Three persons including a German found themselves in the dock after they allegedly kidnapped the Chief Executive officer (CEO) of Europapee Company Limited over allegations of fraud.
Christian Witt, a scientist and German national; Edward Kwadwo Appiah, a taxi driver; and Bartholomew Chirapanga, a businessman were arraigned before an Accra circuit court presided over by Mrs. Doris Bempong.
The accused persons reportedly entered the Europapee premises with the help of eight policemen and took all the workers there hostage, after which the CEO, Nana Kwadwo Ofosu Aryee, was blindfolded and taken to a pit around Akatamanso.
There, he was allegedly put in a dug pit and forced to sign a document that he owed Witt $75,000 or he would be buried alive.
They were charged with conspiracy and kidnapping and their plea was not taken. They have been remanded in police custody while the case has been adjourned to August 23, 2011. Narrating the facts leading to the arrest of the accused persons, the prosecuting officer, Chief Inspector Peter Benneh, told the court that the complainant in the case is the CEO of Europapee, a company that deals in gold at East Legon.
According to him, on August 1, 2011, the German national went to the complainant�s office and told him that somewhere in 2009, he transferred an amount of $75,000 to a certain George Alhassan to buy him gold and he suspected Nana was the said man.
He said the complainant denied he was the person who received the said amount and consequently asked him to substantiate the allegation with relevant documents or report the matter to the police for it to be investigated.
According to him, on August 5, 2011, Witt hired two taxis- one a Toyota Corolla being driven by Appiah- with registration number GE5097-11, and entered the company premises of the complainant.
The police officer noted that Appiah was accompanied by eight policemen who took all the workers hostage and seized their mobile phones. Nana, who was inside his office and saw what was happening, hid in the boys quarters.
However, the accused persons and the police saw him in the boy�s quarters and broke the door open, after which they blindfolded him and pushed him into the taxi driven by Appiah. The prosecutor said the CEO was escorted to Ashiaman in another taxi with an unknown registration number while two motorbikes accompanied them.
The CEO was later sent to a forest between Akatamanso and Adenta where he was put in a pit covered with wood and weeds, in an attempt to bury him alive in the presence of Witt.
Chief Inspector Benneh noted that the German national demanded $75,000 or he would have him killed, but the CEO offered $50,000 and called one of his workers to bring the money. The prosecutor observed that Nana called a witness in the case, who was able to raise $17,000 and was asked by the accused persons to deposit it at Tema Motorway Roundabout before the complainant would be set free.
According to him, the witness went to the Tema Roundabout and gave the money to the accused persons who, after receiving it, failed to release the CEO but rather sent him to Ashiaman and hid him in an uncompleted building. He said the accused persons again took Nana to the said pit and demanded GH�5,000 in order to release him and subsequently forced him to put in writing that he owed Witt $75,000 and that he would pay them back in gold equivalent, after which he was forced to sign the document.
The witness in the case was called by the complainant to bring an additional amount of GH�5,000 to Witt and his accomplices but in the process of doing so, he was informed that Nana had been freed.
The police officer said on August 12, 2011, the three accused persons were arrested when they went to the complainant�s office to collect money, adding that their accomplices however managed to run away.
He said efforts were underway to apprehend the remaining suspects while the case was still under investigation.
Source: Fidelia Achama
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