Two persons accused of impersonating Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu, in the Volta Region, have been granted GH¢50,000 bail each by the Accra High Court.
Promise Ahorgah, a phone repairer, and Kwaotse Mawuli, a construction labourer, have been ordered to produce two sureties one to be justified.
They have been accused of defrauding by false pretenses, by creating a social media account in the name of the MP, to solicit funds for food victims, following the spillage of the Akosombo and Kpong Dam.
Ahorgah and Mawuli, who is facing additional charges of charlatanic advertisement and falsely pretending to be a public officer, have denied the offences.
The Attorney-General’s Department opposed the granting of bail brought before the court presided over by Mrs Lydia OseiMarfo, by lawyers of accused.
However, the court, in granting bail to accused, ordered them
to report to the police every fortnight (Fridays).
It also directed accused to deposit copies of their Ghana cards with the Registry of the Court.
The case of the prosecution is that the MP for North Tongu is the complainant in the case.
The prosecution said that following the Akosombo and Kpong Dam spillage and the flooding of certain parts of the region, the complainant developed a flyer within scription ‘North Tongu MP’s Disaster Donation Drive,’ with a short
code 71375# requesting good Samaritans to donate in aid of the flood victims.
The prosecution said Ahorgah and Mawuli, who allegedly intended to defraud, took copies of the complainant’s flyer on Facebook, modified it, and inserted their respective phone numbers in the modified flyer.
The court heard that accused held themselves out as the complainant and caused the general public to wrongly believe they were the complainant.
Additionally, the prosecution said the two accused published the fake and deceitful flyers on social media platforms, requesting the public to make cash donations into their mobile phone numbers.
The court heard that the accused used the names and photographs of the complainant to create several social media accounts, personated the MP and communicated with some people to solicit donations into their mobile money accounts.
The prosecution said through their acts of personation and publication of deceitful advertisement with the intent to defraud, they succeeded in getting various monies fromthe public.
The prosecution said the complainant, who found the fake flyer on social media, petitioned the National Signals Bureau, and accused were nabbed.
The two accused during interrogation, admitted to the offences, the prosecutionsaid.
The case has been adjourned to March 14, 2024. —GNA