Impostor jailed for three years

Asamankese (E/R), May 13, GNA - A man, who posed as a soldier and a trader and succeeded in defrauding a trader of 500,000 cedis as part payment for the supply of a television set and a video deck had been sentenced to three years' imprisonment in hard labour by the Asamankese Circuit Court.

Emmanuel Tetteh Nartey, 56, pleaded guilty to three counts of fraud and was convicted on his own plea.

Prosecuting, Police Chief Inspector Ben Nyanator told the court, presided over by Mr Kofi Akrowiah that, on July 29, 2002, the accused introduced himself to one Mr Samuel Tetteh Agbozo, as a Warrant Officer Class One in the Ghana Army and also a trader, who deals in second hand goods.

He then collected 300,000 cedis as part payment from Mr Agbozo with the promise of supplying him with a television set and a deck, which he said were costing two million cedis. According to the prosecution, Nartey said he was on his way to Sefwi and as Agbozo also was anxious to know the condition of a sick relative at Sefwi, and his son also wanted to visit a lost relative, he and some relatives contributed 200,000 cedis for Nartey so that he could go with his son.

He said on reaching Kumasi, Nartey outwitted the young man and ran away, leaving him stranded.

Chief Inspector Nyanator said on April 25, this year, the accused went to Addonkwanta, near Domponse, and introduced himself to an elder of the Church of Pentecost that he was his colleague and was warmly received.

The prosecutor said the Good Samaritan, who needed a passport for a son gave Nartey 70,000 cedis, which he demanded for the purchase of a passport form for and told him that the amount involved in getting the passport was three million cedis.

Meanwhile, Mr Agbozo, who was duped by Nartey in 2002, learnt of his presence at Addonkwanta and went there, where he identified him as a fraudster and arrested him to the Asafo Police Station. 13 May, 05