Ghana Palaver

CP Leading Member In a ?0.5m Fraud Case... Will be Sentenced Next Week

The Ghanaian Palaver reports that a leading member of the United Kingdom branch of the Convention Party, Mr. Alex Asabre, was on June 3, convicted on eight counts of fraud at the Inner London Crown Court, presided over by Mr. Justice Walter.

According to the report, Mr. George Osei Tutu Agyemang, a businessman who was jointly charged with the accused was acquitted for lack of evidence.

The case for the prosecution was that sometime in 1994, he UK government mandated London Transport to undertake an extension of the Jubilee Underground Train Line. In order to implement the programme, a compulsory purchase order was issued by the authorities against properties affected by the project.

When Mr. Asabre got wind of the excersice he is said to have put in a claim for over half a million pounds sterling on the grounds that the compulsory purchase order had jeopardised has business and had led to his suffering significant financial loss.

An investigation by London Transport aimed at establishing the reality or otherwise of the claim revealed that Mr. Asabre the co-ordinator of the Commonwealth Welfare Immigration Advisorry Centre (CWIAC) and also a leading member of the anti- government coalition in the UK, had falsely used letter head sheets of non-existent Ghanaian firms, allegedly, his partners, to justify the claim.

It was also detected that the letters supposedly written by his partners had in fact all been typed on the same typewriters located in his office.

In his defence, Mr. Asabre alleged that he was being hunted by the government of Ghana for his alleged report on government functionaries.

He added that the alleged firms were in existence and that his application for compensation was legitimate.

In its ruling, however, the report says, the jury dismissed the defence submission and convicted Asabre on eight of the twelve counts of fraud.

In summing up the trail, the Judge said Mr. Asabre was the sole perpetrator of the crime with the intent to deceive the UK authorities to obtain money by fraudulent means.

The Judge is also said to have decided that since there was a risk of Mr. Asabre escaping from the United Kingdom to avoid justice, if granted bail, he should be remanded in custody pending sentence on Thursday, July 1, 1999.

GRi