Ghanaian socialite Frederick Kumi, popularly known as Abu Trica, has challenged reports linking him to an alleged $8 million fraud case, describing the figure as inaccurate and insisting the amount at the centre of the matter is significantly lower.
Speaking in an interview with Captain Smart on Onua TV, Abu Trica said investigators had themselves acknowledged a much smaller amount, rejecting claims that millions of dollars were involved.
His comments come after the High Court granted him bail while proceedings continue before the Gbese District Court.
“There is no such thing as an $8 million claim in the case against me. They themselves admitted they gave me $13,000,” he said.
Explaining how the disputed figure became associated with the case, Abu Trica recounted events following his arrest, claiming the amount surfaced during an interrogation he found troubling.
According to him, he was taken to the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) cells at night and later escorted to a conference room for questioning.
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“The reason behind how the $8 million came about is that they came to arrest me and pick me up at night to NACOC cells. While in the cells, they came and told me that some men needed to interrogate me. It was a dark conference room, and I saw five men, three of whom were white and two were black,” he stated.
He further alleged that documents were presented to him during the session, which he believes formed part of a planned effort against him.
“They placed some documents in front of me, not knowing it was a setup orchestrated by themselves,” the socialite recalled.
Abu Trica also claimed investigators attempted to compel him to identify the owner of an account they were interested in, a request he said he declined.
“The informant told me to provide an account for them because they knew it did not belong to me. They wanted me to mention the name of the account owner, which I refused to do. They became furious and threatened to charge me with taking $8 million instead of the initial $1 million claim against me,” he revealed.
The socialite said he was shocked by the alleged threat and questioned why such treatment would occur in Ghana.
“I thought it was a joke. How can a foreigner treat me like that in my own country and threaten me?” he averred.
Abu Trica remains on bail as the legal process continues at the Gbese District Court.