General News of Tuesday, 19 June 2012

Source: Al-Hajj

MP Exposed Over issuance of forged cheque

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Kade Constituency in the Eastern region, Hon Ofosu Asamoah is alleged to have presented a fake cheque with a value of GhC600.00 to the chiefs and people of Larbikrom in the Kwaebibirim district in the Eastern Region.

Hon Ofosu Asamoah made the donation during a community fund raising ceremony organized by the chiefs and people in aid of building a KVIP for the community in May 2011.

Dignitaries present to witness the occasion include; the District Chief Executive of the area, Chiefs and elders of the community, the assembly man for the area, Patrick Cobbah and a host of media personnel.

Making the allegation on Koforidua-based Emakk Fm’s afternoon political radio program last Thursday, a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) communications team, Mr. Oliver Kevor said after the presentation ceremony, the assemblyman Mr. Patrick Cobbah was authorized to cash the cheque at a private bank in Accra, Guarantee Trust bank.

However, according to Mr. Oliver Kevor, when the cheque was presented at the said bank as arranged by the assembly member he was quickly arrested and detained for bringing what the bank claimed was a fake cheque.

The lawmaker who was also monitoring the show immediately called into the program to debunk the NDC man’s assertions and requested the host of the programme, Mr. Annor Dompreh to call the assembly member for the area to verify. The host obliged him and then called the assembly member who confirmed the allegations by the NDC man in the studios.

Later in a telephone interview with the assembly member for Larbikrom, Mr. Patrick Cobbah, he disclosed that upon presenting the cheque at the Opera Branch of the Guarantee Trust bank here in Accra, officials at the bank pointed out to him that the cheque was fake and that, it had an inscription of a ‘’USD’’ on it which was yet cancelled and crossed by the person who issued it.

According to Mr. Patrick Cobbah, he was detained by the staff of the bank from 9:00am until 1:30pm when he was released.

He said whiles in detention; he tried reaching the NPP legislator but all his phones were switched off.

Mr. Patrick Kobbah added that after the incident, he had been trying to call the Member of Parliament to inform him of his ordeal at the bank but he would not answer his calls.

However, somewhere around October/November 2011, according to the assemblyman, Hon Ofosu Asamoah presented a cash amount of GH590.00 to the people of Larbikrom . At press time yesterday all efforts by this paper to reach Hon Ofosu Asamoah proved futile.