Contractor Appears In Court For Stealing

Robert Fuseini Atuluk, a contractor, on Tuesday appeared before an Accra Circuit Court for stealing and issuing a dud cheque contrary to section 313 (A) of Act 29/60. Atuluk was said to have stolen $11,000.00 belonging to one Philip Korankye, and issued a Barclays Bank cheque No. 022213 for an amount of GH� 10,000.00 to be drawn, at the Abeka Lapaz branch of the bank. The accused pleaded not guilty and was granted bail to the sum of GH� 20,000.00, with one surety, to reappear on August 15. Chief Inspector Patrick Hanson told the court that the complainant is a caretaker of H/NO. 20 located at Tesano, near the National Police Training School. He said the property belonged to his sister, Felicia Agyemang and her husband who live in Germany, while the accused, Atuluk is a self claimed contractor living at Tabora in Accra. He said in 2011 the complainant�s sister, visited Ghana and decided to sell her building, and made several attempts but to no avail and so she went back to Germany. Chief Inspector Hanson said, Ms Agyemang then entrusted the sale of the house to the complainant and an advertisement was placed on the building with complainant�s cell phone number. He said the accused after seeing the publication, approached the complainant that he would assist him sell the house. According to the prosecution, during the deliberations, complainant told the accused that the cost of the house was $110,000, equivalent to GH� 220,000.00. He said the accused later went and sold the house at $135,000, equivalent to GH� 270,000.00 and gave only $90,000 equivalent to GH� 180,000.00 to the complainant instead of the agreed price. Chief Inspector Hanson told the court that all efforts by the complainant to retrieve the balance of $11,000.00, equivalent to GH� 22, 000.00 proved futile. He said on January 5, the complainant petitioned the Director General of the Criminal Investigations Department of Ghana Police Service. This compelled the accused to give a Barclays Bank cheque with face value of GH�10,000.00, but this was dishonoured when it was presented. He said the accused having realised that the cheque was dishonoured gave GH� 15, 000.00 to his uncle to be brought to the police as part payment, and since then he refused to report to the police, and efforts to get him on phone also proved futile. He said a summon was prepared for the accused to appear before the court.