Lawyer slapped with GH¢12,000 fine over fraud

An Accra-based lawyer, Samuel Tay, has been sentenced to pay to a fine of GH¢12,000 by an Accra Magistrate Court for defrauding a client to the tune of GH¢10,500.

He has also been ordered by the court to refund an amount of GH¢10,500 to the complainant.

The presiding judge, Patricia Quansah, who delivered her judgement on June 13, 2018, told the court that the accused, who initially pleaded not guilty, had been found culpable by the court.

He collected GH¢10,500 from the complainant, Naa Otua Swaye, to represent her in a suit.

He was then slapped with a fine of GH¢12,000, or in default spend six months in prison.

The prosecutor Superintendent Ernest Acheampong, told the court that the complainant, Naa Otua Swaye, is a novelist and resident of Osu, while the accused person is a ‘lawyer’ and resident of Abufo Achimota.

Between May and June last year, the complainant engaged the services of the accused person to represent her in a case pending at the Human Rights Court.

The complainant paid GH¢10,500 to the accused as legal, filing and transportation fees.

When the case was called, the defendant’s lawyer told the presiding judge that the accused did not have a licence to practise and on that basis, the case was thrown out of court.

The complainant gave the accused an amount of GH¢1,000 to renew his licence but he took the money and failed to do so.

A complaint was subsequently lodged with the police leading to the arrest of the accused.

He added that investigations conducted at the Ghana Legal Council also showed that the accused person was not in good standing to practise as a lawyer.

He was therefore charged with the offences and put before court.