Crime & Punishment of Friday, 21 August 2015

Source: GNA

Court jails public servant over recruitment scam

A public servant, found guilty by the Juaso Circuit Court of swindling some unemployed graduates of their cash totaling GH? 44,300 under the guise of helping them to secure jobs, has been sentenced to four years imprisonment.

Favour Rose Jasmatu, a Mass Education Officer of the Department of Community Development in the Asante-Akim Central Municipality, was additionally ordered to refund the money.

She had used a faked letterhead of the Local Government Service (LGS) to convince the victims that she could assist them to gain employment into the Service.

She was charged with defrauding by false pretenses and pleaded guilty to the offence.

Her accomplice, whose name was given as Mohammed Bawa is however, on the run.

Police Detective Inspector Thomas Obuor told the court, presided over by Mr. Fredrick Tetteh that, in all, 31 people fell for the bait and paid various sums of money to her.

This, he said, happened in September, last year.

After waiting for months without any sign of Favor delivering on her promise, the victims became suspicious and made formal reports to the police in Konongo.

She confessed to collecting their monies in her caution statement and claimed she in turn gave the cash to Bawa of the Sekyere East District Assembly.

The prosecution said the convict refused to help the police to track down the said man.