An agricultural engineer, Abraham Asudam, was sentenced to 36 months’ imprisonment with hard labour by an Accra Circuit Court after being found guilty of defrauding a businessman of GHS150,000 under the pretense of procuring a tipper truck. The court, presided over by Mr. Isaac Addo, convicted the 43-year-old despite his initial plea of not guilty. The businessman, Mr. George Asudam, had given the money in December 2020 after Abraham claimed he could secure the vehicle through partners in Belgium.
The prosecution, led by ASP Seth Frimpong, revealed that Abraham presented forged documents, a fake payment receipt, and a truck chassis number from a fictitious company named Power Vehicle Innovation, promising the vehicle would arrive within a month. After collecting the funds, Abraham cut off communication, making efforts to trace him unsuccessful until a police report led to his arrest. Investigations confirmed he was not a licensed vehicle dealer and had fabricated all documents.
The court considered that Abraham was a first-time offender and had already spent time in custody during a deferred sentencing period intended to allow him to repay an outstanding GHS30,000. Despite several adjournments, he failed to pay the remaining balance. The judge ordered restitution of GHS30,000 to the complainant and ruled a deterrent sentence. The prosecution recovered GHS20,000 from Abraham, which has been retained as evidence. Abraham will serve his sentence with hard labour.
