Tailor in court for eating to the tune of 2.8 million cedis

Ho (Volta Region) -- Samuel Bansah, 35, a tailor who posed as an accountant and had meals worth 2.8 million cedis at two canteens at Ho in March, appeared at a Ho circuit tribunal on Wednesday charged with defrauding by false pretence.

He pleaded not guilty and was granted five million cedis bail with one surety to reappear on August 9.

Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Christopher Agbodza told the tribunal chaired by Mr Lawrence Ladzagla Mensah that on March 20 Bansah went to a canteen belonging to Mrs Ernestina MaCcarthy at Ho and introduced himself as an accountant of Rite Aid Pharmacy.

Bansah then told Madam MaCcarthy that he would like to be eating at her canteen on credit and that the bill would be paid by his employers.

Chief Inspector Agbodza said Mrs MaCcarthy felt reluctant but on persistent pleading by the accused, she agreed and started serving him with food and drinks totalling two million cedis.

He said after some weeks Mrs MaCcarthy became suspicious of Bansah's behaviour when the accused person collected some provisions and 40,000 cedis from her.

Bansah then stopped eating at Mrs MaCcarthy's canteen after she had demanded settlement of the bill.

On March 5, Bansah again introduced himself to Mrs Gladys Kugbadzor, operator of another canteen as an accountant at the Ho Regional Hospital and ate meals worth 800,000 cedis.

The deal was, however, detected when enquiries by Mrs Kugbadzor at the Regional Hospital revealed that there was no accountant by that name working there.

She, therefore, made a report to the Police for the arrest of Bansah.