Musician sentenced for posing as a soldier

Accra, March 13, GNA - An Accra Circuit Tribunal on Monday sentenced to five years'imprisonment in hard labour, Godfried Tega, a musician, who posed as a Captain in the Ghana Army and went about defrauding the unsuspecting public.

Tega, 28, pleaded guilty to falsely pretending to be a public officer and defrauding by false pretences, but pleaded not guilty to stealing. Prosecuting, Police Chief Inspector Edward Antwi told the tribunal chaired by Mrs Elizabeth Anderson Yebuah that Tega has been a long time impostor.

For example, on February 14, this year, he told workers at Aburi Botanical Gardens that he is a Captain in the Ghana Army and a staff of the president's security.

The prosecutor said Tega succeeded in collecting 2.4 million cedis from one Mr Isaac Darko, under the pretext of securing a Canadian visa for him. He also collected three million cedis from Major Mark Dogbe of the Ghana Army under the pretext of selling a car to him.

Chief Inspector Antwi said the accused defrauded Captain Ennin of Burma Camp of two million cedis which was meant to secure an American visa for the victim's brother.

Chief Inspector Antwi said the accused stole a Daewoo Lamans saloon car, valued at nine million cedis, property of one Mr Ato Paitoo. During police investigations, Tega admitted the offences and said he was forced by the devil to commit the crime.