A 34-year-old unemployed man Mohammed Ussif Kantoosi, who pretended to be Dr Raymond Atuguba, Executive Secretary of President John Mahama and succeeded in defrauding the Chief Director of the Ministry of Finance, Ambassador Leslie Kojo Christian to the tune of Ghc14,000 has been arraigned.
He was put before an Accra Circuit Court presided over by Mrs. Abena Oppong Adjin –Doku.
He got in touch with the Eastern Regional National Democratic Congress (NDC) Chairman Alhaji Sumaila and asked him to give him some laptops, computers and Samsung Galaxy phones valued at GH¢58,000.
Kantoosi was charged with falsely pretending to be a public officer, attempt to commit crime and defrauding by false pretences.
He pleaded not guilty.
He has been remanded in police custody while the case has been adjourned to August 4, 2014.
Narrating events leading to his arrest, the Prosecuting Officer Chief Inspector Samuel Sarkwah told the court that the complainant in this case is Georgina Opoku Asor, a fashion designer while the accused person Kantoosi is unemployed.
He said on July 7, 2014, the accused person managed to get the phone number of the Eastern Regional Chairman of NDC Alhaji Sumaila and presented himself to the chairman as Dr Raymond Atuguba.
He told the court that the accused person told the chairman that the President had asked him (Dr Atuguba) to get some laptop computers, I-Phones and galaxy phones to be sent to Bole Bamboi in the Northern Region.
The police officer said the NDC Chairman then gave the complainant’s cell phone number to the accused person to contact her for the items.
The chairman informed the complainant that Dr Atuguba would call her in connection with some items so she should expedite action.
In addition, he said Kantoosi informed the complainant that the President needed those items to be sent to the North urgently.
Detective Chief Inspector Sarkwa said the complainant had all the items worth Ghc58, 000 ready and called the accused person to give her a written note to confirm the request for the items.
He stated that the accused person asked complainant to meet him at the Flagstaff House on July 8, 2014 with the invoice, noting that the complainant travelled to the the Flagstaff House.
Kantoosi informed her that he was in a cabinet meeting and that she should leave the invoice at the front desk.
In addition, he said the accused person later offered the complainant a job appointment at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which the complainant rejected because she did not qualify.
Kantoosi then purportedly offered her a job at the harbour which complainant again rejected, and she became alarmed and suspected foul play, the prosecutor noted.
The prosecutor noted that the complainant explained the situation to the authorities at the Flagstaff House, and the BNI was alerted.
He stated that the complainant told Kantoosi that she had dispatched the items to Tamale by STC so he should send someone to pick them.
Explaining further, the prosecutor said the accused person then told complainant that he had instructed the accountant to pay her on July 15, 2014.
Samuel Sarkwah observed that on July 10, 2014 the accused person sent his younger brother Mumuni Sumalia to pick the items at the STC yard, where he was arrested by BNI operatives.
Sumalia led the BNI operatives to the accused person at Katariga, a suburb of Tamale.
In his caution statement, the accused person admitted the offence.
The prosecutor noted that last year, the accused person adopted the same measures to defraud the Chief Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Leslie Kojo Christian to the tune of Ghc14,000.00.
He said Kantoosi called the Chief Director and presented himself as Dr. Atuguba and requested for the money to pay for a car and that he would refund it later.
The police officer stated that the Chief Director sent the money to the accused person through an account number he provided.
He observed that Kantoosi admitted receiving the money from the Chief Director.
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