Two fake FDA officials nabbed at Kpone

Two unemployed persons who impersonated as staff of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) at Dada Foods Company Ghana Limited, a Chinese fruit juice processing factory at Kpone, were yesterday arrested by the Kpone police.

The suspects identified by police as Emmanuel Okai Sowah, 29, and Nathan Tei, 30, are both former students of the University of Professional Studies Accra. Superintendent Seth Tay, Kpone District Police Commander, who confirmed the arrest to the Ghanaian Times said the case was under investigation.

Throwing more light on the issue, the FDA Head of Communication, James Lartey, said the suspects yesterday took a forged letter bearing an old FDA logo with letterhead ‘Food and Drugs Board Authority’ to the factory, purporting to do a follow-up on research by FDA which showed that some products from the factory did not meet the standard.

He said a factory official suspicious of their behaviour placed a call to the FDA to ascertain the truth.

Mr Lartey said the Authority denied knowledge of any such project and instructed the management of the factory to alert the police to effect the arrest of the impersonators.

He said the FDA was prosecuting two similar incidents in court and warned that anybody caught impersonating the Authority would be made to face the full rigours of the law.

Mr Lartey urged industries to always inspect the identity cards of officials from the FDA who visit their premises to do business, and, if in doubt, call the FDA.

He explained that when it becomes necessary to seize any products from industries for investigations, officials of the Authority provided detention notice to clients indicating the items involved.

Mr Lartey said the officials sign the document and allow a representative of the industry to witness (by signing) it after which a copy of the detention notice is given to the industry.

He added that payments for services rendered by the FDA are paid for in the offices of the FDA where receipts are provided as evidence.

He, therefore, advised industries not to fall prey to impersonators who come to their factories to demand money.