Court orders pensioner to pay bail bond or go to prison

Kumasi, March 24, GNA- A 62-year-old pensioner, Augustine Nyame on Tuesday wept bitterly when a Kumasi circuit court ordered him to pay the 60 million cedis bail bond for standing surety for one Isaac Enyinful, alias Charles Taylor who was standing trial for issuing four dud cheques for the payment of four bales of second-hand shoes he bought at the cost of 52 million cedis in June last year.

The court told the pensioner that he would be sentenced to three months imprisonment in hard labour if he failed to pay the money.

"My lord, how am I going to pay this amount", Nyame wailed and pleaded with the court for leniency.

Enyinful had been at large since he was granted the 60 million cedis bail in August last year.

Prosecuting, Police Chief Inspector Regina Kesewa told the court that in the middle of last year, Enyinful bought four bales of second-hand shoes valued at 52 million cedis from one Acheampong for sale and issued four different cheques to cover the amount to be drawn at the Cal Merchant Bank and the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB).

She said, however, that when Acheampong presented the cheques at the banks, they were all dishonoured, thereby prompting him to report the incident to the police who arrested Enyinful at Adabraka, a suburb of Kumasi where he was hiding.

Chief Inspector Kesewa said Enyinful was subsequently arraigned before the court but he pleaded not guilty and was granted 60 million cedis bail with Nyame standing surety.

She said Enyinful, however, bolted after the bail and had since not been found.