Palm wine tapper jailed two years for fraud

A palm wine tapper has been sentenced to two years imprisonment in hard labour by a Kumasi Circuit Court for swindling a businessman of his GH¢2,800.00 under the pretext of buying him a palm plantation.

Kwame Otiwa pleaded guilty to the crime.

Police Chief Inspector, Isaac Mensah Apenteng, told the court presided over by Justice William Boampong that the complainant, Kofi Sarfo, is a businessman and lives at Kotei in Kumasi.

The convict, a native of Assin-Kwataa in the Central Region, in May last year, informed the businessman that someone had put up for sale a palm plantation at his village.

He persuaded him to buy the farm, suggesting that the palm trees could be felled for the distillation of Akpeteshie (local gin).

Sarfo gave an amount of GH¢2,800.00 to Otiwa to purchase the plantation.

The complainant later traveled to Assin-Kwataa to inspect the farm and there he found to his shock that he had been deceived.

He therefore made a formal report to the police, who succeeded in arresting the convict at his Twifo-Praso hideout on April 2.

In his caution statement, Otiwa admitted the offence and pleaded for time to pay back the money.**