Man poses as Judges’s friend to defraud

A businessman who posed as a friend of Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, a justice of the Supreme Court, and allegedly took GH¢5,400 from a trader under the pretext of helping her appeal against her husband’s conviction has been dragged to an Accra Circuit Court for fraud.

George Asante was put in a court presided over by Afia Agbaney Kudamor, where he was charged with defrauding by false pretences after he told the trader he was well-connected at the court and that he would use his influence to ensure that her husband’s appeal was successful.

He pleaded not guilty and has been granted bail in the sum of GH¢10,000 with two sureties, while the case has been adjourned to December 7, 2015.

The facts of the case as presented by the prosecuting officer ASP A. Assor are that the complainant is Abigail Boakye, a trader who lives with her husband, George Kofi Nyarko, in Accra while the suspect is a businessman.

According to him, the husband of the complainant was on February 2015 sentenced to three years imprisonment in a criminal case, adding that on March 4, 2015 the trader was in the company of a witness called Frank Odartey Mills discussing about how to appeal against her husband’s conviction.

He disclosed that in the course of the discussion, the suspect who overheard them went and introduced himself to them and told them that he was a friend of Justice Baffoe-Bonnie and further mentioned that a certain Kyei Baffuor and Agyenim Boateng were his colleagues.

Furthermore, the prosecutor said with this false representation, he succeeded in taking GH¢5,400 from the trader to facilitate the release of her husband from Nsawam, but after taking the money he went into hiding.

The police officer said the matter was reported to the police and the suspect was arrested on April 20, 2015 by the Accra Central Police and he admitted the offence in his cautioned statement.

He said the suspect was arraigned after police concluded investigations.