Court fines man, 39 for forgery

A Madina District Magistrate Court in Accra presided over by His Worship Richard Delali Anku has given judgment in a case in which a 39-year-old Cartographer, Justice Kobina Arthur, faced trial for forging documents for Aberic Mining Company, contrary to section 158 of the Criminal Offences Act 1960.

Justice Kobina Arthur was accused of forging the official seal of the Regional Head of the Surveying and Mapping Division of the Lands Commission. Justice Kobina Arthur was also accused of forging the stamp, license number, signature and address of Dr. John Kofi Borsah who is a Licensed Land Surveyor.

In court on May 30, this year, Inspector Joyce Ninson for prosecution said the complainants Dr. John Kofi Borsah and Robert Hackman Antwi reside in Cape Coast and Koforidua, Accra respectively while the accused resides at Adenta also in Accra.

The prosecution said on December, 3 2018, at about 12:15 hours both complainants reported at the Airport Police Station that they had cited a map supposed to have been prepared by Dr. John Kofi Borsah and approved by the Regional Head of the Surveying and Mapping Division of the Lands Commission who is Robert Hackman Antwi for Aberic Mining Company Limited and submitted to the Minerals Commission.

On the map, the signatures, stamp, seal, license number, address and names of the complainants had been forged.

Subsequently, the police officially wrote to the Minerals Commission for more information on the mining company leading to the arrest of Justice Kobina Arthur on December, 17, 2018.

After investigations, he was charged with two counts of the offence of Forgery of Documents contrary to section 158 of the criminal offences Act, 1960 (Act 29)

The accused person pleaded guilty to both charges and was sentenced on his own plea of guilty to a fine of fifty penalty units on each count amounting to GHC 600 on each count to run concurrently. In default, he would serve a term of imprisonment of 12 months with hard labour.