A 47-year-old trader has been remanded into custody for swindling 27 persons of GH¢147,000 under the pretext of recruiting them into the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS).
Naomi Larweh Teiko, who was arraigned before the Adentan High Court presided over by Mrs Sedinam Awo Balokah on charges of defrauding by false pretences, pleaded not guilty.
The prosecution, led by Inspector Eric Ransford Abban, told the court that in May 2022, Naomi allegedly approached the complainant, claiming she knew an immigration officer who wanted to assist in recruiting some people into the GIS.
The complainant, Hajia Habiba Abdulai, a businesswoman who showed interest in the offer, collected a total of GH¢121,000 from 25 of her family members.
She also paid GH¢26,000 for her two daughters, bringing the amount to GH¢147,000.
Inspector Abban said the complainant proceeded to hand the total amount to the accused, who assured that the 27 persons would be going for training after they had undergone medical screening.
The prosecution added that the accused person went into hiding after that.
However, she was arrested after the case was reported to the police.
In her investigation caution statement, she admitted the offence and disclosed that she had handed the money to the said immigration officer.
The prosecution said Naomi refused to lead the police to the officer.
Meanwhile, she is expected to reappear before the court on April 21, 2023.
My whole life being a businessman since 2009 I have seen people making & repeating mistakes over and over again. The amount mentioned in this article such as the ghc26,000 if not wrongly used but had been used in investment that bears 10% anuall return will grow to become approximately Ghc858,000.00 in excess over a period of ten years. This compounded amount can snowball if allow more years.