A 34-year-old legal practitioner, Divine Effah-Dartey, has been arraigned before an Accra Circuit Court for his alleged involvement in a sophisticated excavator scam that is said to have deprived a businessman of GH¢800,000.
According to prosecutors, Effah-Dartey played a facilitating role in a scheme allegedly orchestrated by other suspects, which lured an unsuspecting buyer into making a substantial down payment for a heavy-duty excavator that did not belong to the purported sellers. The prosecution maintains that the transaction was carefully staged to appear legitimate, using legal documentation and false representations to gain the complainant’s trust.
Effah-Dartey has pleaded not guilty to the charge of abetment of defrauding by false pretences. Following an application for bail made on his behalf by his father, Captain Nkrabeah Effah-Dartey, a retired naval officer, the court granted him police enquiry bail pending further investigations.
Also standing trial are two other accused persons: Mawuli Awadzi Amenyo, a 49-year-old carpenter, and Jiang Tao, a warehouse manager. Amenyo, who is facing charges of conspiracy to defraud and defrauding by false pretences, denied the allegations and was admitted to bail in the sum of GH¢400,000 with two sureties, one of whom must be justified to the satisfaction of the court. Jiang Tao, who has been charged with abetment, similarly pleaded not guilty and was granted police enquiry bail.
A fourth suspect, Rishan Mahanta, is currently on the run. He is described as the principal figure in the transaction and is facing additional allegations of forgery. Police say efforts are underway to locate and arrest him.
Presiding over the case, Her Honour Evelyn Asamoah adjourned proceedings to January 23, 2026, to allow investigators time to conclude their enquiries.
Presenting the facts of the case, Detective Chief Inspector Abel Amanie told the court that the complainant, Kofi Boateng, a businessman based in Asankragwa in the Western Region, was seeking to acquire an excavator for commercial rental operations. In September 2025, Boateng was introduced to Amenyo, who subsequently connected him to Mahanta, purportedly an excavator importer operating in Accra.
On October 1, 2025, Boateng travelled to the capital to inspect the machinery. He was taken to the premises of Caitec Delta Limited, where Mahanta allegedly claimed ownership of several excavators on display. With the assistance of Jiang Tao, who worked at the facility, one of the machines was reportedly test-operated despite access restrictions at the warehouse.
After negotiations, Boateng agreed to purchase a Sany hydraulic excavator valued at GH¢1.7 million and paid GH¢800,000 as an initial instalment. He was later escorted to a law firm located in Kaneshie, where Effah-Dartey was introduced as Mahanta’s legal representative. Prosecutors allege that the lawyer received the cash payment, issued an official receipt and handed over an Import Declaration Form purportedly issued by the Ghana Revenue Authority, which investigators now believe to be forged.
Further police investigations later revealed that the excavator in question was not owned by any of the accused persons and that Mahanta was not a registered client of the law firm where the transaction was conducted. Authorities say investigations are ongoing, and efforts continue to track down the fugitive suspect as the case unfolds.
Story by Freedom Etsey Lavoe/Ahotoronline.com