Forgery - Fake Police letterheads in use

Investigations by The Independent indicate that the Police are handling a land dispute case in which some interested parties are believed to have used a fake police letterhead to their advantage and stopped a planned demonstration by a faction.

On February 9, 2001 a letter from a so-called Operational Commander of the Ghana Police Headquarters-ASP Jothan Azulu purported to stop a planned demonstration by La Youth Association in protest against what they described as illegal dissipation of their ancestral lands.

The letter, which was supposed to have been signed by the non-existent Operations Commander A.S.P. Jotham Azulu, was written on the letterhead of the Public Relations Directorate and was for the attention of the Chairman of the La Youth Association.

It warned the entire executive that they would be held liable for any breach of the peace and as such called for an immediate cancellation of the demonstration. The forged letter succeeded in stopping the planned demonstration.

When contacted, a source close to the Police headquarters said that the letter purported to have come from the police stopping the demonstration did not originate from the police. He described it as a fake one for which somebody is being charged for forgery, adding that there was a danger that such forged documents could be used to commit the nation to fraudulent agreements.

The source said it is highly possible that some unscrupulous individuals are suing such forged letterheads in fraudulent deals and cautioned the public to be wary of such documents.