A court in Accra has granted bail to 11 individuals accused of defrauding Sri Lankan Member of Parliament Dr. Muhammed Hizbullah of USD 2 million in a fake gold transaction, according to Ghanaian media reports.
The accused — Abdul Rauf Adam, Alhmamoudi Saleh, Yaw Attah Antwi, Osman Suleman, Nhyiraba Dwamena Ra III, Benzcarl Dwamena, Sanfo Mubassir, Sallah Mammoudi, Ahmed Issah, Umaru Pafadenam, and Salifu Suleman — were each granted bail of 500,000 Ghanaian cedis (approximately USD 33,000) with two sureties, one of whom must be a property owner, as ruled by the Accra Circuit Court Eight.
Prosecutors told the court that the suspects conspired in 2023 to defraud Dr. Hizbullah, a lawmaker representing Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province, by falsely claiming they could supply a large quantity of gold. After receiving the payment, the group failed to deliver and later attempted to re-engage the MP with another offer of 50 kilograms of gold backed by a memorandum of understanding.
The suspects were arrested on October 16 in the Weija SCC area of Accra during a national security operation, which also led to the recovery of two yellowish metallic items believed to be gold. Laboratory analysis is currently under way to confirm their authenticity.
All 11 suspects have been charged with conspiracy to commit a crime, defrauding by false pretense, and attempted fraud. They are scheduled to reappear before the court on November 20.
