Court grants businessman bail in forgery case

An Accra District Court has granted bail in the sum of GHȼ10,000.00 with two sureties to a 29-year-old businessman Patrick K. Abban for allegedly forging the signature of a deceased person.

The Court directed that the sureties should be gainfully employed.

Abban who denied the charge, was ordered to reappear on February 13.

Prosecuting, Detective Chief Inspector Simon Apiosornu told the Court presided over by Mrs. Gloria Naa Botor Laryea, that the complainant is the nephew of Kwaku Amoako Crentsil, a deceased who died on February 16, 2016.

He said in the course of reading his will it was detected that the accused person was occupying a store which was part of the deceased’s estate.

The prosecution said the said store was rented out to him by the deceased as per the tenancy agreement, however upon examination of the tenancy agreement, it was detected that it was signed in April 2016 which was after the death of Crentsil.

He said the complainant upon suspicion petitioned the Director General of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) together with the tenancy agreement for investigations.

Detective Chief Inspector Apiosornu said the document was sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) where it was revealed that the signature on the form was a scanned signature and could not have been authored by the deceased.

He said Abban was invited by the CID for investigations where he stated in his caution statement that, it was the deceased who signed the tenancy agreement and handed same to him.

The Prosecution said however Police investigations disclosed that, the author of the alleged tenancy agreement died on February 16, 2016 whilst the tenancy agreement was signed on April 1, 2016.

He said subsequently the accused was charged.

Source: GNA