Ex-Assembly member in court for not constructing funded road project

Nii Armah Ashitey, a former Assembly member allegedly given GH¢500,000 by a foundation to construct road and drainage but failed, has appeared before an Accra Circuit Court.

Ashitey, a former assembly member for the Adobetor electoral area in La Dadekotpon Municipality, has been charged with defrauding by false pretence, using public office for profit, and money laundering.

The 63-year-old former assembly member has pleaded not guilty to the various charges.

Ashitey is said to have told the Police that he used the money for “mobilization of the project” but could not provide documents and receipts to that effect.

The court presided over by Isaac Addo has admitted Ashitey to bail in the sum of GH¢500,000 with two sureties.

The matter has been adjourned to April 2, 2024.

Prosecution led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Seth Frimpong said the complainants, Maxwell Ahugah and Naomi Vogel, were manager and director, respectively, of the Robert Vogel Memorial Foundation.

ASP Frimpong said the accused person was a resident of La Wireless.

The prosecution said in May 2018, the Robert Vogel Foundation Memorial, a non-profit organization engaged in philanthropic activities within the community, decided to construct a road and drainage as part of their community development at the Adobetor electoral area.

According to the prosecution, the construction of the projects took place during Ashitey’s tenure as an assembly member of La Dadekotopon Municipal Assembly.

The prosecutor said Ashitey was approached by the Director and Manager of the Robert Vogel Memorial Foundation about their desire to construct a particular road with its attached drainage.

The prosecution said the accused person took advantage of the gesture and presented to the complainants a bill of quantities on a number of roads and drains that the assembly had earmarked to construct.

The court heard that Ashitey deceived Director Naomi Vogel of the said Foundation to transfer GH¢500,000 into his personal account with La Community Bank, which he presented as the Municipal Assembly‘s account.

Again, the prosecution said the accused person “deceived the foundation manager and director into believing that the construction of the selected road and drains at Adobetor area had been done with the funds from the Foundation.

The prosecution said the accused person, however, failed to undertake the construction, which he claimed he had the capacity to undertake.

The prosecutor said that on April 11, 2023, Ashitey was arrested, and during interrogation, he told the Police that he “used all the GH¢500,000 to do mobilization of the project”.

The prosecution said that during investigations, the accused person was given the opportunity to furnish the Police with receipts or documents to know how the funds were disbursed for the “mobilization, but he could not provide any document or receipts.”

ASP Frimpong said the Police visited the area where the construction should have been done, and it was observed that the road had not been constructed and no drainage was done.

“Investigations revealed that the accused person simply made this representation, which he knew was false, to obtain the consent of the manager and the director of the foundation to part with the GH¢500,000 and he has since misappropriated the said amount with no effort or ability to construct the road,” the prosecution said.

The prosecutor said it was also established that by the accused person’s status as someone who held office as an elected assembly member for the Adobetor electoral area, he was a public officer.