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14.08.2006 Social News

Ex-Inspector Before Court For Fraud

14.08.2006 LISTEN
By Daily Graphic

An ex-police inspector was arraigned at an Accra circuit court on Friday for allegedly defrauding five businessmen of ¢99.5 million under the pretext of assisting them to buy auctioned cars from the Serious Fraud Office (SFO).

Emmanuel Asinyo Dzrewu, 56, was stationed at the Cantonments Police Station but was attached to the SFO.

He pleaded not guilty to six counts of fraud and issue of false cheque and was granted bail in the sum of ¢100 million with a surety to reappear on August 31, 2006.

Prosecuting, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) George Abavelim said the accused met the complainants on various occasions and under the pretext of assisting them to buy auction cars from the SFO, collected various sums of money, totalling ¢99.5 million, from them.

Mr Abavelim said the ex-inspector on April 14, 2005 collected ¢30 million from his first victim, Dotse Adzale, and collected ¢14 million from Bright Woanyo on April 21, the same year.

He said on April 28, May 4 and May 28, 2005, the accused collected ¢20 million from Anyigbator Adzale, and ¢23.5 million from Anthony K. Donu while on July 25, 2005, he again issued a dud cheque to Edwin Bansah, after he had misappropriated Bansah's ¢2 million.

Mr Abavelim said when the complainants realised the accused had defrauded them, they demanded their monies from him but he was incidentally transferred to Sampa.

The complainants, he said, lodged a report at the Police Headquarters and the accused was arrested.

He said the accused admitted the offence and promised to refund the money but he failed to do so. In the case of Bansah, the prosecutor said Bansah contacted him to help Ex-Inspector Dzrewu to help him collect ¢10 million from a visa contractor.

But after collecting ¢4 million of the amount, the accused misappropriated it and rather issued a dud cheque which was dishonoured.

In a related development, the court sentenced Samuel Owusu, an electronic engineer, to two years imprisonment for stabbing a police constable, Richard Tetteh Narh.

Owusu pleaded guilty to one count of causing unlawful harm and he was accordingly convicted and sentenced on his own plea.

He, however, pleaded with the court for leniency because he was fighting with his sister who happened to be the wife of the policeman when he was beaten by the policeman.

He said he stabbed the policeman in self-defence. The police constable lived at Accra Central while the convict and his sister lived in the same house at Fadama in Accra.

The prosecutor told the court that Owusu had frequently been threatening the sister and on July 11, 2006, he insulted the woman.

The police said while Owusu and his sister were exchanging words, the womans husband arrived and Owusu, who had a knife in his pocket, attacked the man and stabbed him in the face and bolted.

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