High Court Judge Edward Ekow Baiden Named As Suspsect In Alleged Fraud Against France-Based Businesswoman
- Police say they are investigating a case in which a judge has been named among four people accused of defrauding a Paris-based businesswoman
- The victim, Bire Marie-Dominique, allegedly paid $190,000 into the account of the judge for the purchase of a house, but when it was time to sign the papers the judge, said to be the owner of the house, refused
- The judge has been identified as Justice Charles Edward Ekow Baiden, and the other accused persons are Ahmed Meyaki, Abdul Gafaru and Jari Gardziella
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Police say they are on the lookout for four suspects including a high court judge, who allegedly defrauded a France-based businesswoman $190,000 through a real estate deal.
The judge, Justice Charles Edward Ekow Baiden, together with Ahmed Meyaki, Abdul Gafaru and Jari Gardziella, are suspects in a case of "defrauding by false pretences", according to the charge sheet sighted by YEN.com.gh.
The facts of the case, as presented by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana police, are that in 2019 the businesswoman Bire Marie-Dominique visited Ghana to invest.
Source: Getty Images
Businesswoman arrives in Ghana in 2019
She took the decision after attending a meeting that same year in Parish in which President Nana Akufo-Addo urged Africans in the diaspora to come to Ghana to invest.
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When Marie-Dominque arrived in Ghana, she needed accommodation to settle in the country so during a search, she saw came across a house on sale by Habitat Real Estates, an estate company.
One of the suspects Ahmed Meyaki, who claimed to be the Managing Director of the company, sent her photos of the apartments on sale for her to make a choice.
After she had made her choice, Meyaki introduced the complainant to the next suspect, Abdul Gafaru, said to be the lawyer.
Meyaki also introduced Marie-Dominique, a Senegalese based in Paris, to Jari Garrdziella from Finland who was reported to be working with the company.
Marie Dominique makes payment of $190,000
Convinced that everything was legitimate, in April 2021, the businesswoman made a total payment of $190,000 into Standard Chartered Bank account No. 940009155729 with account name Charles Edward Ekow Baiden.
Charles Edward Ekow Baiden was described at the time as a High Court '8' judge, now a judge at the Court of Appeal, and the owner of the apartment.
"In May 2021, she agreed with the supposed owner of the house to take possession. However, suspect Charles Edward Ekow Baiden handed over the keys to the apartment to the complainant but he failed to sign any agreement with her. As suspect Charles Edward Ekow Baiden refused to sign the document to hand over the apartment to the complainant, she confronted Charles Edward Ekow Baiden and he told her that, the property would cost US$250, 000.00," according to police account.
Marie-Dominique said she found the $250, 000 to be overpriced and therefore demanded a refund of her money but the suspect failed to refund it.
The businesswoman was also allegedly threatened when she pushed for a refund of her money until she left Ghana in frustration.
The charge sheet, dated July 23, 2023, said the case is still under investigation.
Executive Director of think tank Alliance for Social Equity And Public Accountability (ASEPA) who shared the case file on Facebook disclosed that Marie-Dominique is currently sick in Paris.
Wife of Cecilia Dapaah's late brother storms court to retrieve husband $800,000
Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh has reported in a separate story that the wife of the late brother of Cecilia Dapaah is demanding the $800,000 her husband gave to the former minister's family before he passed.
The money was in the possession of the former sanitation minister, who claims her late mother gave it to her for safekeeping.
The $800,000 is part of the $1 million, €300,000 and thousands of Ghana cedis stolen from the former sanitation minister's home by domestic workers.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
