Court bailiff jailed 18 months over forgery of judicial documents

A Court bailiff, Isaac Addo, who forged the signature of a deceased judge and prepared a forged Power of Attorney in order to sell 13 parcels of land at Kitase has been sentenced to 18 months imprisonment in hard labour by an Accra Circuit Court.

Addo pleaded not guilty to the charges of forgery of a judicial or official document, possessing forged document and fraudulent transaction.

The court presided over by Harriet Jane Akweley Quaye, found him guilty on the three charges and sentenced him accordingly after a two-year trial.

The case of prosecution, Chief Inspector Simon Apoisornu was that the complainants were Susanna Nunoo, an internal auditor and oldest daughter of late Justice Lt Col Michael Mensah Brown and four of her siblings and their mother Susanna Mensah Brown.

Prosecution said the convict was a court bailiff at Akuapem Akropong Circuit Court and worked as an errand boy for the late Justice Brown.

He said in the year 1990, the father of the complainants bought 13 plots of land measuring 100 by 100 per plot from the father of Addo at Kitase near Aburi in the Eastern Region and the parcels of land was later walled.

Prosecution said in the year 2013, the father of the complainants fell sick and gave power of attorney to his wife to manage his affairs.

He said in the year, 2015, Addo informed the mother of the complainants that some family members of his late father were trying to encroach on the land and suggested to her to allow him to sell the land for them.

The prosecution said Mrs. Brown asked Addo to sell six out of the 13 plots.

However, to Mrs. Brown’s amazement, Addo sold all the 13 plots and accounted for only six.

Prosecution said Mrs. Brown, therefore, tt launched investigations to ascertain the buyers of the plots of land and during that investigations, one Alex Takyi Yeboah informed her that he bought the land after sighting a Power of Attorney in the name of Isaac Addo.

He said a report was made to the Police on August 2, 2017, and Addo was arrested.

The Prosecution said in his investigative cautioned statement, Addo admitted selling the parcels of land on the instructions of Mrs. Brown and that he gave her all the proceeds.

He said Addo then produced a copy of the Power of Attorney issued in his name dated on January 1, 2015, and same was allegedly signed by the late Justice Lt Col Michael Mensah Brown.

Prosecution said Police Forensic Laboratory investigations later revealed that the signature of the late Justice Brown was forged.