Accra Circuit Court has summoned Nana Ohene Djan Aggrey Bentil, a 54-year-old businessman, over allegations of defrauding a car dealer of four luxury vehicles valued at GH¢1.78 million.
The vehicles involved include a 2018 Range Rover Sport, a 2020 Toyota Tundra, a Maserati, and another 2018 Range Rover.
According to court documents, Bentil, the director of N. O. B. Djania Company Limited, reportedly took the vehicles to have them evaluated by his bankers.
However, he allegedly impersonated the importers of the cars and illegally registered them at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) office at 37, using the names of the actual owners without their consent.
Bentil pleaded not guilty to ten charges, including forgery of official documents, defrauding by false pretence, and issuing false cheques when he appeared before Judge Afia Owusuaa Appiah on Tuesday, April 2, 2024.
During the bail application, Bentil’s counsel, Emmanuel Acolatse, argued that his client posed no flight risk, had a fixed place of abode, and would cooperate with investigations if granted bail.
However, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Kofi Anane opposed the bail application, expressing concerns that Bentil might abscond, especially considering ongoing criminal charges against him in another court.
ASP Anane elaborated on the prosecution’s case, stating that Bentil allegedly contacted the complainant in June 2022, expressing interest in purchasing luxury cars.
Subsequently, Bentil inspected and purportedly agreed to buy four cars, demanding their original documents for valuation by his bankers.
Bentil allegedly issued post-dated cheques to the complainant as payment under the company name N.O.B. Djania Company Limited. He then fraudulently registered the cars under the names of their actual owners without their consent, subsequently selling two of the vehicles to another party.
Three of the eight cheques issued were cleared, resulting in the complainant receiving GH¢500,000.00.
The court ordered the prosecution to provide details of Bentil’s other ongoing case before deciding on the bail application.