The Achimota Circuit Court has remanded Kofi Tweneboah, a businessman, into police custody for impersonating Francis Asenso Boakye, the Minister for Roads and Highways. Tweneboah, along with his accomplices Boozing and Nana Kwesi, who are both at large, allegedly defrauded Rita Owusu Adade, a businesswoman, of GH¢83,000.
The accused took the money under the pretense of securing protocol allocations for individuals to travel with the Minister to a conference in Washington, D.C. Tweneboah and Boozing face additional charges of causing grievous bodily harm to Madam Rita Adade without justification. Tweneboah pleaded not guilty, and the court remanded him into police custody. He is scheduled to reappear in court on August 6, 2024.
The prosecution, led by Assistant Superintendent of Police Isaac Babaye, stated that the complainant, Madam Adade, is a trader residing in Kumasi, Ashanti Region, while Tweneboah resides in Tantra Hill, Accra. In February 2024, the complainant’s sister, Linda Adade, who lives in the United States, was contacted on Facebook by Nana Kwesi, who posed as a successful real estate mogul in Ghana with political connections to Minister Asenso Boakye.
Nana Kwesi persuaded Linda to seek political support from the Minister, claiming he was preparing for a conference in Washington, D.C., and needed Ghanaians to accompany him. Linda showed interest and discussed the opportunity with her sister, Rita, who also posted the offer on social media, attracting more interested individuals.
On April 16, 2024, Rita met Tweneboah and Boozing at Kotoka International Airport, handing over five passports and GH¢83,000. Boozing was dressed in a police uniform at the time. Sensing something was amiss, Rita reported the incident to the CID headquarters. On April 19, 2024, she lured Tweneboah and Boozing to Accra to hand over additional money and passports.
When Tweneboah saw the police, he sped off in his Toyota Hilux pickup, pushing Rita out of the moving vehicle, causing her severe injuries. She was taken to the 37 Military Hospital for treatment. Tweneboah and Boozing abandoned their vehicle at Dzorwulu and fled. The vehicle was towed to the CID headquarters for further investigation.
On July 15, 2024, Tweneboah returned the five passports and GH¢83,000 to the police through an intermediary in an attempt to halt the case. He was arrested on July 18, 2024, at Achimota Mile Seven. During interrogation, he confessed to the crime and identified Boozing as a police officer in Amasaman and Nana Kwesi as an accomplice in Nsawam. Efforts are ongoing to apprehend the accomplices.
