Self-styled journalist charged for fraud

An Accra Circuit Court has granted a self-styled journalist bail for allegedly defrauding six persons under the pretext of securing them admissions to a school called On Point Media College.

Paul Awuah Baffour was granted a ¢4,000.00 bail with a surety who is gainfully employed.

He will make his next appearance on June 14.

Police Chief Inspector Emmanuel Haligah told the Court presided over by Jane Harriet Akweley Quaye that the complainants are Eunice Aba Dery, Emmanuel Sey, Rachel Agyeiwaa Tabiri, Lucy Attobrah-Angoh and James Duahare all unemployed with the exception of Mr Samuel Kissiwho is a Pastor.

In February this year, the complainants saw an advertisement on Amen and Atinka television stations about a media school with the accused person’s contact numbers asking interested persons to call him, the Prosecution said.

Chief Inspector Haligah said the complainants, from different regions, showed interest and called him where they were made to buy a form for ¢50.00 for admission to the On Point Media College.

He said Baffour also made them pay fees ranging from ¢200.00 to ¢1,590.00 all to the tune of ¢5,040.00.

Prosecution said the complainants later reported for lectures only to discover that the school did not exist as advertised.

They then confronted the accused person and later a report was made to the Regional Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service, Accra, leading to the arrest of Baffour.

Prosecution said the investigation revealed that the accused person had no authorisation, accreditation as well as any suitable accommodation or faculty to operate the said school.

He said armed with this information, the accused person was charged and put before the Court. He told the Court that the accused person had so far refunded ¢2,000.00of the ¢5,040.00.