NDC Kingpin In Deeper Waters

The MOVE by the leading Member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Western region, Mr. Isaac Dekpey Zorblewu, to have the suspected fraud case leveled against him for which he is standing trial at the Takoradi Circuit Court settled out of Court has floundered. The accused could not meet the terms of the settlement as put forward by the complainant in the case. The Prosecuting team led by Chief Superintendent Afriyie Sekyi told the Court at its sitting yesterday that the accused could not meet the terms of the settlement when the parties met to thrash out the case. He, therefore, prayed the Court to resume the case. When the Court presided over by Mr. Charles Nimako granted the prosecution�s request, the latter quickly amended the $180,000 fraud charge to $255,000. Following the amendment to the charge sheet, the court decided to retake a plea from the accused. Mr. Isaac Dekpey Zorblewu subsequently pleaded not guilty to the charge of defrauding by false pretence. Counsel for the accused, Kofi Nyamekye Arthur, told The Court that his client was ready to have the case heard by the Court. They were also going to call in witness to that effect. The accused had at the last sitting of the Court pleaded for out of court settlement. The Court consequently granted the request of the accused to go and work out the settlement. The Judge however warned that he would continue to hear the case if the parties failed to reach a settlement. It would be recalled that Mr. R. Isaac Dekpey Zorblewu, a National Democratic Congress (NDC) kingpin in the Western Region was hauled to court for allegedly defrauding an oil company, Cudjoe Construction. Isaac Dekpey Zorblewu was arrested in July, this year, by the Western Regional Police Command, kept in cells for two days, before being sent to court and remanded into custody. When the case was called for the first time, the Judge admitted the accused to bail in the sum of $200,000 with three sureties to be justified, after the accused pleaded not guilty to the charge of defrauding by false pretense. Presenting the fact of the case, the Prosecutor told the court that the complainant company, Cudjoe Construction, based in Trinidad and Tobago, came to operate an oil and gas service company in Takoradi. In the course of business, the management of the company approached the accused, the NDC Kingpin, who promised to secure the company an 11-acre plot of land. Chief Superintendent Sekyi told the court that based on this promise by the accused, he was given a 12% share in the company. Prosecutor Sekyi continued that the accused presented himself to the management of the company as an advisor to a Deputy Minister. He also advised the management of the company to put up a permanent structure to house their offices. Based on this advice, the oil company decided to give the accused $180,000 as the cost of the 11-acrea land, for which residential buildings of the company would be sited. The prosecutor regretted that though the money was handed over to the accused between June and December 2013, he had up to date, failed to show them the land he had purchased.