Drama unfolded in an Accra Circuit court on Wednesday when a businessman, Frank Kwesi Obeng, confronted the judge after being handed a 15-year prison sentence for charges of conspiracy to steal, abetment of crime, and money laundering.
As the verdict was delivered, Obeng immediately questioned the judge, saying, “Please, do you know me somewhere? Why have you given me a 15-year jail term?” He then proceeded to remove his shirt and approached the judge in an aggressive manner.
The situation, however, was quickly diffused by the intervention of the prosecutor and a court warrant officer, who escorted Judge Evelyn Asamoah to her chambers.
Obeng was then escorted out of the courtroom without his shirt and sandals.
Meanwhile, Obeng’s wife, Joyce Safowaa, who was also found guilty of conspiracy to steal, abetment of crime, and stealing GH¢ 712,229 from Mavis Toffan, the complainant, was handed a 10-year prison term. Safowaa reacted to the verdict with tears, exclaiming, “God, I am dreaming!”
Judge Evelyn Asamoah ordered that all property and a Toyota Venza, believed to have been acquired through the proceeds of the crime, be handed over to the complainant.
Additionally, the items in the couple’s shop were to be released to the complainant, and the convicts were instructed to refund the complainant’s GH¢712,229.
The prosecution, led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Emmanuel Haligah, explained that the complainant, Mavis Toffan, owned MAVOBED Enterprise, a business dealing in children’s clothes and babies’ accessories.
Safowaa, who was employed by the complainant, gained her trust and was assigned responsibility for the store and warehouse.
In collaboration with her husband, Frank Kwesi Obeng, Safowaa began stealing goods from the complainant’s store and warehouse, using them to stock their own shop.
This continued for several years, during which time they also diverted goods intended for the complainant into their shop.
Eventually, the couple moved their operation to a different location in Kasoa and used the proceeds from the stolen goods to purchase Toyota Venza, a plot of land, and to rent a store.
It was in 2016 that the complainant discovered the theft, prompting a police investigation and subsequent arrests.
An inventory of the goods in the couple’s Kasoa shop revealed that Safowaa had stolen goods worth GH¢ 712,229 between 2013 and 2018.
With the sentencing concluded, Frank Kwesi Obeng and Joyce Safowaa will now begin their respective prison terms, while the complainant will be entitled to receive restitution for the stolen goods and property acquired through the proceeds of the crime.
By Vincent Kubi