MP aspirant remanded for fraud

The Agona Swedru Circuit Court on Friday remanded into police custody the 2012 Agona West Parliamentary Candidate of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) for allegedly attempting to defraud the Assin South District Chief Executive (DCE) Ms Sabina Appiah Kubi.

The plea of George Ampiah Biney was not taken and was remanded to reappear in the same Court on June 10, 2013.

Prosecuting, Police Inspector Opoku-Mensah, told the Court presided over by Mr Nathaniel E.K. Osam that, the complainant in the case is Ms Sabina Appiah Kubi, DCE for Assin South in the Central Region.

He said the accused managed to obtain the telephone number of the DCE and had a series of telephone conversations with her during which he introduced himself as a staff at the Office of the Interior Minister, Mr Kwesi Ahwoi.

According to the Prosecutor, Biney convinced the DCE that he can lobby for her to be re-nominated as DCE for Assin South.

Inspector Opoku-Mensah said the accused proposed to the DCE that an amount of GHC15,000 would be needed for the necessary arrangements for her to be re-nominated.

He said the DCE, who became interested in the arrangement, first agreed to meet the accused at Apam Junction upon his request for the Money but changed the venue to Winneba-Junction, which Biney obliged.

The Prosecutor said on May 22 this year, the DCE gave GHC12,000 to Biney at the Winneba-Junction as planned, but he insisted that the DCE should add the remaining GHC3, 000.

Inspector Opoku-Mensah said after persistent persuading by Biney, the DCE asked the accused to accompany her to a friend place to collect the rest of the money, which he agreed.

He said the accused, sensing danger, jumped from the moving vehicle of the DCE and attempted to escape but was arrested by some people around upon the DCE’s shout of “thief thief.”

The prosecution said the accused was later handed over to the Winneba Police.