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A spiritualist, Mallam Safainu Abubakari, 62, has appeared before the Agona Swedru Circuit Court for allegedly defrauding an Akim Oda-based young trader to the tune of GH�36,913.00. Abubakari reportedly took that amount under the guise of spiritually helping to boost Iddrisu Mumuni�s business, only to vanish from his Awutu Adawukwaa base. When he was eventually arraigned before the court, presided over by Ms Abigail Anima Asare, Abubakari denied the charge of taking GH�6,900 from Mumuni for prayers for his (Mumuni�s) business to boom. The presiding judge therefore granted him a GH�50, 000 bail with three sureties to be justified until April 30. Presenting the facts, Inspector Opoku Mensah told the court that in January 2011, Mumuni, got in touch with one Alhassan Musah who introduced him to Abubakari for spiritual assistance and was charged a fee of GH�100 for the service After the initial transaction, Abubakari invited Mumuni to his residence at Adowukwaa where he told him that he (Abubakari) had registered his (Mumuni�s) name at Tema for the purchase of two cargo trucks that were due to be auctioned by the government. Inspector Opoku Mensah said Abubakari quoted the price of both trucks at GH �40,000 for which he made Mumuni to pay a total of GH�23,654 in instalments between January and May, 2011. Mumuni also paid a total sum of GH �13,259 to Abubakari through a witness, all amounting to GH �36,913, the prosecutor stated. The prosecutor said after collecting those monies, Abubakari on one occasion took Mumuni to Mallam Junction, Accra and showed him two unregistered cargo trucks parked at a filling station which he claimed were the trucks meant for him. The prosecutor said Abubakari then told Mumuni that he was left with a balance of GH �7,500 to pay before he could release the said trucks to him. Mumuni was said to have borrowed a total of GH�7,500 from his landlord to pay the balance, only for Abubakari to fail to honour that promise. Inspector Opoku Mensah said when Mumuni and his landlord confronted Abubakari about his inability to deliver the trucks, he pleaded with them to give him a few days� grace to enable him hand over the trucks. But that turned out to be an excuse for him to go into hiding until he was arrested on October 5, 2011. The prosecutor said Abubakari had since refunded GH �12,500 to the police.