic vs Gabriel Serwornu & Others, has been adjourned to a later date as investigations continue.

The prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Christopher Wonder, told the court that on November 24, 2024, the complainant, Moussa Bamba, an Ivorian businessman based in East Legon, was introduced to the alleged fraudsters while attempting to purchase gold.

According to the brief facts presented, A4 (Emmanuel White) first introduced Bamba to A3 (Ohene Gyan Nana).

On the same day, the complainant met A3 and A4 at Fiesta Royale Hotel to discuss a deal involving the sale of 10 kilograms of gold valued at $65,000. Following successful negotiations, Bamba agreed to purchase 100 kilograms of gold for $650,000.

On November 25, 2024, after testing the supposed gold bars at Assa Gold Refinery in East Legon—which initially showed the gold to be genuine—the complainant transferred the full amount to A4’s bank account.

Later that day, Gabriel Serwornu and Ohene Gyan Nana handed over the gold to the complainant. However, subsequent checks revealed the bars were fake.

The complainant reported the fraud to the police, leading to the arrest of Serwornu and Frimpong on June 12, 2025. During interrogation, Frimpong admitted to his involvement while Serwornu denied the charges.

Investigations revealed that Frimpong had brought the gold for testing and was also present when the fake gold was handed over. It was further uncovered that A3 and A4 later withdrew the funds from a forex bureau at the A&C Mall in East Legon.

Police say efforts are underway to arrest the remaining two suspects, while the case remains under active investigation.

The accused are facing two counts:

1. Conspiracy to commit crime to wit defrauding by false pretences, contrary to sections 23(1) and 131 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), and

2. Defrauding by false pretences, contrary to section 131 of the same Act.

The case will resume on June 30th.

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