An Accra Circuit Court has remanded a 39-year-old businessman into National Intelligence Bureau custody over an alleged GH¢1.5 million gold fraud.
Dominic Tawiah is facing a charge of defrauding by false pretences.
His plea was not taken by the court, presided over by Mr. Isaac Addo, who also denied a bail application submitted by defence counsel.
Tawiah is expected to reappear on July 31, 2025. The case is being prosecuted by Chief Inspector Jacob Kuuba.
According to the facts presented, the complainant, Alexander Nkrumah, a businessman residing at Ashongman in Accra, was approached in 2024 by Tawiah, who presented himself as a gold dealer, and claimed he could supply gold in any quantity.
Nkrumah, who is not a gold dealer, then introduced Tawiah to his associate, Selim Fendi, who exports gold.
Acting as a middleman, Nkrumah facilitated the transaction, and initial consignments were successfully delivered.
Having gained the trust of Nkrumah, Tawiah took a total of GH¢1,519,700 from him in the presence of Fendi to supply 153 pounds of gold, which he failed to do.
During interrogation, Tawiah denied collecting GH¢1,519,700 for gold supply, stating, “That money was for fuel for his operations at a mining site and not for the supply of gold.”
Tawiah allegedly began evading calls from Nkrumah, prompting a report to the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB).
A formal petition was filed on July 14, 2025, leading to Tawiah’s arrest.
Investigations are ongoing.
On Wednesday, July 2, 2025, the GoldBod Taskforce arrested 10 Chinese nationals in Asankragua in the Western Region, in a breakthrough against illegal gold trading, just 48 hours after the government announced a nationwide ban on foreign involvement in the local gold trade. The suspects were picked up from a private residence where they were allegedly engaged in unauthorised gold transactions.
The operation, based on solid intelligence from informants, also led to the seizure of 1.3kg of gold worth nearly GH₵1.4 million, over GH₵1.3 million in cash, a pump-action gun, and a significant quantity of suspected money-laundering casino cards.
GoldBod CEO Sammy Gyamfi, who briefed the media on the development, confirmed that the arrested individuals would not be deported but would face full prosecution under Ghana’s laws.
