Two Nigerian nationals accused of orchestrating a sophisticated online fraud and laundering the proceeds through vehicle and property acquisitions have been granted bail by the Circuit Court in Accra.
The accused, Solomon David King and Kingsley Okokon Etuk, both 48, were on Tuesday slapped with GH¢1 million bail each, to be justified with two sureties each, supported by title deeds in the names of the sureties.
The ruling was given by Her Honour Susana Eduful, presiding over the Circuit Court.
The pair pleaded not guilty to four counts: conspiracy to commit crime, defrauding by false pretences and money laundering.
Alleged Fraud Scheme
According to the prosecution, led by DSP Emmanuel Nyamekye, the accused allegedly defrauded two foreign nationals – Mr Gommarie Michele, an American citizen and L. Anthony, a Canadian of a total sum of $715,000 USD between 2020 and 2025.
Per court documents, the accused convinced the victims online that they could assist them to acquire and ship a consignment of goods valued at over US$12 million.
The victims, believing the representations to be true, made payments in tranches via money transfers and through intermediaries in the USA and Togo.
The victims were eventually lured to Togo under the pretext of receiving the consignment, but ended up parting with additional funds and returned home empty-handed. It was later revealed the consignment never existed.
The matter came to light after the victims narrated their experience to Victor Efiong, a fellow Nigerian resident in Accra, who then reported the incident to the police.
The prosecutor alleged that part of the defrauded funds were used to purchase personal assets. King is said to have bought a Hyundai Elantra (AW 3144-13), while Etuk allegedly acquired a Toyota Camry (KWL 359 HZ) and a five-hectare farm plantation in Suhum, Eastern Region — all purportedly acquired from proceeds of the unlawful activity.
Both accused are facing separate money laundering charges under Section 1(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2007 (Act 749).
The digital devices of the accused have been retrieved for forensic analysis as part of ongoing investigations. Prosecutors believe these may contain evidence of the alleged communications and transactions with the victims.
The case has been adjourned to November 3, 2025, as investigations continue.
The post 2 Nigerians granted GH¢2M bail for defrauding America & Canadian citizens appeared first on The Ghanaian Chronicle.
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