A 35-year-old self-styled online pastor has been remanded into police custody by an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly defrauding seven women through romance scam.
The accused person, Nana Yaw Bonsu Kwarteng, is facing six counts of conspiracy to commit crime to wit defrauding by false pretences, and six counts of defrauding by false pretences.
He is also facing an additional charge of non-consensual sharing of intimate images, which will be tried at the High Court.
His wife, Sally Akosua Amoasah, has also been charged. She is facing six counts of conspiracy to commit crime to wit defrauding by false pretences.
How He Operated
Prosecuting, Inspector Frank Morgan Dorvi told the court that Kwarteng operated an Instagram account where he paraded himself as a pastor.
The prosecution said he used that platform to befriend women, profess love to them, and lure them into romantic relationships.
According to the prosecution, among the seven complainants are an ambassador and some businesswomen.
Inspector Dorvi said the accused person after establishing relationships with the complainants, proposed marriage to them, and in some cases visited their families.
He then told them he owned a lucrative car tyre business and needed money to clear consignments of tyres at the port.
Based on that representation, the court heard, he succeeded in collecting various sums including US$33,000, GHS25,000, US$4,000, GHS22,000 and other foreign currencies from the victims but failed to pay back.
Blackmail With Nude Videos
The prosecution further told the court that Kwarteng allegedly secretly recorded intimate moments and nude videos of some of the complainants.
He is said to have used those recordings to threaten and blackmail the victims whenever they demanded their monies back.
The prosecution also alleged that he shared the intimate images of one of the victims with his wife, Amoasah.
Arrest At Hideout
Police said after the victims started chasing him for their monies, the couple went into hiding and ignored several police invitations.
However, on July 20, 2026, through intelligence-led operations, police arrested them at their hideout. The prosecution said Kwarteng attempted to escape during the arrest but was re-arrested.
Inspector Dorvi told the court that investigations are still ongoing, as more victims have reported to the police with similar complaints after news of the arrest broke.
We also gathered that Kwarteng is wanted by the Economic and Organised Crime Office, EOCO, for separate investigations.
Court Proceedings
The court has adjourned the case to August 6, 2026, for the pleas of the accused persons to be taken.
Meanwhile, Sally Akosua Amoasah has been granted bail in the sum of GHS100,000 with two sureties. As part of her bail conditions, she is to report to the case investigator every Monday and Friday.
Alexander Afriyie, supervising editor, ghanacrimereport.com and ghanatalk.com