French Embassy "Official" Nabbed

By Kofi Adom Kaakyire, Ejisu -Ashanti

Accra - The Ejisu police have arrested a man who claimed to be an official of the French embassy in Accra. Before his arrest on Tuesday, November 16, Mike Johan Tawia was said to have gone from one JSS to another in the Ejisu-Juaben District, duping some teachers.

According to a report by the assemblyman, Kwame Patrick Ofori Anane, the suspect went to about eight schools in the district and informed their heads of plans of the French embassy to supply them books and computers.

The suspect reportedly claimed he had been assigned to assess the work of the French teachers in the schools.

He claimed the embassy was ready to send some of the French teachers to France, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire and Senegal to upgrade their knowledge, and succeeded in collecting various sums of monies, ranging from ?200,000 to ?600,000 from some of the teachers.

Tawia gave them November 15-22 for interviews and told the heads of the schools to meet the French Ambassador on Tuesday, November 16, this year, for which they made preparations for a durbar.

A source at the district education office at Ejisu said though no official letter was sent to the office about the ambassador's visit, some schools prepared upon the information received from Tawia.

The report said Mike Tawia had already duped some hotels in Kumasi, including Hotel Amussah, City Hotel and Georgia Hotel. But for the alertness and vigilance of a taxi driver whose services Tawia had engaged for three days without payment, the impostor would have gone scot free.

The cabbie alerted the Asokwa Police who arrested Tawia and handed him over to the Ejisu police.

Meanwhile, Alhaji Ismail Saakah, Superintendent of Police at Ejisu has confirmed the story and said investigations were going on.