Accra: An Accra Circuit Court has sentenced an agricultural engineer to 36 months’ imprisonment with hard labour for defrauding a businessman of GHS150,000 under the pretext of procuring a tipper truck. Presided over by Mr. Isaac Addo, the court found Abraham Asudam, 43, guilty of defrauding by false pretenses, despite his initial not guilty plea. The convict had allegedly collected the money from Mr. George Asudam in December 2020, claiming he could secure the vehicle through partners in Belgium.

According to Ghana News Agency, the sentence considered Asudam’s status as a first-time offender and the time he had already spent in custody during a deferred sentencing period. This period was intended to allow for the repayment of an outstanding GHS30,000. However, despite several adjournments to enable the accused to repay the money, he failed to do so. ‘The court would therefore pass a fairly deterrent sentence on the accused,’ the judge ruled, further ordering the restitution of GHS30,000 to the complainant.

ASP Seth Frimpong, leading the prosecution, stated that the convict had presented fake documents and a payment receipt from a fictitious company, Power Vehicle Innovation, along with a truck chassis number, claiming the vehicle would arrive in a month. He later cut all communication, and attempts to trace him were unsuccessful until a police report led to his arrest.

Investigations revealed that Asudam was not a licensed vehicle dealer, and all documentation he provided was fabricated. The prosecution managed to recover GHS20,000 from him, which has been retained as evidence.