Metro Tv staff in trouble

Head of security at Metropolitan Television (MetroTV), an Accra-based television station, Musah Ayonemolga Muntari Ajono, has been hauled to an Accra circuit court for allegedly defrauding a contractor to the tune of GHc 326, 900.

He reportedly succeeded in defrauding the complainant under the pretext of selling auctioned trucks and machines to him (contractor).

The accused person, who allegedly promised to use his influence at the office of President John Mahama (as he claimed he was an associate of ADC) was put in a court presided over by Mrs Ruby Naa Quaison and charged two counts with defrauding by false pretences.

He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has been granted bail in the sum of GHc 400,000 with four sureties who must be earning not less than GHc 2,000 a month, and apart from that he is to deposit GHc 100,000 with the court.

ACP Atibillah said Musah told the police that he used part of the money to buy a three-bedroom house at Frafraha and used the remaining to acquire lands at Amasaman and vehicles.

The case has been adjourned to August 24, 2015.

Narrating the events leading to the arrest of the accused person, the prosecuting officer, ACP Moses Atibillah, said Castro Dela Ahorsu is a contractor who lives at Manet Gardens at Spintex Road, while the accused person is the head of security of the television station and is a trained mechanic.

He said in November 2014, the complainant went to the station to see Randy Abbey, one of the morning show hosts at Metro TV to discuss an issue with him and left.

He added that two weeks later, the suspect visited Ahorsu with a list of trucks and equipment with their chassis numbers.

According to him, the suspect told Ahorsu that he had been allocated all those trucks and machines through an auction and could sell them to him at moderate prices, and made the man believe that he was working with a certain Col Asem at the Office of the President.

In addition, he said the suspect told the contractor that the auction was taking place in Tema and Takoradi, and made the contractor to talk to Frank Alor and Ibrahim Mahama, who he said was the brother of President John Mahama.

He said the accused person then collected GHc 123,000 and later GHc 146,000, totalling GHc 269,000 to acquire the trucks but failed to deliver the trucks and machines and told the complainant that he was the associate of the ADC of the president.

The prosecutor added that the suspect further collected GHc 50,000 under the pretext of getting the ADC of the president to award a contract to the complainant and also took GHc 10, 000 to be given to Randy Abbey for the contract to be awarded to him.

In addition, he stated that the suspect also took GHc 7,600 from the contractor to give to Ibrahim Mahama to give to a Customs officer at the Kotoka International Airport for the release of the original documents of the trucks and machines.

Explaining further, he said realising that he had been defrauded, Ahorsu made a report to the police on April 27, 2015, and the accused person was arrested after which he admitted the offence.

The ACP stated that the suspect told police he used the money to buy a three-bedroom house at Frafraha, some lands at Amasaman and vehicles, and was later granted bail.

The prosecutor observed that the suspect jumped the police bail and was rearrested at his hideout at Spintex Road on August 5 2015