The Accra Circuit Court One has sentenced a Nigerian to eight years imprisonment in hard labour for defrauding a police officer, Commissioner of Police (COP) Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah.
Bright Daniels, who at the time of committing the crime, was a convicted prisoner at the Nsawam Prisons, denied the offence.
He was taken through a full trial and found culpable.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Emmanuel Nyamekye, giving the facts in the Court presided over by Mrs Afia Owusua Appiah, said the Complainant was COP Mrs Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah, a former boss of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service who is now stationed at National Police Headquarters, Accra.
Daniels, an ex-convict is a Nigerian, who served a seven-year jail term at the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons. His accomplice, Livinus Amadianaeze Ugwu, also an ex-convict and a Nigerian, is on the run, the Court heard.
DSP Nyamekye said in April 2021, COP Addo-Danquah’s attention was drawn to a fake Facebook Messenger account created in her name and bearing her picture that was being used to solicit money from police personnel under the pretext of getting them slots to United Nations (UN) and African Union (AU) Missions in Somalia and Sudan.
He said the user of the said fake Facebook account contacted the victims and directed them to pay money via Airtel/Tigo cash to phone number 0271701436.
Detective Chief Inspector Baffoe paid GHC10,000.00 through Airtel/Tigo cash to the number and the amount was subsequently withdrawn by Daniels.
The prosecution said investigations revealed that the phone number was traced to the environs of the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons in the Easter Region.
Further investigations revealed that Daniels was the user of the number. After a search conducted by the police, a Samsung Galaxy A02 phone which Daniels used to chat with Ugwu and a Tecno feature phone that was used to receive the money from Detective Chief Inspector Baffoe was retrieved.
DSP Nyamekye said Forensic Examination conducted on the devices revealed that Daniels and Ugwu conspired to use the name and photograph of the COP Addo-Danquah to collect money from Police personnel under the pretext of getting them a slot to travel to the United Nations and African Union Mission in Somalia.
Daniels then acquired the SIM card with 0271701436 that was used to receive money from their victims.
He admitted the offence and after investigations, he was charged and put before this court.
Source: GNA