A trader who entrusted GHC760,000 to Menzgold has come forward with allegations of assault against the Chief Executive Officer, Nana Appiah Mensah.
The investor, along with other aggrieved customers, recounts an incident where they confronted Mensah to demand the return of their funds, resulting in an alleged assault.
The unfolding situation adds another layer to the controversy surrounding the defunct gold dealership firm.
During her testimony at the Accra High Court on Tuesday, January 23, Priscilla Adu Boateng, the fifth prosecution witness, revealed that the ex-CEO of Menzgold Ghana Ltd reportedly displayed a firearm when confronted by customers seeking the release of their invested funds and accrued interest.
“All the demands on Menzgold from us did not yield any returns, rather Nana Appiah Mensah assaulted us.
“On 8th January 2020, he pulled out a gun when we went to his house in Trassaco to demand our money.
“I am a single mother with four children, and these investments were made in furtherance of their education.
“My business is not thriving, and I am in the process of selling my house to make ends meet.
“I, therefore, demand that Menzgold, Brew Marketing and Nana Appiah Mensah are made to pay my locked-up investments.”
When the case was called, led by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Yvonne Attakora Obuobisa, Priscilla Adu Boateng submitted her witness statement to the court.
She indicated that she first heard about Menzgold and was drawn towards investing after seeing a billboard advertising the same.
After a year of convincing by an executive of the gold dealership firm, she finally got on board and invested in the Kasoa branch of Menzgold.
The court discharged Madam Adu Boateng after adopting her witness statement into evidence and the decision of Kwame Boafo Akuffo, the lawyer for NAM1 not to cross-examine her. The case, which is being heard daily, has been adjourned to Wednesday.
Together with his companies, Menzgold Ghana Limited and Brew Marketing Consult Ghana Limited, Nana Appiah Mensah has pleaded not guilty to a plethora of charges including selling gold without a license, operating a deposit-taking business without a license, inducement to invest, defrauding by false pretense, fraudulent breach of trust and money laundering.
He has been charged with 39 counts of these offences amounting to GHC340,835,650. NAM1 is currently on a GHC500 million bail with four sureties.