State Prosecutors have filed a fresh Charge Sheet at the High Court against the two young men who have been accused of impersonating a Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongue, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, and others.
This move was necessitated after further investigations discovered that the accused persons are involved in more offenses with National Democratic Congress’ Women Organiser Hannah Bissue and Thomas Ampem-Nyarko Member of Parliament for Asuogyaman as the latest victims.
The two – Promise Ahorgah, a Phone repairer, and Kwaotse Mawuli, a building construction laborer are said to have created social media accounts in the name of the North Tongue MP to solicit funds on behalf of victims affected by the Akosombo and Kpong Dam Spillage.
They had pleaded not guilty to six counts of allegedly defrauding unsuspecting Ghanaians and have been granted GHc50,000 bail each.
But, in Court on Monday, December 16, 2024, the Prosecution led by Watkins Adamah, a State Attorney said, a fresh Charge Sheet had been filed on Monday morning, (December 16, 2o24).
The State Attorney prayed to the Court for the previous Charge Sheet to be submitted with the new one.
Justice Naa Koowa Quarshie, consequently granted the request, and the old charge sheet was withdrawn and substituted with the fresh one filed on December 16, 2024.
Counsel for the accused persons, Lawrence Boampong Wiredu, holding Martin Kpebu’s brief prayed for an adjournment to peruse the latest charge sheet and have adequate conference with his clients.
The Court has since adjourned the case to next year, January 13, 2025, for the plea of the accused to be taken.
They were arrested on December 13, 2023, by the National Signals Bureau.
The previous counts comprised – two counts each of defrauding by false pretenses, Charlatanic advertisement and falsely pretending to be a Public Officer.
Brief facts
Per the brief facts of the case, the complainant in this case is the Member of Parliament for North Tongu and a resident of Accra.
It states that the first accused person is a mobile phone repairer while the 2nd accused person is a building construction labourer.
The Prosecution said, that following the Akosombo and Kpong dam spillage and the flooding of certain parts of the Volta Region, the complainant developed a flyer with the inscription ‘North Tongu MP’s Disaster Donation Drive,’ with a short code *713*75# requesting good Samaritans to donate in aid of the flood victims.
The prosecution stated that the 1st and 2nd accused persons with intent to defraud took copies of the complainant’s flyer on Facebook, modified the flyer, and inserted their respective phone numbers in the modified flyer.
“Holding themselves out as the complainant and causing the general public to wrongly believe they were the complainant, the 1st and 2nd accused persons published the fake and deceitful flyers on social media platforms requesting the general public to make cash donations into their mobile phone numbers 0535623416 and 0535364971 respectively, which each of the accused persons had stated on the fake and deceitful flyers,” the Prosecution stated.
The brief facts added that the 1st and 2nd accused persons again used the names and photographs of the complainant to create several social media accounts, personated the MP, and communicated with several people to solicit donations into their mobile money accounts.
“Through their acts of personation and publication of deceitful advertisement with the intent to defraud, the 1st and 2nd accused persons succeeded in causing members of the public to send to them sums of money,” the Court was told.
The Prosecution said, the complainant who chanced on the fake flyer on social media petitioned the National Signals Bureau and the accused persons were arrested.
“Both 1st and 2nd accused persons admitted to the offenses when interrogated. The investigation is still ongoing,” the Prosecution said.
