Ghana Ambassador to Japan was deceived by gamblers - Report

Emerging details suggest that Ambassador Edmond Kofi Agbenutse Deh, Ghana's envoy to Japan, was deceived into signing documents unknowingly, letting out part of a property belonging to the mission to a gang of Japanese gamblers.

The envoy is said to have believed the story of the gamblers when they told him that they were engaged in an NGO activity, something which according to them, previous envoys did not object to.

Tokyo Police are reported to have asked Ambassador Deh to consent to questioning over an illegal casino at his official residence, waiving his diplomatic immunity.

This new development may lead to the recall of the Ambassador.

The gamblers' goal, DAILY GUIDE learnt, was to operate under the cover of the diplomatic immunity the mission's property provided, concealing thereby their illegality.

Unfortunately, that was not to be as Tokyo law enforcement officers descended upon them, taking them into custody and confiscating two baccarats gambling platforms, 12 million yen ($ 118,164) in cash, according to a local broadcaster.

The NGO they claimed to be operating was particularly helpful to Ghana, given the supportive role it is playing in the drilling of boreholes - something the envoy was unable to authenticate before agreeing to append his signature to an agreement.

Ambassador Deh, totally convinced, quickly signed the accompanying tenancy agreement to let out the place to be used ostensibly as an NGO office.

It was amazing, though, how easy it was for the Tokyo crooks to hoodwink the Ghanaian envoy, considering the fact that there was no evidence of the activities the gamblers claimed to have been rendering Ghana in the area of borehole drilling.

Worsening the situation was the fact that communication ceased following the signing of the deal, letting out the office space to the gamblers.

The cat was only let out of the bag when the Tokyo cops descended on the gamblers as the news kept spreading throughout local news networks and beyond like wildfire and causing massive diplomatic embarrassment to the Ghanaian mission in Tokyo.

It would be recalled that Tokyo Metropolitan Police announced early this month about a raid they under took in a casino in the Shibuya entertainment area of the sprawling city, for operating an illegality in a premises belonging to the Ghanaian mission in Japan.

Even as they claimed to be linked to the Ghanaian Embassy, some of the Japanese casino operators expressed surprise that such a raid could take place, the diplomatic immunity they expected to enjoy, notwithstanding.

Although the Foreign Affairs Minister, Hannah Tetteh, was not available for comment when the news about the raid broke out, the details emerging from Tokyo fully covered what transpired.

She however, posted on her facebook wall that investigations had commenced over the illegal act.

Japanese investigators had earlier stated that a rental contract to the tune of a monthly payment of 500,000 Yen or $4,923.50 was entered into, using the name of the previous Ghanaian envoy to Japan, Dr. William Mensah Brandful's document which was signed at the ambassador's residence.

In March of last year the details on the contract were altered to that of the current envoy, Edmond Kofi Agbenutse Deh.