A Ghanaian gold dealer wanted in his home country for fraud was arrested in Dubai after a deal allegedly turned sour.
Nana Appiah Mensah, or Nam 1, as he is known in Ghana, is the chief executive of Menzgold, a gold dealership and investment company which promised customers returns of between 7 and 10 per cent on gold bought and deposited with the company.
Customers complained they did not receive the returns, and the company collapsed in September.
An arrest warrant was then issued for Mr Mensah in Ghana earlier this month on the basis he defrauded Menzgold customers with “false pretences”. The same day, an Interpol alert was issued, triggering a global search for Mr Mensah.
However, his arrest in Dubai last month was ultimately unrelated to the alleged fraud in Ghana.
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According to a statement released by Ghana Police, he was picked up in the UAE as a result of suspicions he had been “involved in a gold trading deal gone bad within the Emirati jurisdiction”.
“On Sunday, January 13, Ghanaian officials in Dubai were informed by Emirati officials that they had already arrested Nam 1 as at December 7, 2018,” said the statement by David Eklu, assistant commissioner of police and director general of public affairs.
“Ghanaian officials have visited Nam 1 in the custody of Dubai Police.
“Engagements with Dubai authorities on the next steps have commenced and the Police Administration assures the public that due process will be followed.”
A Ghanaian newspaper has reported the UAE dealer is demanding $23 million in compensation from Mr Mensah, while he is said to have launched a $28m countersuit against the UAE company.
