Crime & Punishment of Saturday, 3 September 2011

Source: GNA

Teacher jailed for escaping from cell

Accra, Sept. 3, GNA - An Accra Circuit Court on Friday sentenced a teacher, Patrick Amoo, to two months’ imprisonment for escaping from the Ministries Police station.

Amoo, aka Annan Kwame Asabril, is to pay a fine of GH¢1,200 for an additional charge of falsification of Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) accounts. He will go to jail for seven years if he fails to pay.

Charged with falsification of accounts and escaping from lawful custody, Amoo pleaded guilty and the Court presided over by Mrs Patience Mills-Tetteh convicted him accordingly.

Chief Inspector Charles Chester told the court that Amo, a teacher at Estii Sunkwa Junior High School at Ajumako Enyan Essiam District in the Central Region, on September 1, presented a SSNIT Statement of Accounts Amendment form together with a letter of appointment from the Ghana Education Service (GES) all bearing the name of Asabril to SSNIT head office.

The prosecutor said the accounts presented by Amoo indicated that he had worked with GES from 1979 to 2011 and as such he was contributing to SSNIT Fund.

Amoo requested that his SSNIT contributions should be updated but upon a careful examination of the documents, it was detected that he was appointed in 1991 and not 1979 as had falsified on the account.

Chief Inspector Chester said Amoo was therefore handed over to the Police at the Ministries Police Station.

During investigations, a voter ID card and a pay slip found on him indicated that his real name is Patrick Amoo.

At the Ministries Police station, Amoo was handed over to Sergeant Kwodwo Appau who was on duty at the charge office for further investigations.

The prosecutor said while Amoo was being processed to be placed in the Police cells, he took to his heels.

However, he was arrested with the assistance of some policemen and civilians.