UK and NIB bust trader over forgery judicial documents

The United Kingdom authorities and Ghana’s National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) formerly Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) have busted a trader for allegedly forging judicial and official documents to secure his ailing brother’s properties abroad.

Isaac Frimpong had early on secured an official document covering his brother’s land at Abossey Okai and sold same to one Francis Agordzie.

Luck, however, eluded him when the United Kingdom authorities in their bid to compulsory purchased two houses of Ernest Akwasi Frimpong, discovered that the biodata of (Ernest Akwasi Frimpong) had been photoshopped and altered.

Appearing before the court on a bench warrant, Isaac Frimpong pleaded not guilty to forgery of an official document, altering the forged document, fraudulent transaction, forgery of a judicial document, and possessing forged document.

Frimpong has been admitted to bail in the sum of GHC100,000.00 with two sureties who are to be public servants, one of whom should be earning not less than GHC3,000.00 a month.

Counsel for Frimpong had earlier apologised for the absence of the accused in court at the last adjourned date, November 23, this year.

The matter has been adjourned to December 14.

Prosecuting, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Fuseini Yakubu said the complainant is a businesswoman residing at Mataheko in Accra.

ASP Yakubu said the accused is a younger brother of the complainant’s father, Ernest Akwasi Frimpong.

The prosecution said the said Ernest Akwasi Frimpong has been ill for over ten years now but has two houses in the United Kingdom and a plot of land at New Abossey Okai, Accra.

He said on July 23, this year a report was made to the NIB that the accused has altered the bio-data page of his Ghanaian Passport to reading Ernest Akwasi Frimpong to deceive the UK authorities to enable him to claim the assets of Ernest Akwasi Frimpong.

The prosecution said the accused was arrested and during investigations, it was revealed that in October last year, the UK government decided to compulsory purchase the property of Ernest Akwasi Frimpong and requested for his details to facilitate the process and payment.

ASP Yakubu said the accused got wind of it and photoshopped the bio-data page of his Ghanaian passport number G1011508, altered it from Isaac Frimpong and his date of birth which was May 7, 1974, to read Ernest Akwasi Frimpong who was born on June 6, 1957, to deceive the UK government so as to get the proceeds on the two houses.

The prosecution said the complainant intercepted the document when he was sending same to one Yaw Boakye in the UK.

The prosecution said investigations later revealed that accused has sold Ernest Akwasi Frimpong’s plot located at New Abossey Okai to one Francis Agordzie without his elder brother (Ernest Akwasi Frimpong) consent.

He said on July 24, this year, a search conducted in the accused’s room at Osu revealed a false statutory declaration made by him to transfer the ownership of the said land to Francis Agordzie.