Accra lawyer in court over alleged GH¢800,000 excavator fraud

A 34-year-old legal practitioner, Divine Effah-Dartey, has been hauled before the Accra Circuit Court over allegations that he helped facilitate a fraudulent excavator sale that cost a businessman GH¢800,000.

Prosecutors say Effah-Dartey acted in concert with others to mislead the buyer into paying part of the purchase price for an excavator that did not belong to the purported sellers. He has been charged with abetment of defrauding by false pretences and has pleaded not guilty.

He was granted police enquiry bail after an application by his father, retired naval officer Captain Nkrabea Effah-Dartey.

Two other men are standing trial alongside him:

Mawuli Awadzi Amenyo, 49, a carpenter, is charged with conspiracy and defrauding by false pretences. He pleaded not guilty and was granted GH¢400,000 bail with two sureties, one to be justified.

Jiang Tao, a warehouse manager, faces a charge of abetment and has also been granted police enquiry bail.

A fourth suspect, Rishan Mahanta, who is additionally accused of forgery, is currently on the run.

The case, presided over by Judge Evelyn Asamoah, has been adjourned to 23 January 2026.

Presenting the facts, Detective Chief Inspector Abel Amanie told the court that the complainant, Kofi Boateng, a businessman from Asankragwa in the Western Region, was seeking to buy an excavator to rent out commercially.

In September 2025, Boateng was allegedly introduced to Amenyo, who in turn linked him to Mahanta, described as an excavator importer based in Accra.

On 1 October 2025, the complainant travelled to Accra and was taken to the yard of Caitec Delta Limited, where Mahanta is said to have presented several excavators as his property. With assistance from Jiang Tao, one of the machines was reportedly tested despite access restrictions at the facility.

Boateng later agreed to purchase a Sany hydraulic excavator valued at GH¢1.7 million and is said to have paid GH¢800,000 as an initial instalment.

According to the prosecution, he was then escorted to a law firm at Kaneshie, where Effah-Dartey was introduced as Mahanta’s lawyer. The accused lawyer is alleged to have received the money in cash, issued a receipt, and handed over an Import Declaration Form which investigators now describe as forged and purportedly issued by the Ghana Revenue Authority.

Subsequent checks, the court heard, showed that the excavator did not belong to any of the accused persons and that Mahanta was not a registered client of the law firm.

Police say efforts are under way to trace and arrest Mahanta as investigations continue.