Kyereh Botchway, 45, Country Director of the Coalition for Advocate for Women Empowerment (CAWE), has been sentenced by a Hohoe Circuit Court to a four-year jail term for defrauding a group of rural women by false pretences. Botchway, who operates a micro-credit facility, has had his plea of not guilty nullified, and was jailed to a four-year term in hard labour with the sentences running concurrently. Mr Edward Apenkwah, the Presiding Judge, pronouncing judgment noted that Botchway was a first time offender and this should have normally gone to his favour as a mitigating factor. He, however, said this was weighed against the quantum of monies he succeeded in siphoning from the many unsuspecting rural women, thinking they were dealing with a genuine Non-Governmental Organisation. Mr Apenkwah said the women needed justice for losing much money, which were never retrieved and to meet the end of justice Botchway was convicted. Police Chief Inspector, Samuel Gbedemah, told the court that the complainants were women groups in Hohoe and Fodome seeking micro-credit assistance from CAWE after running series of workshops in 2003. He said the women groups became convinced by the false claims and parted with various sums of monies ostensibly for registration fee, issuance of Identity Cards, loan terms and application forms. Chief Inspector Gbedemah said a total of GH¢4,626 accrued from the registration of 1,050 women at different times, which were lodged into a Ghana Commercial Bank, Ho branch account. He said Botchway vanished into thin air upon receiving the said amounts and a search was mounted for his arrest. Mr Gbedemah said Botchway was brought in after being held for a similar incident in an Accra court. Botchway agreed receiving the monies and indicated CAWE had since 2004 distributed a total of GH¢1,150 in six districts. Source: GNA