By Nicholas Osei-Wusu
The Asokwa Circuit Court near Kumasi in the Ashanti Region has convicted and sentenced a 32-year-old man, Abdul Munaf Lawal, to 35 years in prison with hard labour for defrauding by false pretense.
The Court, presided over by Fred Obikyere, convicted and sentenced Lawal on his own plea of guilty to the charge after he changed his initial not guilty plea.
A statement signed by the Head of the Public Affairs Unit of the Ashanti Regional Police Command, DSP Godwin Ahianyo, indicated that Lawal was already serving a 24-month jail term for stealing.
Prosecution told the Court that on July 27, 2023, Lawal collected 50,000 dollars from the complainant under the pretext of converting it to the Ghana cedi equivalent.
However, after receiving the funds, he failed to fulfil his part of the agreement and subsequently absconded.
According to the Prosecution, Lawal was arrested in Accra on June 27 this year in connection with a similar offence and was subsequently transferred to the Ashanti Regional Police Command for further investigations, which led to his conviction and sentencing to 35 years in prison with hard labour.
