‘Bail granted to accused persons are free’

Court News

A judge has warned the public about paying money for bail.

Mrs. Sarah Nyarkoa Nkansa, a judge at the Adentan Circuit Court, stated that bail is free. “You don’t need to pay a dime,” she said. Only if an accused person jumps bail will their sureties have to pay. She urged people to report anyone who asks for money.

The warning came during the trial of Paul Konney, a 45-year-old businessman. He faces charges of defrauding by false pretenses. Konney allegedly collected GHC80,000 from Eric Kristic under false pretenses. He promised to buy assorted soft drinks and share profits with Kristic.

Konney has denied the fraud charge. The judge granted him bail set at GHC100,000 with two sureties. The court also ordered him to report to the investigator every Wednesday.

Chief Inspector Maxwell Lanyo led the prosecution in this case. Both Konney and Kristic are businessmen. In January 2025, Konney proposed a joint soft drink selling venture to Kristic.

Kristic agreed after inspecting Konney’s warehouse and products. He initially gave Konney GHC25,000 for the business start-up costs. They purchased assorted drinks together for retailing.

Later, Konney asked for another GHC55,000, which Kristic provided. After receiving GHC80,000 total, Konney stopped answering calls from Kristic and avoided meetings.

When Kristic visited Konney's office to check on their goods, he found everything sold without payment made to him. Following this incident, Kristic reported Konney to the police.

Konney was arrested after asking for an additional GHC200,000 from Kristic. In his caution statement, he admitted using part of the money for furniture and office computers but could not explain where the rest went.