MP charged with over $2.4m fraud, gets ¢2m bail

The opposition lawmaker for Twifo Atti Morkwa in the Central Region, David Vondee, who was charged with two counts of defrauding by false pretence contrary to section 131 (1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960, (Act 29) and money laundering contrary to section 1(2) (c) of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, Act 2020 (Act 1044), has been granted bail to the tune of two million cedis.

He was granted by the High Court in the case where he has been accused of allegedly defrauding a company.

He is to produce two sureties both of whom are to be justified.

He pleaded not guilty and was granted bail by the court after the charges were read to him on Tuesday May 25.

On the money laundering charge, the charge sheet stated that “David Vondee, between August 2015 and July 2016 in Accra in the Greater Accra Region, took possession of the sum of $2,400,000 knowing it to be proceeds of crime.”

The AG’s Department said that “knowing that his company had not completed their financial obligations toward their grantors and therefore, had no title to any portion of the land, the accused proceeded to prepare an indenture covering about 20 acres of the land in favour of the complainant’s company.”

“The accused also presented a land title certificate number GA 44978 to the officials of Africa REI Ghana Ltd. as evidence of his company’s ownership of the said land, even though there had been no valid registration of the land.

“Sometime in 2016, after the complainants had lodged a complaint of fraud against the accused to the police, the accused attempted to settle the matter amicably by granting to the complainant ten 10 acres of land as payment of the money taken from the complainant’s company. An official search at the Land’s Commission, however, revealed the 10 acres of land did not belong to the accused or his company,” it added.

SOURCE:3.news.com