Police Inspector Remanded

An Accra Circuit Court has remanded Inspector Andy Vortia in custody for defrauding a number of people of several millions of cedis. This was done on the pretext of selling to them seized vehicles parked at the Headquarters of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service in Accra.

He was remanded to enable the police to conduct further investigations into the case following a series of complaints made against him after his arrest.

He is to reappear before the court on July 25, 2006. Six years ago, the culprit was interdicted for the same offence.

This time round he collected ¢230 million and $2,500 from individuals to either sell seized cars to them or secure visas for them to travel abroad.

Inspector Vortia, formerly of the Accra Regional Police Public Relations Unit, was arrested at the Nyaniba Estates in Accra on July 17, 2006 by a team of policemen from the Police Intelligence and Professional Standards (PIPS) Bureau for forgery and defrauding by false pretences.

According to Chief Inspector Freeman Tettey of the Police Public Affairs Directorate, in 1999, while stationed at the Accra Region, Vortia collected sums of money running into several millions from members of the public to supply them with seized cars.

He said Vortia told his victims that he had been directed by the Police Administration to dispose of all vehicles which had been parked at the CID Headquarters for some time, and in order to substantiate his claim, he took his victims there and showed them the vehicles.

Chief Inspector Tettey said when Vortia failed to hand over the vehicles to the victims after collecting their money, a report was made and he was arrested.

After a service enquiry had been completed, he was interdicted. He said Vortia was then handed over to the courts to be dealt with accordingly and for six years the case was pending.

He said since then there had been several complaints about his activities but all efforts to arrest him proved futile, until last week Sunday when he was spotted by one of his victims at the Nyaniba Estates in Accra. An alarm was raised and he was arrested.

According to Chief Inspector Tettey, Vortia fronted for Robert Bowers and the two succeeded in defrauding Rose Quansah of ¢23.5 million.

He said Vortia again stood as a guarantor for the payment of ¢6.5 million from a victim but the person he guaranteed for had absconded.

He said after his arrest, five persons reported that they had paid moneys ranging between ¢70 million and $4,000 to Vortia for a 207 D Benz bus, a Kia pick-up and a Toyota Corrola saloon car parked at the CID Headquarters.