Sailor fined for defrauding drinking bar operator

Sekondi, Jan 27, GNA - A Sekondi District Magistrate's Court on Friday imposed a fine of two million cedis on Evans Kwaku Plange, a sailor resident at Tema, for defrauding a Sekondi drinking bar operator of 656,000 cedis.

The accused would serve nine months imprisonment in hard labour if he fails to pay the fine.

He pleaded guilty.

Prosecuting, Police Sergeant Adu Kyeremeh said the convict told Madam Esi Amissah, a drinking bar operator, in June last year that the management of the ship he was working on wanted to sell a used deep freezer on board the ship. Sergeant Kyeremeh said she showed interest and urged the accused to buy it for her.

Plange demanded 400,000 cedis for the deep freezer and 256,000 cedis for a bottle of whisky. After collecting the money Plange gave Madam Amissah keys to the deep freezer and made a list of items in the freezer but he failed to bring the deep freezer the following day as he promised and disappeared until January 24 this year, when the complainant had a tip-off that he was seen at a spot at Essipon near Sekondi. Mad Amissah made a report to the police and Plange was arrested.