American tourist charged with fraud

Michael Kennedy, an American tourist, on Friday appeared before a circuit tribunal charged with defrauding a hotelier of 6.7 million cedis. Kennedy was charged with four additional offences of forgery of documents, possessing forged documents, uttering forged documents and attempted stealing. His plea was not taken and the tribunal remanded him until August 16 to enable the prosecution to complete its investigations.

The prosecution said in May, Kennedy lodged at Experience Royal Hotel at Chorkor in Accra and failed to pay his bills.

When the proprietor asked him why he was not paying, Kennedy told him that he was an investor and was expecting some money from his father in the United States.

The hotelier expressed interest to go into business with Kennedy so the accused person collected various sums of money totalling 6.7 million cedis under the pretext of establishing a factory for the production of oxygen for sale. The prosecution said Kennedy later asked for another two million cedis but the complainant became suspicious and reported the matter to the police.

When he was searched, some cash receipts of Kwapek Electronics with forged signatures were found on him.