Court frees Amoateng over fake passport

An Accra Circuit Court on Tuesday acquitted and discharged Eric Amoateng, a former Member of Parliament (MP) for Nkoranza North, who was alleged to have forged a Ghanaian passport.

The presiding Judge Ellen Amoah in delivering the judgement said the State failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt, that the accused did anything untoward in acquiring the fake passport.

She added that, the former MP per the evidence provided by all the prosecution witnesses, did not have any idea of the genuineness or otherwise of the passport he was carrying.

Mr Amoateng was alleged to have travelled to Ghana with a female Ghanaian Passport, after serving a conviction abroad.

He pleaded not guilty, and was been admitted to a bail in the sum of GH¢200,000.00.

The case for the state was that in December 2005, he was arrested in the United States for possessing heroin, a narcotic drug.

He was convicted after trial, and after serving his sentence, Amoateng was released from prison on July 30, 2014.

On August 7, the same year, he arrived at the Kotoka International Airport on board a Delta Airline flight at 1420 hours, and while going through arrival formalities, it was detected that he had in his possession a Ghanaian Passport, which was allegedly forged, with the bio-data page substituted.

Source: GNA