A 35-year-old forex trader, Benjamin Appiah Boateng, has been remanded into police custody by an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly defrauding two individuals of significant sums of money.
Boateng, facing charges of theft and fraud, is accused of deceiving Mr. Berry Kwadwo Agyapong and Mr. David Burke into investing large amounts of money in cryptocurrency. According to the court, Boateng, a resident of Oyibi, persuaded the victims to invest in USDT (Tether) on platforms like Binance by presenting himself as a successful forex trader with a proven record of profitable investments.
Mr. Agyapong, who initially invested USD$300,000 in Boateng’s scheme, later introduced Mr. Burke to the opportunity. Mr. Burke, a businessman, invested GH₵555,000 initially and later increased his investment to GH₵9,890,000, encouraged by Boateng’s promises of high returns.
However, when Mr. Burke sought to withdraw his initial investment along with the accrued profits, Boateng became unresponsive. Both Mr. Burke and Mr. Agyapong’s attempts to contact Boateng were unsuccessful. In a bid to explain his actions, Boateng sent a WhatsApp voice note to the victims, admitting to gambling away their investments on an online platform, “Stake.” He also reportedly sent a suicide note, alarming the victims.
Following the incident, Mr. Burke reported the matter to the police, resulting in Boateng’s arrest. During questioning, Boateng allegedly confessed to the offenses.
The court, presided over by Mr. Samuel Bright Acquah, did not take Boateng’s plea and remanded him into police custody. The case has been adjourned to January 13, 2025, for further proceedings.
