Audio By Carbonatix
Two alleged impersonators of Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, have been granted bail by an Accra High Court.
Promise Ahorgah, a phone repairer and Kwaotse Mawuli, a construction laborer, were admitted to bail in the sum of GHC50,000 each with two sureties one to be justified.
The two accused persons have been accused of defrauding by false pretenses by creating a social media account in the name of the MP to solicit for funds for flood victims following the spillage of the Akosombo and Kpong Dam.
They are facing additional charges of charlatanic advertisement and falsely pretending to be a public officer.
The accused persons have denied the offences.
The accused persons through their counsel had put in bail applications before the court presided over by Mrs. Lydia Osei Marfo.
The prosecution from the Attorney General Department opposed the grant of bail .
The court, in granting the accused person bail, ordered them to be reporting to the police every fortnight (Fridays).
It also directed the accused persons to deposit copies of their Ghana cards with the Registry of the Court.
The case has been adjourned to March 14, 2024.
The case of the prosecution is that the MP for North Tongu is the complainant in the case.
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 inscription ‘North Tongu MP’s Disaster Donation Drive,’ with a short code 71375# Requesting good Samaritans to donate in aid of the flood victims.
The prosecution said Ahorgah and Mawuli, who allegedly intended to defraud, took copies of the complainant’s flyer on Facebook, modified the flyer, and inserted their respective phone numbers in the modified flyer.
It said the accused persons held themselves out as the complainant; causing the general public to wrongly believe they were the complainant.
Additionally, the prosecution said the two accused persons published the fake and deceitful flyers on social media platforms requesting the public to make cash donations into their mobile phone numbers.
The court heard that the accused persons 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.
The prosecution said through their acts of personation and publication of deceitful advertisement with the intent to defraud, they succeeded in getting various monies from the public.
The prosecution said the complainant, who found the fake flyer on social media, petitioned the National Signals Bureau, and the accused persons were nabbed.
The two accused persons during interrogation admitted to the offences, the prosecution said.
Latest Stories
-
Jeffrey Nortey lands brand ambassadorial deal with Robert and Sons Ltd.
2 seconds -
Carbon dioxide levels in some hospital wards are above acceptable limits – Prof. Amankwaa
19 minutes -
ADR Centre, Judicial Service deepen partnership to strengthen dispute resolution in Ghana
30 minutes -
Judicial Service to recruit more professional mediators to expand court-connected ADR programme
33 minutes -
GNAT demands probe into alleged assault on teachers by soldiers
35 minutes -
Video: The abandoned but completed and fully-equipped Children’s Specialist Hospital at Weija
43 minutes -
CEO of MobileMoney Ltd joins MoMAG to celebrate May Day with sports and solidarity
43 minutes -
UniMAC leads national conversation on World Press Freedom Day in Ghana
45 minutes -
Allied Health professionals object to withdrawal of Korle Bu Laboratory head’s appointment
50 minutes -
Health Ministry rolls out National Health Compact to strengthen healthcare system
54 minutes -
Gov’t urged to urgently rehabilitate Tamale-Bolgatanga Highway
60 minutes -
GRMA urges gov’t to scale up specialised midwifery training to reduce maternal mortality
1 hour -
Black Stars have succeeded through poor administration but it’s difficult this time – Herbert Mensah
1 hour -
GFA must take responsibility if Black Stars fail – Herbert Mensah
1 hour -
Inside Mahama’s AI bet
1 hour