Serious Fraud Office nabs accountant over 63 million-cedi fraud case

Brong Ahafo House of Chiefs restrains Dormaahene

50-year-old farmer jailed for rape

Salesman jailed five years for embezzlement

IGP orders the arrest of unlicensed vehicles and motor cycles

Judge's birthday saves offending motorist

Police arrest Nigerian suspect

Wa (Upper West) 4 Feb. 2000

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) on Wednesday placed Mr E.L. Ofori, Senior Accountant of the Upper West Regional Office of the Ghana Education Service (GES) in police custody for allegedly defrauding the state to the tune of 63 million cedis.

A source at the Wa Police Station told the Ghana News Agency that between May and December 1999, Mr Ofori obtained expenditure authorisation from the Controller and Accountant General's Department (CAGD), Accra, for payment of the fumigation of the offices of the GES.

The amount, which was authorised in two instalments of 31 million and 32 million cedis, was posted into the GES jacket at the Upper West Regional Office of the CAGD.

The source alleged that a "ghost contractor" was then certified to have executed the job.

It said Mr Ofori later prepared vouchers covering the amount for the job and forged the signatures of the Upper West Regional Director and Regional Accountant of the GES.

The vouchers went through all the processes without being detected until after the second cheque for 32 million cedis had been cashed.

The source said 12 people have been mentioned in the deal and the police are making efforts to apprehend them to help in their investigations.

The official in charge of the Wa sub-office of the SFO refused to speak to the GNA on the issue, saying he had to first seek permission from Accra.

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Sunyani (Brong Ahafo) 4 Feb. 2000

The Judicial Committee of the Brong Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs has granted an interim injunction against the paramount chief of Dormaa and two others to restrain them from nominating a queenmother for the area until a suit pending on the matter is determined.

By virtue of the ruling, Osagyefo Oseadeyor Agyeman-Badu II's purported installation of his 32 year-old sister, Miss Evelyn Mensah alias Mama as the queenmother of the traditional area has been put on hold.

Miss Mensah is, therefore, restrained from holding herself out as the queenmother of Dormaa until the final determination of the substantive case.

The committee awarded 400,000 cedis cost against the Dormaahene and the two other respondents the Gyaasehene, Barima Oppong Ababio and the Dormaa Traditional Council.

The respondents were neither present nor represented during the sitting.

Arguing for the injunction, Counsel for the petitioners, Mr Yaw Wiredu-Peprah said when the paramount and the queenmother stools of Dormaa became vacant sometime back, the king and queen makers decided to share the two slots among the Atoase and Akanase families.

He said somewhere last year, the paramount seat was given to the present chief, who is from the Atoase family whilst that of the queenmother was expected to go to his client’s the Akanase family.

Mr Wiredu-Peprah said despite several approaches from his clients, Osagyefo Agyeman-Badu II has gone ahead to install his own sister as the queenmother in contravention of the decision.

The committee after deliberations granted the injunction and directed that recognition of Miss Mensah as Dormaa Queenmother be withheld until the final determination of the substantive suit.

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Techiman (Brong Ahafo) 4 Feb. 2000

A 50 year-old farmer of Boye, a village near Prang in the Atebubu District, who defiled an eight-year-old primary school girl has been sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment in-hard-labour by the Techiman Circuit Tribunal.

Gyepuri Gyege pleaded guilty.

The tribunal presided over by Mr Nicholas Abodakpi, heard that some time in 1998, the victim's father, Mr Kofi Bunbora, a Boye farmer, left for his hometown in Walewale, and left his family behind.

The accused, who also hails from Walewale, took advantage of Bunbora's absence and took the victim to his farm to bring home yams.

While in the farm, the accused took her to his barn and sexually assaulted her, warning her never to disclose the act to anyone.

However, when the victim's father returned from Walewale three weeks later he detected his daughter was sick and, therefore, sent her to a health centre at Prang.

A medical report revealed that the girl had been carnally known and upon interrogation, the girl named Gyege as the one, who sexually abused her.

Passing sentence, Mr Abodakpi observed that female abuse was becoming too rampant in the society and stressed that the accused was being given a severe punishment to serve as a deterrent.

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Accra (Greater Accra) 4 Feb. 2000

An Accra Circuit Tribunal on Thursday sentenced Noah Nyarko, a salesman, to five years' imprisonment in hard labour for embezzling about 20.4 million cedis belonging to his employers.

Nyarko, 26, pleaded guilty to stealing.

The Tribunal chaired by Mrs Elizabeth Anderson Yebuah heard that the complainant, who is the Director of ACABS Farms and Trading Enterprise in Accra detected in May last year that an audit’s report revealed shortage of goods as well as cash on hand at the her enamel utensils shop at Okaishie, where Tawiah was the salesman.

When the complainant questioned Tawiah, he denied having knowledge of the shortage.

However, when stock was taken on 23 August, a shortage of a quantity of goods valued at 20.339 million cedis was detected

Tawiah admitted knowledge of the theft and was handed over to the Police.

He alleged that the goods were given on credit to certain customers in Benin, Cote d'Ivoire and Togo, but could not lead the Police to those customers.

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Accra (Greater Accra) 4 Feb.2000

Mr Peter Nanfuri, Inspector General of Police (IGP) has directed Police Stations especially those at the barriers to arrest all unlicensed vehicles and motor cycles as part of measures to clamp down on criminal activities.

The IGP gave the directive when he impounded eight unlicensed motor cycles at the Accra Sports Stadium during the match between Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire on Monday.

In an interview with the GNA on Thursday, Mr Angwubutoge Awuni, Director of the Police Public Relations Unit, said users of vehicles and motor cycles without light would also be arrested.

He said under no circumstances should unregistered vehicles be used on the roads except when they are being moved from the port to the Licensing Office or the garage, adding "even that, a trial plate must be used and should be between 0600 hours and 1800 hours".

Mr Awuni asked such vehicle and motorcycle owners to register them to avoid any confrontation with the Police.

Meanwhile, three of the motor riders arrested have been prosecuted. He said the Police suspects that those who had not yet reported to the Police headquarters were using stolen motor cycles.

Mr Awuni said the motor cycles are currently being kept at the Panthers Unit and appealed to those who had lost their motorcycles to report at the Panthers Unit for identification and collection.

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Bolgatanga (Upper East) 4 Feb. 2000

A thirty-five-year-old motorist who was arraigned at a Bolgatanga Circuit Court for committing a number of motor traffic offences, got lucky and had some of the fines against him dropped because the day for his trial coincided with the birthday of the presiding judge.

The accused, Awini Atiah, was charged on three counts of riding an unauthorised motor cycle, non-possession of a valid road-worthy certificate and riding without a licence.

Each of the counts attracted a fine of 100,000 cedis or in default six months imprisonment with hard labour.

Prosecuting, Police Chief Inspector Reynolds Karikari Ampem of the Bolgatanga Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) said on 1 February at about 2000 hours, some MTTU officers on night duty accosted the accused to produce his licence and road-worthy certificate.

When Atiah could not produce those documents, the Motor Cycle was impounded and he, Atiah, was arraigned before court.

Mr Ampem added that further interrogation revealed that the accused was not authorised to use the motor cycle with registration number GT 8786 F.

Pronouncing the verdict, the presiding judge A. S. Kuoro warned motorists not to use motorcycles when they do not meet laid-down traffic regulations.

He added that the accused was lucky because the day of the trial, Thursday 3 February was his birthday. As such he was dropping the fines on two counts and asked the accused to pay only 100,000 cedis. In effect the sentence was to run concurrently.

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 Police arrest Nigerian suspect

Koforidua (Eastern Region) 4 Feb. 2000

The Police in Koforidua have arrested a Nigerian self-styled evangelist for allegedly defrauding a number of people under the pretext of sending them to the United Kingdom to participate in a weeklong 'Jesus 2000' crusade.

The suspect, Bethel Desmond Ibo Junior, 23, was arrested following a complaint received by the Police from a victim whom he had defrauded of 200 US dollars and 70,000 cedis.

A Police statement, signed by the Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Chief Inspector Jonathan Kwame Abban, said Bethel was arrested on 31 January at Reo Cinema in Koforidua where he was hiding.

The statement said the suspect, who claimed to be a representative of the Pentecostal Missionary World Outreach Church at Merra Street, Owarri, Nigeria, arrived in Koforidua about three months ago to undertake his evangelistic work.

Bethel took advantage of the interest expressed by some of his followers to participate in the Kenneth Hagin Ministries 'Jesus 2000' crusade, scheduled to take place in March in England and collected various amounts from them under the pretext of processing documents for them.

The police statement said when the victims realised that Bethel could not provide them with the documents or return their monies, they reported to the police.

A search in his room led to the discovery of business identity cards bearing the names of enterprises he owned in Kano state in Nigeria.

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