The High Court in Accra has remanded a 62-year-old self-styled businesswoman for allegedly defrauding another businesswoman of $13,000 under false pretenses.
Nana Ama Nwurueze is accused of posing as a businesswoman with substantial properties, including Ohemaa Plaza at East Legon, fishing vessels in Takoradi, and a house at Airport, to deceive the complainant into giving her the money.
The prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Apewa Achana, has charged the accused with one count of defrauding by false pretenses.
She was arrested following a bench warrant issued by the court in December last year.
Nwurueze appeared before the Adabraka District Court, presided over by Her Worship Abena Asoh Owusu-Omenyo, and pleaded not guilty to the charge. However, the court denied her bail application, ruling that the evidence suggested she was a flight risk.
Counsel for the accused, George Asamani, moved the bail application and urged the court to rescind the bench warrant. He argued that his client had been unwell and had no intention of evading justice. He further assured the court that, if granted bail, his client would attend trial until the matter was fully determined.
However, Chief Inspector Achana opposed the bail application, requesting the court to remand the accused. He stated that the case was first reported at the Airport Police Station in 2021, but multiple attempts to arrest her were unsuccessful.
He explained that the complainant, Dorothy Asare, later petitioned the Criminal Investigations Department, leading to Nwurueze’s arrest in March 2024. Following her arrest, she was granted police inquiry bail and was required to report for further investigations but instead went into hiding.
The judge subsequently ordered her remand.
