Businessman jailed four years for appropriating late brother’s entitlement

A businessman, who assumed the role as family head and collected his late brother’s GH¢206, 212.65 entitlement from the Ghana Police Service, has been sentenced to four years imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court.

Kwame Tengey is said to have told his late brother’s three children that he was going to assist them to collect their father’s entitlement of GH¢304, 950.

Tengey after going through the procedural requirements, received two cheques with the face value of GH¢206,737.55 and GH¢98, 737.55.

The convict on receipt of the money (GH¢206,737.55) failed to share the money to the three beneficiaries as stated out on the disbursement form.

He went in for the second cheque and called the beneficiaries to come for GH¢10,000 each without disclosing the total amount to be given to them.

Charged with fraudulent breach of trust, Tengey pleaded not guilty.

However, the court presided over by Mrs. Evelyn Asamoah after the trial found him guilty and sentenced him accordingly.

The court ordered the Administrator General to share the remaining money among the children and other beneficiaries.

A vehicle impounded by the police during the trial is to be sold and proceeds given to the children.

The prosecution led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Emmanuel Haligah told the court that the accused person, now convict, did not show any remorse throughout the trial.

ASP Haligah, therefore, prayed the court to hand down a custodial sentence to serve as deterrent to like-minded persons.

The facts presented before the court are that the complainants, Phyllis Tengey, unemployed, Terrence Tengey, a hotel attendant and Richard Tengey, a student, all resided at Katamanso.

The prosecution said the accused person, now a convict, resided at East Legon Hills in Accra.

It said the complainants were the children of the late Inspector Patrick Tengey who was stationed at Duayaw Nkwanta.

On May 29, 2019, Inspector Tengey died intestate and the convict, being the younger brother of the deceased, styled himself as head of family and succeeded in convincing the complainants into believing him that he was going to assist them to get their late father’s entitlement from the Ghana Police Service.

The prosecution said after the final funeral rites of the officer, the accused person, together with the complainants went through all the necessary processes to enable them to collect their late father ‘s gratuity.

On December 21, 2021, Letters of Administration were granted for the Administrator General to pay an amount of GH¢304,950.20 being “Commuted Pension,” to the officer’s family.

The prosecution said on January 12, 2022, and February 3, 2022, the Administrator General issued two cheques with face value of GH¢206,737.55 and GH¢98,737.55 respectively to the accused person to share same among the children.

The prosecutor said Kwame Tengey on receipt of the money failed to share the money to the beneficiaries as it was spelt out on the disbursement form.

The convict also went for the second cheque and called all the beneficiaries to come for GH¢10,000 each without disclosing the total amount involved.

The prosecution said the complainants, who were not happy with the convict, decided to enquire at the pension department of the Ghana Police Service to verify how much the convict was given on their behalf and they were referred to the offices of the Administrator General.

The complainants were given a copy of the disbursement form, which stated that each beneficiary is entitled to GH¢68,737.55 and GH¢30,000 set aside as Educational Endowment Fund for Richard Tengey who was a minor.

The prosecution said the Offices of the Administrator General on receipt of the complaints form from the beneficiaries stopped the convict’s bank from paying GH98,737.55 to him.

The court heard that on February 4, 2022, the beneficiaries petitioned the Director-General of CID that the convict had appropriated cash in the sum of GHC206,737.55 being their share of their late father’s gratuity.

Kwame Tengey was arrested and, in his cautioned statement he admitted having received the money at the instance of his brother Edward Alidjah Anyame and that he used part of the money to renovate their family house at Sogakope and transferred the remaining money to him in the United Kingdom.

The prosecution said in an additional caution statement to the Police, the convict stated that he did not transfer the money to his brother, rather he invested it in gold business.

The prosecutor told the court that on February 6,2022, the said Edward Alidjah Anyame arrived in the country, and he was invited by the police to assist in investigations and in his witness statement he (Anyame) said that he never authorised the convict to renovate the family house or transfer any money to his account in the United Kingdom.  

Source: GNA

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