Police arrest 'aide' to GNPC CEO

The police in Kumasi have arrested a self-acclaimed aide to the Chief Executive Officer for the Ghana National Petroleum Authority (GNPC), for defrauding contractors and others to the tune of Ghc748,000.

Michael Asante has also allegedly defrauded a couple unsuspecting victims under the guise of being a lawyer, law lecturer, Senior State Attorney at the Attorney General’s Department and legal consultant with the promise of securing them enlistment into the various security outfits and admission into tertiary institutions.

Abusuafmonline’s investigations also reveals, Asante has defrauded some of his victims while claiming to be the special assistant to the Chief of Staff, Frema Opare, Chief Executive Officer for the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), Isaac Osei and a host of other senior government officials.

According to the police, Michael Asante approached two contractors with the offer of securing them contracts at the Tema Oil Refinery to build tanks for use as fuel reservoirs.

Asante allegedly convinced the contractors to pay him Ghc695,000 to facilitate the process for them which he eventually failed to fulfill the promise and went into hiding.

The two contractors subsequently reported the matter to an acquaintance with the National Security who managed to arrest the suspect in his vehicle at Fumesua, near Ejisu in the Ashanti Region and handed him over to the police.

Police investigations reveal, the suspect is not a special assistant to the GNPC boss, neither is he an aide to the TOR boss.

In the course of investigations, other victims having heard of his arrest also reported to the regional offices of the Criminal Investigations Department and complained that suspect Michael Asante under the same guise collected varous sums of moneys ranging from Ghc5,000 to Ghc40,000.

They claim he had taken the sums with the promise of enlisting them into the Ghana Armed Forces and Ghana Police Service as well as the ministries and agencies.

Investigations also revealed that suspect Michael Asante is involved in series of fraud cases in Accra and Kumasi and he is being prosecuted in the law courts.

The police command believes that there are victims who have fallen prey to the suspect’s fraudulent activities and is urging them to report the CID offices to assist with further investigations.

Abusuafmonline.com has intercepted exclusive pictures showing the suspect with leading figures of the ruling New Patriotic Party such as C.E.O of the Tema Oil Refinery, Isaac Osei and former NPP Member of Parliament for Asante-Mampong and failed presidential aspirant, Francis Addai-Nimo.

Michael Asante is said to be in contention for the position of the ruling party’s Ashanti Regional Organiser after the current acting Ashanti Regional Regional Organiser was recently arrested for similar offences of defrauding victims with the promise of securing them enlistment into various security outfits and into the Youth Employment Agency.

Daniel Agyenim Boateng, teh current organiser is also assisting police with investigations on charges of fraud against him.