The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) at the weekend uncovered a syndicate of foreign nationals that had prepared forged documents embossed with Ghana's Coat of Arms to dupe people in and outside the country.
The documents include some purported to have emanated from the Ministry of Defence with Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor, the sector Minister's signature forged on them; Bank of Ghana and other financial institutions in Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa; Internal Revenue Service; Office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the United Nations Headquarters.
Mrs Gifty Anin-Botwe, Acting Director of the CID, told the Ghana News Agency that following a tip-off, 12 persons were apprehended by the Police in a swoop at their hideout at New Achimota.
Various documents were seized from them, as well as four computers and accessories, a fax machine and some electrical gadgets used in operating advanced crime popularly called "419", ("But my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Jesus Christ; Philippians 4:19).
The documents seized from the syndicate included anti-terrorist certificates purported to have been signed by Dr Addo-Kufuor giving the go-ahead to some foreign nationals to carry huge sums of foreign currency out of the country.
She said after initial Police screening three of the suspects Dulee Moses Ekwonwa, Idika Chinenye and Kelichi Udogwu were found to be the main suspects, while the leader Mike Uchena was at large. They are all Nigerians.
Mrs Anin-Botwe said Uchena rented the apartment in July and invited the other suspects and after acquiring computers they forged and printed letterheads of the various institutions.
The letters were to be used to lure foreigners and prominent Ghanaian businessmen into the country through the Internet to defraud them.
She said three "terrorist-free" certificates purportedly issued by the Department of National Security, Ministry of Defence, Ghana, for huge sums of money to be taken out of the country, were among the documents seized.
One David Lloyd of England was authorised to carry out of the country 45.5 million dollars; Mr Richard Bill of United Kingdom, 15 million dollars; and Dr Zulkolie Abbas of Indonesia, 52 million dollars.
The certificates stated that the money was free from terrorist activities and should be allowed at entry points without any hindrance.
Mrs Anin-Botwe said another document was purported to have been signed by one Mrs Rose Green at the UN Headquarters in New York explaining that the money consignments had been cleared as being free from illegal activities and should be allowed entry into any UN member country.
She expressed concern that even though most of the suspects entered the country using ECOWAS travelling certificates, the Ghana Immigration Service did not indicate their days of departure, and that left room for abuse.
The Accra Community Centre Tribunal, presided over by Mr
Kwadwo Owusu, remanded the three suspects in prison custody to reappear on September 23, when they made their first appearance in court on Monday.
