Clearing Agent accused of duping nursing mother

Reports available to this paper indicates that the Police Headquarters has initiated investigations into a case in which Abel Osabutey , a clearing agent is alleged to have extorted an amount of GHC7,800(78 million ) from a nursing mother with the pretext of helping her clear her goods from the Tema Habour .

In a petition sent to the Director General of the police CID on the 20th May 2011 and intercepted by The New Crusading Guide, Sakina Kwakye, a nursing mother (victim) explained that in June 2008, a 40 fetter container was shipped to her by her husband who lived in the United States of America for clearance at the Tema Port. According to her, there were two cars, a V W Passat saloon car, a Kia Rio Saloon car, about three Home theatres , Two Plasma TVs , 400 big bags of paints at a total cost of about GH¢50,000(450 MILLION).

Madam Sakina noted that the bill of laden and the telex covering the container arrived late, that’s five months after the arrival of the container resulting in a pile up of the bills at the ports. She said because she had no money at that time to fully clear the container and its content Based on this she said she could not afford the bills and so resorted seeking first offer clearance through the Customs Excise and Preventive Service, CEPS . In the process somebody introduced himself to me as Abel Osabutey and said he could help me and my husband clear the container from the port. Interestingly, he said he needed an amount of GHC7, 800(78 million) to facilitate the process for the clearance which he said would last for only six weeks.”

“Six weeks after Osabutey collected the money, he called to assure me that the container would be opened in my presence the next week only for him to call again after month to say that the container had vanished from where it was at the Jubilee Terminal|” she said . “He then called again that another friend of his called Johnny who was in charge of the container was the one who opened it and in the process of retrieving the items, they saw some Zoomlion waste collectors coming so they ran away from where the container was situated”, she noted . According to Sakina Kwakye , Osabutey told her that when he and Johnny got back the items in the container had been stolen but managed to retrieve some of the things such as the Passat salon car 40 buckets of paints.

“They then asked me to come for the retrieved items which I refused. They then told me that if I wanted the car I would have to pay the GPHA and the shipping bills which I was earlier on running away from. I then told Osabutey to refund the GH¢7,800 (78million) I gave him to clear the container and make sure the items in the container were intact. He has been playing hide and seek with me until now hence the decision to report him to the Police,” she stated. Abel Osabutey in an interview with this paper confirmed that he indeed had a business transaction with Sakina Kwakye through her husband. He further confirmed that he took the GH¢7,800 (78 million) from her to work towards clearing the container. He said the money was paid to several offices at the port in their move to secure the container.

However, the money was not enough and that he needed more to facilitate the process. Besides , He and Johnny applied for a first offer from CEPS only to be told by Sakina that she did not want the container and the items again hence the decision to give out the paints to friends and cronies as a gift. Meanwhile Sakina Kwakye has denied ever telling Osabutey to share the paints and the other items in the container to his friends and cronies and reported hi to the police to help her retrieve the items in the container