A circuit court in Accra has sentenced a 30-year-old trader who defrauded a female police officer of GHC308,000 to four years in prison.
Under the guise of recruiting 46 individuals for the Ghana Police Service, Ghana Immigration Service, and Ghana Armed Forces, Joseph Diawuo allegedly obtained the money from the police officer but failed to deliver it.
In order to guarantee protocol slots in the three security agencies, Diawuo charged the victims between GHC6,000 and GHC10,000.
He pleaded not guilty to the court, presided over by Mr. Isaac Addo after being charged with defrauding by false pretenses, but at the end of the trial, Diawuo was found guilty of the offense and sentenced accordingly.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Seth Frimpong, who headed the prosecution, stated that the complainant, whose name was hidden, was a female police officer allegedly paid the money to Joseph Diawuo under the guise of recruiting 46 individuals for the Ghana Police Service, Ghana Immigration Service, and Ghana Armed Forces, but Diawuo failed to deliver his promise.
Diawuo charged the victims between GHC6,000 and GHC10,000 to reserve protocol spots in the three security agencies.
The accused lived in Dominase in the Ashanti Region, while the complainant, whose identity was suppressed, was a female police officer who resided at Airport Barracks in Accra, according to the prosecution, which was led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Seth Frimpong.
The accused told the court that he had protocol slots to recruit interested individuals into the Army, Police, and Immigration for a charge ranging from GHC6,000 to GHC10,000. The meeting took place approximately a year ago.
After that, the imprisoned individual requested that the complainant organize interested parties. The complaint obtained 46 young men and women for Diawuo as a result of the process. Eight victims paid GHC10,000 apiece, for a total of GHC80,000, while 38 victims paid GHC6,000 each, for a total of GHC228,000, according to the prosecution.
Of the amount paid, GHC1,500 was to be used for medical screening of each person.
The prosecution said the complainant, after collecting the various amounts from the victims, gave part to Diawuo through his mobile money account.
He took the rest of the amount and organized medical examinations for all the victims at a medical facility at Santasi in the Ashanti Region.
Diawuo went into hiding and cut off all channels of communication with the complainant, who reported the matter to the police for assistance.
While the accused resided in Dominase in the Ashanti Region, he was taken into custody and charged with the crime at Airport Barracks in Accra.
The prisoner then requested that the complainant organize interested parties. The claimant obtained forty-six young men and women for Diawuo in the process. According to the prosecution, eight victims paid GHC 10,000 apiece, for a total of GHC 80,000, while 38 victims paid GHC 6,000 each, for a total of GHC 228,000.
GHC 1,500 was to be utilized for each person’s medical screening out of the total sum paid.
The prosecution claimed that after obtaining the various sums from the victims, the complainant handed Diawuo a portion via his mobile money account.
In the Ashanti Region, he collected the remaining sum and arranged for all victims to undergo medical examinations at a medical institution in Santasi.
When Diawuo went into hiding and stopped communicating with the complainant, the complainant turned to the police for help.
He was charged with the offense and taken into custody.
Author: Jasmine Adjei
Development journalist
