Court Varies Bail Conditions for 2 Bizman in GH¢336k crude oil deal

Dansoman Circuit Court has modified the bail conditions of two Nigerian businessmen accused of defrauding a Kasoa-based businessman of GH¢336,000 in a crude oil deal.

Presiding Judge, Her Honour Halimah El-Alawa Abdul-Baasit, maintained the bail sum of GH¢200,000 with three sureties, all of whom must be public servants residing within the court’s jurisdiction.

However, she reduced the required monthly earnings of the sureties from GH¢3,000 to GH¢2,000.

Other bail conditions remain unchanged. The accused – Patrick Piniki, 57, and Adewale Julius, 52, must deposit their identification cards with the court Registry and all sureties must be justified.

Additionally, the accused must report to the police once every two weeks until otherwise stated.

The two were first arraigned on January 22, 2025 and pleaded not guilty to the charges of conspiracy to commit fraud and defrauding by false pretences under Sections 23(1) and 131(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).

They were remanded until February 6, 2025 when they were granted bail. However, they were unable to meet the initial bail conditions, prompting their defense counsel to apply for a variation, which was granted.

The case, which also involves a third suspect, Engineer Chidi, who is currently at large, has been adjourned to April 2, 2025.

Background of the Case

According to the brief facts, complainant SawineMenaul, a businessman from Kasoa, sought to enter the crude oil trade in November 2024 and contacted Patrick Piniki through a mutual friend.

Piniki, in turn, involved Adewale Julius and both suspects traveled to Ghana from Nigeria for the transaction.

The complainant was allegedly convinced to pay an initial US$10,000 (GH¢168,000) to Engineer Chidi in Lagos, Nigeria, for vessel nomination.A second payment of US$10,000 was later made for loading the vessel.

However, the vessel never arrived, and the transaction turned out to be fraudulent.

After several failed attempts to recover his money, the complainant received only US$3,200 as a partial refund. In December 2024, Engineer Chidi reportedly left Ghana without informing the complainant.

Following further unsuccessful efforts to retrieve his money, Menaul reported the matter to the Accra Regional Police Command, leading to the arrest of Piniki and Julius.

While Piniki denied any wrongdoing, Julius admitted in his caution statement that they collected money for the crude oil transaction, which ultimately failed. The case remains under investigation. Prosecution is being led by Chief Inspector Christopher Wonder.

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