Presiding Judge of Nkawie Circuit Court, His Lordship Michael Abbey in the Akwemah Nwabiagya district of the Ashanti region has remanded three suspected fraudsters who have gained notoriety by using the name of Chief executive of forestry commission, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie to defraud sawn lumber drivers in Mankranso forest district into prisons custody.
Suspects Kwabena Tawiah, Kwadwo Asamoah Obeng and Kofi Fosu Agyeabour were arrested on Friday 27, October 2018 after they arrested a Sawn lumber driver Kofi Ishaque with vehicle registration number 5362-Z while transporting sawn lumbers from Mim to Tachiman in the Brong Ahafo region.
According to Police prosecutor Inspector Jones Newlove Adjei, the driver gave out his cover document signed by the Forestry Commission to the group but the leader Kwabena Tawiah who has been on police wanted list for some time now insisted documents were fake and however, demanded the driver give him an amount of 1,200.00 else he will be reported to his Boss ‘Sir John’ who instructed them to arrest all people conveying sawn lumbers within the area.
Inspector Jones told the court, the driver who had required documents obliged and paid GHC. 200.00 in cash and GHC 1000.00 through mobile money before the group released his vehicle.
However, the driver who was not convinced about work of the group reported the matter to the Forestry Security guards leading to the arrest of the three and handed them to the police.
The police prosecutor after narrating the case of the three suspects to the court pleaded to the court to remand the suspects into prisons custody for two weeks to enable them conclude their investigations.
The presiding judge His Lordship Michael Abbey upon carefully listening to the charges levelled against the suspects granted to the police prosecutor’s plea and remanded the three accused persons 14 days into imprisons custody.
Mankranso Forest District Manager of the Forestry Commission Godwin Agyemang who was present in court appealed to the general public to report such individuals tarnishing the image of the commission to the nearest police station.
