Woman grabbed over document to secure $9m judgement debt

An unemployed woman who allegedly forged a Ministry of Justice and Attorney General’s letter and forwarded it to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning in order to secure $9,000.000.00 as Judgement debt has appeared before an Accra Circuit Court.

Comfort Appiah, 65 years, who is being held for forgery of document has however denied the charge.

The court presided over by Mr H. E. Essandoh has admitted Comfort to bail in the sum of GH¢300,000.00 with two sureties, all to be public servants earning not less than GH¢1,500.00 a month.

Comfort is expected to reappear on December 11.

Prosecuting Chief Inspector Francis Tarsan said the complainant is a Lawyer and Personal Assistant to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice.

Comfort resides at Tantra Hills in Accra.

On July 6, this year, the accused person went to the Ministry of Finance to make a follow up on a claim of $9,000,000.00 being pursued by ENERGO Project, a construction company contracted by the government of Ghana in 1996 to re-develop the Ambassador Hotel but the contract was abrogated and awarded to a new Construction firm.

ENERGO project therefore wrote to government asking for a refund of monies spent on the project before the contract was abrogated.

Chief Inspector Tarsan said Comfort without the authority of ENERGO project presented a letter purported to have been authored by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Mrs Marietta Brew Appiah Oppong informing the Minister of Finance that the claim had been reviewed from $9,000.000.00 to $11,000,000.00.

Prosecution said a lawyer with the Ministry Finance forwarded Comfort’s letter to the Ministry of Justice for authentication. It then came to light that Mrs Oppong, had not authored any such letter.

According to the prosecutor, a report was made to the Police and investigation led to the arrest of Comfort who denied forging the letter.

Comfort told the Police that it was one J. B. Danquah, now deceased who gave her the letter and collected an amount of GH¢50,000.00 as a loan from her.

The case has been adjourned to December 11.