Crime & Punishment of Wednesday, 8 September 2004

Source: GNA

Contractor in Court for possessing forged documents

Accra. Sept 8, GNA- A 36-year-old contractor charged with possessing forged documents and attempting to commit crime has been arraigned at an Accra Circuit Court.

Elegbete Okoti pleaded not guilty and is on 70 million cedis bail. Police Inspector Mary Agbozo told the court, chaired by Mrs Elizabeth Ankomah that Okoti is believed to be an "intelligent 419 businessman" who has been drafting fraud letters and sending them through the Internet to unsuspecting persons outside the country.

Prosecutions said most of the letterheads are purported to be coming from Law Chambers.

On June 14, this year, Okoti went to an Internet Caf=E9 at Nungua to use the Internet and a Supervisor there spotted Okoti designing Ghana's Coat of Arms on a Kotoka International Airport (KIA) letterhead. The supervisor quickly hinted the police and Okoti was arrested. The Police retrieved a letter from Okoti believed to have been written by Reverend Christ Obrakyere, the Controller General of KIA, requesting one Mr John Graft to get ready to receive four diplomatic boxes containing million dollars and quantity of diamonds.

Prosecution said a diskette with the inscription Obrayere was also found.

When the diskette was inserted into the computer to find out its contents, many drafted documents were found on it. During Police interrogation, Okoti stated that he only went to the Internet Caf=E9 to access his mail. 8 Sept. 04