Twenty Two Year Old Student Jailed

A 22-year-old student, Felix Apedo Mord, has been sentenced to six years imprisonment with hard labour by a Tarkwa circuit court for defrauding two people of the sum of GH�25,000.00. He was convicted on his own plea. Prosecuting Detective Chief Inspector Oscar Amponsah told the court presided over by Mr Samuel Obeng Diawuo that the complainant, Rash Ketu is the Assembly member for Prestea Cemetery Road Electoral Area, while the convict reside at Kokrobite in the Greater Accra Region. He said in January 2012, the offender came to Prestea and met a witness in this case, Abubakari Sidik Gotah, who later took him as his nephew. Inspector Amponsah said in February that same year, Felix told Abubakari Sidik Gotah that his wife who was a Briton and lived in London had shipped four excavators and twelve Toyota Camry Saloon cars through the Tema port to him; and asked the witness to help him clear the goods, promising to reward him with one of the cars. The Prosecutor said the offender managed to collect GH�3,000 from Abubakari Sidik but failed to clear the goods as promised earlier. Inspector Amponsah said the convict told the witness that he wanted more money to complete the deal and therefore convinced him to find another person who could assist him to raise the needed amount. He said in March, the witness introduced Felix to the complainant as his nephew, who needed help to clear his goods at the port, and made the same promise to the complainant and later gave him a document which he claimed covered the goods. Inspector Amponsah said by this representation, the convict succeeded in collecting a total sum of 22,000 Ghana cedis from the complainant but failed again to clear the goods or send the complainant to the port to see the said goods. He said the complainant then reported the case to the Police Striking Force unit in Accra after which the convict was later arrested and handed over to the police in Prestea. Felix in his caution statement admitted having collected the said amount of money from the witness and the complainant, but denied defrauding them. He explained that one Raymond Adika and Agyire who were his clearing agents in Accra collected the money to assist him in clearing the goods and had bolted away with it. The Prosecutor said he led the police to Accra where Adika was arrested but Agyire�s where about could not be traced. Inspector Amponsah said investigations revealed that the convict contacted Adika in Accra to track some goods for him from the system of DHL, where he allegedly collected 19,000 Ghana cedis from Felix. He added that the document Felix gave to the complainant was fake and indicated that he had no goods at the port. The judge also ordered the convict to refund the money to the complainants after severing his sentence.