By
Gifty Amofa, GNA
Accra, Oct. 18, GNA
– An Accra Circuit Court has granted a GH¢26,000.00 bail with two sureties each
to a NADMO officer and a teacher for allegedly defrauding a man of GH¢25,500.00
under the pretext of enlisting his family and friends into the Ghana National
Fire Service and other security services.
Kofi Arhin Ghansah,
alias Fiifi, 48, NADMO officer was charged for defrauding by false pretense,
whilst Samuel Ashong, alias Paa Nii, 46, teacher charged for abetment of crime.
Both of them pleaded
not guilty to the charges.
They are to make
their next appearance on November 13.
Police Inspector
Samuel Ahiabor told the Court presided over by Mrs Ruby Nash Aryeetey that Mr
Samuel Paa Kwesi Bentil is the complainant in the case.
He said Bentil and
Ghansah are personnel of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO)
whereas Ashong is a trained teacher. The accused persons are friends.
In 2014, Ashong
informed Ghansah about the various enlistment in the security services which he
said he could help recruit people through one Mark Asafo Adjei, then a fire
officer.
Prosecution said
Ghansah convinced his colleague, Bentil he had slots and that he should bring
his family and friends to be enlisted, adding that he would take GH¢2,500.00
per head.
Inspector Ahiabor
said Ghansah also asked that those who could not pay at a goal to make part
payment and later pay the rest.
Bentil, convinced by
it brought a list of 26 people in addition to GH¢25,500.00 as well as their
certificates and other document to start with the recruitment process, the
Prosecutor said.
He said Ghansah
after collecting the money failed to honour his part of the Bargain and several
efforts made to retrieve the money proved futile, thus, a report was made to
the police.
Inspector Ahiabor
said he was arrested and he mentioned Ashong as his accomplice as he gave him
GH¢12,000.00 which he also admitted taking.
During
investigation, Ashong refunded GH¢11,000.00 and after investigations, they were
arraigned.
Mr Yaw Dankwa, their
lawyer in praying for bail stated that the case was put before another court
but was struck out because it lacked merit but the police re-arrested his
clients, added extra charges and re-arraigned them.
Prosecution, he
said, changed the investigator because it realised it had no case. He therefore
prayed the Court to subpoena the first investigator.
He told the Court
that the clients were not flight risks, they had good jobs and had worked long
enough to get to where they were now, they also had people of substance to
stand as sureties, adding that compliant wanted them dismissed.
GNA
