Medical officer arrested for insurance fraud

Kumasi, May 23, GNA - The Zongo police in Kumasi has arrested two persons including the Deputy Chief Medical Assistant of the Kumawu Health Centre in the Sekyere East District for alleged insurance fraud. Mr Michael Fordjour, the Medical Assistant, is said to have signed a medical report form for one Alex Appiah-Kore, the key suspect, who is believed to be operating an insurance fraud syndicate in Kumasi to enable him claim compensation from the State Insurance Company (SIC) in an accident in which he was not involved.

A police source told the Ghana News Agency in Kumasi on Wednesday that Appiah-Kore, a citizen of Kumawu-Bodomase, was picked up by the police from his hideout at Ejisu on Tuesday morning and placed in custody while Fordjour was picked up on Wednesday morning. He said the two were arrested following a report by the Management of the SIC in Kumasi.

Mr Mark Ofosu-Manu, the Northern Sector Area Manager of the SIC, briefing newsmen on how the fraud was detected, said in March 2006, an Isuzu Wagon vehicle with registration number GT 1552 W, which had been insured by the company, was involved in an accident on the Accra/Nkawkaw road.

As a result, he said eight victims including the suspect put in claims for compensation on injuries they had sustained.

While examining the claims, the company's investigators became suspicious when they realized that all those who had put in their claims routed them through the suspect.

Investigations showed that the suspect, who claimed to have sustained injuries, went to hospital 13 days after the accident. Mr Ofosu-Manu said the investigators went to the Enyiresi Hospital on the Accra/Kumasi road where the victims were first sent for treatment but could not find the name of the suspect in their register. The investigators further went to Kumawu and questioned the Medical Assistant of the Health Centre, who signed the medical report form for the suspect.

He confessed to the investigators that the suspect approached him to prepare a medical report for him to make an insurance claim. Based on that, Mr Ofosu-Manu said a report was made to the police and the suspects were arrested.

He said during their investigations, it came to light that Appiah-Kore, in connivance with a widow of a deceased in the accident, had been able to obtain an affidavit from a high court in Kumasi claiming to be a brother and successor of the deceased in order to claim compensation. The widow confessed that someone introduced her to the suspect as one who could help her to get compensation from the Company.