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An Accra Fast Track High Court on Tuesday sentenced an ex-police officer and two others to a 15-years imprisonment each for defrauding a businessman of 700,000 dollars. The three convicts took the money under the pretext of securing Mr Kofi Dankwah Asante Antwi, a businessman and a representative of Tijani Resource Company Limited of 75 kilogrammes of gold but it turned out to be a sham. Seth Dzamesi, the ex-police officer, Jeffery Kofi Boakye and Paul Osei Tutu were found guilty on the charge of conspiracy to commit crime and defrauding by false pretences. Meanwhile, a bench warrant is in force on two other accused persons Mike Doe and Evans Akafia who failed to appear to stand trial. As at the time the court delivered its judgement, Tutu and Boakye who had earlier on responded to their names when the case was called, were nowhere to be found after the delivery of judgement. The court presided over by Mr Justice U. P Dery, therefore, issued a bench warrant to effect their arrest. Handing down the sentence, the trial judge said the youth should try to earn money and not to defraud, noting that the amount involved in the matter was huge. The Prosecutor, Mr Nii Kpakpo Addo, a State Attorney, prayed the court to hand over deterrent sentence to ward off potential or would be fraudsters. According to prosecution, the convicts had not shown any remorse considering the hardship inflicted on the complainant, Mr Antwi. He observed that the country is wooing investors to do business and it would be prudent for the court to hand over a deterrent sentence so that investors would know that the laws of the country would protect them. Defence counsel, however, prayed for mitigation, saying those before the court were young people who would have to live a fruitful life for the society and their families. The case of the state was that all the convicts reside in Accra. On October 11, 2012 at the Spintex road, the convicts defrauded Mr Antwi of 700,000 dollars under the pretext of securing him 75kg of gold. After posting the 75 kg of gold, the convicts went for the consignment from the courier service and falsely pretended that they had shipped the gold. The complainant after realising that he had been defrauded reported the matter to the Police and they were nabbed.