Illegal accessing of DVLA electronic records case adjourned to Aug 21
The case involving two persons, accused of unlawfully accessing electronic records of the Drivers, Vehicle and Licensing Authority (DVLA) on its online portal, has been adjourned to August 21, 2024.
This is because the Dansoman Circuit Court, in Accra, handling the case,could not sit for the second hearing as the trial judge, Halimah El-Alwa Abdul-Baasit, was sick and,therefore,absent from court.
The two, who are still in police custody, are facing charges of various counts of conspiracy to commit crime, unauthorised access to computer programme or electronic records of the DVLA and defrauding by false pretences.
Delali Yevu, a 42-year-old software developer, and Sabastian Donne, a 32-year-old heavy-duty machine operator, were arrested for charging some drivers GH¢200 each to authenticate their driver’s licences instead of the approved GH¢471 set by the authority.
Kwaku Torgbo Wise Dziedzorm, a 38-year-old sales and onboarding manager, was also in court for allegedly assisting Yevu and Donne to defraud Francis Kwaku Pinamang and Freeman Moses Ankomah of GH¢200 and GH¢185, respectively.
The money was collected by Yevu, who posed as an officer of the DVLA to authenticate Pinamang and Ankomah’s driver’s licence.
The accused, who were arrested at the offices of Moove Ghana Limited, at Kanda, in Accra, pleaded not guilty to their respective charges.
The court at the first hearing turned down bail applications by lawyers of the accused, although the trio were on police enquiry bail.
The court directed the prosecution to expedite investigations and furnish it with disclosures and witness statements, and adjourned to July 24, for Case Management Conference.
Prosecuting, Chief Inspector Christopher Wonder, said the police admitted Yevu, Donne, and Dziedzorm to an enquiry bail, in order not to breach the mandatory 48-hour rule of the service.
The prosecution said that accused would jeopardise investigations if granted bail as the police suspected there were other conspirators, who were yet to be arrested.
Chief Insp Wonder said that the complainant, Samuel W.A Kodie, was the Head of Security and Safety, DVLA, and that on June 27, this year, Yevu went to the Moove Ghana Limited Office for a “work and pay” vehicle.
The court heard that whilesYevu was at the office, he (Yevu) noticed that many drivers needed authentication of their driving licences.
According to the prosecution, Yevu told Dziedzorm that he (Yevu) was an employee of the DVLA and could assist the drivers to authenticate their licences.
Chief Insp Wonder said that Yevu contacted Donne, who worked for an insurance company at Tema DVLA, and told him about the opportunity to “make money.”
The court heard that they paraded themselves as DVLA officers at the Moove Ghana Limited Office and used the DVLA online portal for the exercise.
Chief Insp Wonder said that Donne met Yevu and Dziedzorm at Moove Ghana offices dressed in a DVLA branded vest.
The prosecution said Dziedzorm informed the drivers that Yevu and Donne had been dispatched from the DVLA Tema office to authenticate their drivers’licences.
Chief Insp Wonder said Dziedzorm told the drivers that DVLA would not accept any authentication report other than the one issued by his accomplices for a fee of GH¢200.
The court heard that Dziedzorm created office space for Yevu and Donne, and they set up their computers and illegally accessed drivers’ information from the DVLA portal.
Chief Insp Wonder said the accused charged each driver GH¢200, including Francis Kwaku Pinamang and Freeman Moses Ankomah, which was below the official service charge of GH¢471.
BY BERNARD BENGHAN
