Court orders police to determine gender of accused

An Accra Circuit Court has ordered the police to determine the gender of an accused person to decide whether to place them in a male or female cell.

The order came after Christabel Suphiar Sarkodie Tuffour, who faced five counts of defrauding by false pretences, appeared in court.

She allegedly collected a total of €42,889, £8,500, US$5,000, and GHC230,000 from 15 individuals, promising to assist them in obtaining visas to Germany and Canada.

Tuffour, a radiologist, claimed that she handed the money over to one Ebenezer, but he denied receiving any funds, according to the prosecution

She refused a police inspection to confirm her gender, leading to confusion in court, where she was initially addressed as male.

Due to this uncertainty, the court ordered the police to clarify her gender.

The prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Ramatu Asumah, revealed that the complainants were young individuals seeking to travel abroad for better opportunities.

Tuffour, while studying in Europe, had falsely claimed to have worked with the German Immigration Service in Frankfurt.

She and her accomplice Ebenezer, who had no experience in travel and tourism, deceived the complainants into believing they could help secure visas.

Ebenezer introduced the complainants to Tuffour, further solidifying the illusion of legitimacy.

Tuffour provided her bank account details to some of the victims, while others paid her in person during meetings in Osu and at Lancaster Hotel.

She also arranged a fake marriage to Kwasi Gyimah at the La Nkwantanang District Court, claiming it would help secure a spousal visa upon her return to Germany.

Through these tactics, Tuffour successfully obtained large sums of money from the 15 complainants.

After her arrest, she admitted in her caution statement to handing the funds to Ebenezer, although he denied receiving them.