Nigerian who impersonated Oppong Nkrumah, Ayorkor and Quartey granted bail

An Accra Circuit Court has granted bail to a Nigerian woman who impersonated ministers of the Akufo-Addo administration to defraud unsuspecting victims of over GH₵10,000.

The accused person, Vivian Sajida Imran, a trader pleaded not guilty to all the charges levelled against her.

The 31-year old accused person, together with her husband, Prince Joel, currently at large, have been charged with eight counts of falsely pretending to be a public officer and defrauding under false pretence.

She was granted bail in the sum of GH₵12,000.00 with two sureties, one of whom must be a public servant, earning not less than GH₵1,200.

This was after her lawyer had prayed for her to be admitted to bail.

The facts of the case as presented to the court by the Prosecutor,  Detective Frederick Sarpong, were that the complainant is an operative of the National Security.

He noted that the first accused person was a trader, while the second accused, currently at large is the husband.

Detective Sarpong said in April, the accused persons used the names of Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah; Foreign Affairs Minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway; and the Deputy National Security Minister, Henry Quartey, to create multiple Facebook accounts and pretended to be ministers.

He said the first and second accused persons, in their online chats and phone calls with the victims, informed them that they could secure them each with employment at the Tema Oil Refinery, Ghana Gas or COCOBOD.

They further requested the victims to pay various amounts to mobile money accounts for their application forms and interviews.

The monies amounting to about GH₵10, 200 were paid to their mobile money accounts.

The prosecutor told the court that a search conducted in the suspect’s rooms revealed six mobile phones, including the three mobile money numbers, used to receive the monies from the victims.

He explained that an order of the court was sought and a forensic examination was carried out on the retained mobile phones.

One of them was found to contain a SIM number which had been registered in the name of the first accused person.

The same number was found to be the final destination where the ‘booties’ obtained from the victims were transferred and later withdrawn.

During investigations, the prosecutor said the first accused person admitted being the owner of the mobile money number.

With the number in hand, the police contacted the victims, and they narrated their ordeal.

Meanwhile, efforts are being made to track the second accused person.

The case has been adjourned to June 3, 2020.