The Herald’s story on the US$270,000 property fraud case, has smoked out estate developer of Imperial Homes Limited to admit knowledge of the criminal conduct of Raymond Maglo, threatening legal action, while heavily remaining economical on the incident, especially its relationship with the Togolese-Ghanaian, as well as details of the ownership of an apartment building.
Firstly, The Herald’s findings are that Raymond Maglo, is a bosom friend of the owner of Imperial Homes Limited, Francis Biney.
The relationship transcends friendship to brotherhood, and this is very well known. Francis was not ready to hand over his friend, brother and business partner in some instances to the police.
Secondly, Raymond Maglo, did not just forge his friend, Francis Biney’s signature on a Deed of Assignment to transfer the ownership of a three-bedroom apartment to Derek Kwasi Appiah, who is represented by Ernest Kofi Danso, but also forged the letterhead of his company, Imperial Homes Limited in the process.
Thirdly, it was not true that Francis Biney and Imperial Homes Limited, reported the matter of the forgery done by Raymond Maglo to the police.
The Herald’s information is that, it wasn’t until Ernest Kofi Danso, went to the Airport Police to lodge the US$270,000 property fraud complaint, before Maame Tutua Dadson, the corporate lawyer of Imperial Homes Limited, was invited by the police and it was there that she told the police in her caution statement that, her signature was also forged by Raymond Maglo, who is very much known to her.
Fourthly, until Wednesday, November 22, 2023, that The Herald revealed the names Francis Biney alias “Paapa” and Ms. Dadson, no official complaint had formally been lodged with the police against Raymond Maglo by Imperial Homes and the two others. Indeed, Raymond and Francis remained cozier than ever.
Additionally, the property; a thirty-one (31) Residential Apartment Development known as Premier Place 2, Airport Accra was built by Imperial Homes Limited for the Mould family under the name of GSELL Real Estate Company Limited, but as of last Wednesday, the property has not been transferred to the actual owners by Imperial, although they run the place and collect money by way of purchases and rent.
The land, on which the thirty-one (31) Residential Apartment Development property sits, has been labelled as a lease dated January 9, 1973 between the government of Ghana and one Daniel Mamah Morton. It is a 0.45 acre known as 21 Senchi Street, Airport Residential Area.
Again, as of this Wednesday, Tutua told The Herald that Francis Biney was on his way to the Cantonment Police Station in Accra to lodge a complaint of forgery against Rawmond, but it remains unclear, if he was able to do that. This is almost a year after the issue of the US$270,000 property fraud popped up.
Ernest Kofi Danso, tells The Herald about how Francis, regularly mocked him about how he as an “ADISCO boy” allowed himself to be swindled by the Togolese-Ghanaian, whose reckless activities in Accra as an Estate Agent are well-known and documented in court records.
Ernest Kofi Danso, also insisted that he and Raymond Maglo, went to the office of Maame Tutua Dadson, the corporate lawyer of Imperial Homes Limited at 11A Fetreke Street, Airport Residential Area in Accra, to pick up the Deed of Assignment transferring the 3-three bedroom apartment to Derek Appiah, but Tutua has since told The Herald even though Raymond was in her office on the said day, he only came to pick up a folder and not a Deed of Assignment.
Interestingly, Tutua, confirms Ernest Danso’s visit to her office in the company of Raymond, but said that he was made to sit in a car and wait at the premises, however, Mr Danso disputed this, saying he indeed, entered the lawyer’s office and sat her in reception, while Raymond Maglo went into the office empty-handed and came out with the Deeds of Assignment bearing the signatures of Francis Biney and Tutua, as Assignor and witness respectively.
In a statement published yesterday, the company said the property, which is a bone of contention, was developed and handed over to the buyer, Gsell Real Estates Limited, sometime in 2017.
The company insisted that its CEO’s signature was forged in the sale of the property to one of the persons involved in the case, stressing that it has no dealings with them.
“In 2022, one Raymond Maglo forged Imperial Homes Limited’s CEO, Mr. Francis Biney’s signature on a Deed of Assignment purporting to sell the property to one Derek Appiah. The said Derek Appiah and his representative, Ernest Danso, never checked with Imperial Homes Limited whether Imperial Homes Limited was still the owner of the property but relied on the words of Mr. Maglo and paid monies to Raymond Maglo.
“Imperial Homes Limited has had no dealings with Raymond Maglo, Derek Appiah, or Ernest Danso on the purchase of the said property, nor has it received any payment from the parties involved in the fraud case.”
Imperial Homes Limited maintained that its CEO has given his statement to the police, adding that it “extricates itself from the said fraudulent transaction or the parties involved in it.”
“The CEO of Imperial Homes Limited has since given his statement to the Ghana Police Service on the forgery of his signature, and the company completely extricates itself from the said fraudulent transaction or the parties involved in it,” Imperial Homes said, adding “Imperial Homes Limited assured its customers that it will continue to develop and sell only legitimate properties in Ghana and beyond and “is not involved in any fraud whatsoever.”
There is confusion over a three-bedroom apartment building located in Accra and owned by Imperial Homes Limited, an estate developer, leading to claims of fraud lodged at the Airport Police Station by one Ernest Danso.
He reports that an amount of US$270,000 was collected from him as the price of the apartment, but after three years of living in the building, his ownership was questioned and he was forcibly evicted from the house, leaving behind his belongings.
Before this, he had gone to the apartment and noticed that his keys could not open the main door. He discovered that the locks had been changed. He also noticed that there was a new occupant in the apartment, even though his (Danso’s) personal effects were still in the rooms, and remain there till now.
Mr Danso, produced several documents, including a deed of Assignment between Imperial Homes Limited, the Assignor represented by one Francis K Biney, the Managing Director and Derrick Kwasi Appiah, the Assignee, a Cash Deposit receipt made to one William Jacob Nee-Lante Mould and an interbank transfer receipt showing various sums were paid for the apartment building at different times.
Although the fraud case was finally taken, Mr Danso remains apprehensive and jittery at the conduct of the police administration in prosecuting an estate developer and his accomplice, who he says acted together and defrauded him under the guise of selling him the three-bedroom apartment owned by Imperial Homes.
According to police sources, the said William Jacob Nee-Lante Mould, in whose bank account at Prudential Bank huge amounts of money were transferred to for the house and the keys were handed over to Ernest Danso, is said to have strangely popped up one day, saying Raymond Maglo, had forged his signature in the sale of the apartment, adding he did not have the authority to sell the place.
William Jacob Nee-Lante Mould, is also reported to have claimed that the various sums that went into his bank account as part of US$270,000, were rather meant to defray a loan owed him by Raymond Maglo. But The Herald is informed that this is the modus operandi of Raymond Maglo and Nana Osei Nketia. They claim to be selling the apartments and receive either cash or bank transfers into the accounts of William Jacob Nee-Lante Mould, who is identified as the owner of the apartment building, but the customers never get the property transferred to them.
This paper is informed that one such payment running into almost US$ 1 million has been taken away from another person by Raymond Maglo, however, the apartment was never given to the client.
In a letter dated March 24, 2023, addressed to Derrick Kwesi Appiah and Ernest Dansu, Dr Mould wrote “Dear Sirs, I have been informed by Mr. Nana Nketia, our property manager, that you have been occupying our apartment no 22 at Premier Place at the Airport Residential Area as a Short Term Tennant but with no formal signed agreement.
“I understand from Mr Nketia that you have refused to pay the rent for the period of your occupancy, so he has had no alternative, but to lock you out of the apartment and change the locks.
“If you attempt to enter the apartment again without our authorization, you will be considered a trespasser and you will be reported to the police to face the full consequences of the law.
“We are aware that you have some possessions in the apartment. You may call Mr Nketia to make arrangements to collect them.
“Please note that if you do not collect your possessions within 3 days they will be placed in storage at your cost. Aside from the interesting names, other interesting revelations are also to come out at the criminal trial, especially on the actual ownership of the property and how Imperial Homes Limited, became the developers.
The matter smells of a deceptive partnership between businessmen and their political cronies. This paper learnt the senior officers at the Police Headquarters, have recalled the docket on the case detailing the culpability of the two accused persons and the others, including one William Jacob Nee-Lante Mould.
The Herald, further learnt that on two occasions when the case was called in court, the Police prosecutor, Superintendent Augustine A. Yirenkyi, looked confused and disorderly while answering questions, because the docket had been snatched from him by his superior officers, who don’t want the case to be heard by the court, lest people are exposed.
Insiders say, the police officers are bending to the demands of politicians, and would rather hide the docket to make the case a foolish case.
The case, which was reported at the Airport Police Station in Accra, had witnessed various attempts to frustrate it, but a docket was built and submitted to the Accra Regional Police Headquarters for prosecution to begin.
Before the prosecution could start, the suspects petitioned the Police Intelligence and Professional Standards Bureau (PIPS) and Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare, alleging misconduct on the part of police investigators at the Airport Police Station, however, their petition was thrown out and the case commenced.
The court ordered that all sureties be gainfully employed and that the first accused, Raymond Maglo, deposit his travel documents with the Court’s Registry. The court further directed the complainant, Ernest Danso, to liaise with the lawyer of the second accused Nana Osei Nketia, who stated in open court that he could assist the complainant to gain access to his property.
Maglo, 43, pleaded not guilty to forgery and defrauding by false pretences, while Nketia, 52, was charged with offensive conduct and unlawful entry.
Maglo’s alleged accomplice, Nketia, the property manager on behalf of the Mould family, was not in court. His counsel told the court, presided over by Mr Samuel Bright Acquah, that he was not within the court’s jurisdiction.
Superintendent Yirenkyi told the court that Danso, the victim, a commercial farmer resides at Community 18, Tema, while Maglo and Nketia, he said, resided in Airport Hills and Dzorwulu, respectively. Nketia, according to Superintendent Yirenkyi, is the property manager at GSELL Real Estate Company Limited, which owns five apartment buildings within the Airport Residential Area, Accra.
Maglo, besides his occupation, acts as an agent for GSELL Real Estate Company Limited. On March 16, 2021, Danso purchased a three-bedroom apartment at Airport Residential Area from GSELL Real Estate Company Limited through Maglo for USD270,000.00.
According to the prosecution, Danso made full payment on the property to Maglo, who deposited USD145,000.00 into the accounts of GSELL Real Estate Company Limited.
The Court heard that based on the payment, Maglo issued a sales and purchase agreement letter and a Deed of Assignment covering the apartment to Danso, who took possession and occupied the property.
Superintendent Yirenkyi said on March 26, 2023, at 1830 hours, Danso visited the apartment and discovered that Nketia had removed and changed the locks and denied him access to the unit and other property within it for no apparent reason. He said Danso reported the matter to the police, which led to Nketia’s arrest.
Nketia denied being aware of the sale of the apartment to Danso through Maglo. Maglo was apprehended for questioning and admitted in a cautioned statement that he received USD270,000.00 from Danso for the sale of the apartment but forged the property owner’s signature to prepare a fake and fraudulent Sales and Purchase agreement, as well as the Deed of Assignment that he handed to the complainant.
Danso returned to the apartment three days later while the case was still being investigated and discovered that Nketia had returned and changed the locks for the second time, allowing new tenants to occupy the apartment despite his belongings being kept there.
In the process of investigations, Maglo refunded USD40,000.00 to the police which is retained for evidential purposes. The court has since given an order for the apartment to be locked after inventory was taken of all the rooms, including the belongings of Danso. But this is yet to be carried out.
Read below the statement by Imperial Homes
IMPERIAL HOMES NOT INVOLVED IN $270,000 PROPERTY FRAUD CASE
We refer to the publication of 22nd November 2023 by Herald Ghana Newspaper with the title “Imperial Homes Caught Up in $270,000 Fraud Case” and write to correct the impression created, which has had the effect of tarnishing Imperial Homes Limited’s reputation and brand.
Even though the content of the story does not in any way implicate Imperial Homes Limited in any fraud, the banner headline, unfortunately, gives the erroneous impression that Imperial Homes was a party to a $270,000 fraud case.
We would like to put on record the following facts regarding the said story:
1. Imperial Homes developed the property, which is the subject matter of the dispute, and handed over to the buyer, Gsell Real Estates Limited sometime in 2017.
2. In 2022, one Raymond Maglo, forged Imperial Homes Limited’s CEO, Mr Francis Biney’s signature on a Deed of
Assignment purporting to sell the property to one Derek Appiah. The said Derek Appiah and his representative, Ernest Danso, never checked with Imperial Homes Limited whether Imperial Homes Limited was still the owner of the property, but relied on the words of Mr Maglo, and paid monies to Raymond Maglo.
3. The CEO of Imperial Homes Limited has since given his statement to the Ghana Police Service on the forgery of his signature and the company completely extricates itself from the said fraudulent transaction or the parties involved in it.
4. Imperial Homes Limited has had no dealings with Raymond Maglo, Derek Appiah, or Ernest Danso on the purchase of the said property nor has it received any payment from the parties involved in the fraud case.
Imperial Homes Limited takes this opportunity to assure its valued customers and stakeholders that it continues to develop and sell only legitimate properties in Ghana and beyond and is not involved in any fraud whatsoever.
The Herald Ghana’s attention has since been drawn to the erroneous impression created by its choice of words in the title of its story and the use of Mr Biney’s picture in the headline. Even though the paper has been requested to retract or correct the headline and remove Mr Biney’s picture from all its media channels, it has failed to do so as of now. Imperial Homes Limited will explore all legal avenues to preserve its reputation and brand.
